THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION
THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION
Every now and then a question arises in every educated person’s mind: what is the purpose of education? Most of us think it as a way to get job or learn some skills. To some extent, it is true that through education we learn skills to get a job or do some work. But, is it the sole purpose of acquiring education? Is our education system only made for producing workers or are there some others purposes of it as well? Let’s find the answers.
Terminologies
Terminology used in BPSC past papers
HYPOCRATIC OATH: The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians. It is one of the most widely known of Greek medical texts. In its original form, it requires a new physician to swear, by a number of healing gods, to uphold specific ethical standards.
BULLS AND BEARS: bulls is rise in price of stock market or trade while bears market is down ward or reduction of market.
OLIVE BRANCH: 1 : a branch of the olive tree especially when used as a symbol of peace. 2 : an offer or gesture of conciliation or goodwill.
SHEET ANCHOR: 1 : a large strong anchor formerly carried in the waist of a ship and used as a spare in an emergency. 2 : something that constitutes a main support
JORGON: special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.
EUPHEMISM: a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
HOSTILE WITNESS: A hostile witness, otherwise known as an adverse witness or an unfavorable witness, is a witness at trial whose testimony on direct examination is either openly antagonistic or appears to be contrary to the legal position of the party who called the witness.
SABBATH: a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday.
HUMANISM
EMERITUS PROFESSOR: n emeritus is a retired college professor or minister. When aprofessor stops teaching, she might be given the title of emeritus, which basically means she can still be remembered as a successfulprofessor. The word emeritus, pronounced "eh-MER-ih-tus," is Latin, originally meaning "veteran soldier."
IN CAMERA: in private, without the public, newspaper reporters, etc. being there.
SLAPSTICK: a type of humorous acting in which the actors behave in a silly way, such as by throwing things, falling over, etc.
UNCLE SAM: Uncle Sam (initials U.S.) is a common national personification of the American government or the United States in general.
POLYTHEISM: the belief in or worship of more than one god.
PLATONIC LOVE: Platonic love is a type of love that is celibate and non-sexual. The term is named afterPlato, who was the first to describe this kind of love.
DECATHLON: an athletic contest comprising ten different track-and-field events and won by the contestant amassing the highest total score.
PARALYMPICS: : a series of international contests for athletes with disabilities that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games —called also Paralympic Games.
SATIRE: the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. CATHARSIS: the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. e.g. "music is a means of catharsis for them"
BANANA REPUBLIC: A small country that is economically dependent on a single export commodity, such as bananas, and is typically governed by a dictator or the armed forces.
MULTILATERAL: 1 : having many sides. 2 : involving or participated in by more than two nations or parties
FACIST:Agovernmental system led by a dictator havingcomplete power, forcibly suppressingopposition and criticism, regimenting allindustry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing anaggressive nationalism and often racism.
HEGEMONY: the dominance or leadership of one social group over others. Hegemony is political or cultural dominance or authority over others.
NON-ENTITY: a person or thing with no special or interesting qualities; an unimportant person or thing. "a political nonentity" . 2. non-existence.
APEX: the top or highest part of something, especially one forming a point. "the apex of the roof" DILEMMA: a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially ones that are equally undesirable.
HORRENDONS: extremely unpleasant, horrifying, or terrible. "she suffered horrendous injuries" COLLATERAL : Property or other assets that a borrower offers a lender to secure a loan. If the borrower stops making the promised loan payments, the lender can seize the collateral to recoup its losses.
EQUITY: the quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality: the equity of Solomon.
DEMOGRAPHY: the study of the characteristics of human populations.
ALMA METER: the school, college, or university where you studied.
HAT TRICK : hree successes of the same kind within a limited period, in particular (in soccer) the scoring of three goals in a game by one player or (in cricket) the taking of three wickets by the same bowler with successive balls. "he scored a hat-trick"
INFLATION: A sustained, rapid increase in prices, as measured by some broad index (such as Consumer Price Index) over months or years, and mirrored in the correspondingly decreasing purchasing power of the currency.
VETO: a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a lawmaking body.
KNOCK OUT: a tournament in which the loser in each round is eliminated.
CATHARSIS: the process of releasing strong emotions through a particular activity or experience, such as writing or theatre, in a way that helps you to understandthose emotions
SINE DIE : "without assigning a day for a further meeting or hearing". To adjourn an assembly sine die is to adjourn it for an indefinite period.
PLAINTIFF; a person who sues another person or accuses another person of a crime in a court of law
EXTRADITION: extradition means sending someone back to the country or state where they've been accused of a crime.
QUORUM: the minimum number of members of an assembly or society that must be present at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid.
EMBARGO: an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country. "an embargo on grain sales"
PREAMBLE: 1 : an introductory statement; especially : the introductory part of a constitution or statute that usually states the reasons for and intent of the law. 2 : an introductory fact or circumstance; especially : one indicating what is to follow.
RENAISSANCE: the period in Europe between the 14th and 16th centuries when there was increased interest in ancient Greece and Rome, which produced new developments in art, literature, science, architecture etc. 2. a revival of or renewed interest in something.
BARTER: The exchange of goods or services for other goods or services, rather than for money.
PREMIUM: an amount to be paid for a contract of insurance. (BEEMA KI KIST)
ABDICATION: to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, especially in a formal manner: The aging founder of the firm decided to abdicate.
COALITION: a temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government. "a coalition between Liberals and Conservatives"
ASYLUM: the protection granted by a state to someone who has left their home country as a political refugee. "she applied for asylum and was granted refugee status"
FREE PORT: a port open to all traders. a port area where goods in transit are exempt from customs duty.
CASTING VOTE: an extra vote given by a chairperson to decide an issue when the votes on each side are equal.
PAN-ISLAMISM: is a political movement advocating the unity of Muslims under one Islamic state – often a Caliphate – or an international organization with Islamic principles. 2. the idea or advocacy of a political union of all Muslim nations
BLANK VERSE: Blank verse is a type of poetry that has a regular meter, usually iambic pentameter, but no rhyme. Most of Shakespeare's plays are written in blank verse.
PROTOCOL: the system of rules and acceptable behaviour used at official ceremonies and occasions
AGENDA: a list of items to be discussed at a formal meeting:
WHITE MAN’S BURDERN: the alleged duty of the white peoples to manage the affairs of the less developed nonwhite peoples
BALANCE OF TRADE: the difference between a country's imports and itsexports. Balance of trade is the largest component of a country's balance of payments. A country has a trade deficit if it imports more than it exports; the opposite scenario is a trade surplus.
• DEMURRAGE: a charge payable to the owner of a chartered ship in respect of failure to load or discharge the ship within the time agreed.
INDEMNITY: security or protection against a loss or other financial burden:"no indemnity will be given for loss of cash"synonyms:insurance, assurance, protection, security
IAMBIC PENTAMETER: a line of verse with five metrical feet, or a type of poetic metre based on five pairs of metrically weak/strong syllabic positions.
The Ticking Bomb
Babar Sattar, Columnist, Lawer |
The foremost conspiracy theory doing the rounds is that a
government of technocrats is in the offing, and will be installed by utilising
the Bangladesh model. The Bangladesh model is short
for non-representative institutions – the military and the judiciary – stepping
in to hold the skies together out of necessity when they are caving in due to
corrupt and inept politicos. It’s a coup of sorts: a government of technocrats
is installed and general elections delayed with a stamp of approval by the
judiciary – supposedly to cleanse the system and make it ‘safe’ for democracy.
Javed
Hashmi had claimed during Dharna I that such a plan was afoot. The Supreme
Court headed by the then Chief Justice Nasir ul Mulk had considered the
election rigging challenge and dismissed it saying there was no basis to
conclude that Election 2013 was stolen through an organised conspiracy. Given
that the Bangladesh model depends on
the judiciary legitimising it, the conspiracy theory dissipated and so did
Dharna I. The theory has been dusted and brought out again. Even PM Abbasi has
asserted that a technocrats’ government is no solution for Pakistan .
There
is no provision in our constitution permissive of the Bangladesh model. But there
was probably none even in Bangladesh where it was
conceived (and where it failed to attain its stated objects, like all martial
laws in Pakistan ). But let us
assume for a moment that we have learnt nothing from our history (and that of
others like Bangladesh ) and a
conspiracy is being brewed to transfer control to technocrats of the already
diminishing domain of the state that is presently in the hands of politicos.
How will it work?
A
census has many critical purposes. One of them is that population count is used
to allocate seats between federating units and to delimit constituencies.
According to Census 1998, Pakistan ’s population was
135 million. According to Census 2017, it has risen to 208 million. Thus,
allocation of seats and delimitation of constituencies undertaken on the basis
of the 135 million count will be inherently unfair when the number has gone up
to 208 million.
If
Election 2018 is held on the basis of seat allocation and delimitations resting
on Census 1998, such election will be vulnerable to a constitutional challenge.
In a democracy the ‘one person, one vote’ principle ensures political and legal
equality. A federating unit gets representation in parliament on the basis of
its respective population. According to the preliminary results of Census 2017,
the overall share of Punjab in Pakistan ’s population has
decreased. Thus, the number of seats allotted to Punjab in parliament
should also be reduced proportionately.
The
size of constituencies ought to be comparable to uphold citizens’ right to an
equally ‘weighted’ vote. If constituency A comprising 100,000 citizens elects
one representative and constituency B comprising 200,000 citizens also elects
one representative, citizens of constituency B will stand disenfranchised due
to vote dilution. A fair delimitation process needs to guard against
gerrymandering – that is, constituencies must not be drawn in an artificial way
to bunch together and ‘waste’ the votes of a particular group likely to vote a
certain way.
The
bottom line is that if Election 2018 is held on the basis of Census 1998, it
will be an open invitation to those interested in disputing results or
disrupting transfer of power to the next elected government. And if Election
2018 is to be held on the basis of Census 2017, we are running late.
Article
51(3) of the constitution specifies the distribution of 332 seats in the
National Assembly between the federating units (excluding 10 seats reserved for
non-Muslims). Article 51(5) then states that, “seats in the National Assembly
shall be allocated to each Province, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
and the Federal Capital on the basis of population in accordance with the last
preceding census officially published.”
The
media has so far been focused on the “officially published” bit of Article
51(5). But can seats be allocated on the basis of Census 2017, even if
officially published, without amending Article 51(3)? Article 51(5) doesn’t
state that it will override 51(3). And 51(3) doesn’t say that seats will
automatically stand adjusted on the basis of allocations made under 51(5). This
might be a lacuna in the text. But it is one that will require judicial
interpretation or else it can be exploited.
Let’s
now come to Elections Act, 2017 and work backward on timelines.
Section
14 requires that the ECP, “shall, at least four months before the general
election is due to be held on expiry of the term of an Assembly, prepare a
comprehensive Action Plan specifying all legal and administrative measures that
have been taken or required to be taken in respect of the election”, including,
“delimitation of constituencies”, “revision of electoral rolls”, “preparation
of constituency-wise list of polling stations and list of polling personnel”,
etc.
If
Election 2018 is due by August 5, this action plan must be ready by April.
Section 17(2) mandates the ECP to delimit constituencies “after every census
officially published.” If such delimitation is to be undertaken on the basis of
preliminary census results, Section 17(2) and Article 51(5) of the constitution
both need amendment. After such amendment or official publication of results,
the ECP is to publish a preliminary report on delimitation (after holding
inquiries, considering representations, summoning witnesses and recording
evidence).
A
30-day period is prescribed after publication of the preliminary report to
invite public representations in respect of such report, after which the ECP is
to publish a final report after considering representations within 30 days of
the last date fixed for receipt of representations. In other words, if the ECP
were Hercules with magical abilities and who burnt the midnight oil, it would take it at least a month
to undertake preliminary delimitation after receipt of census results, and then
two further months for receipt of representations and preparation of the final
report.
This
brings us to the preparation of electoral rolls, which logically needs to
happen after the delimitation process is complete. Under Sections 28, 30, 34
and 35 of the Elections Act, the ECP is required to publish the preliminary
electoral roll for a 30-day period, followed by a 30-day period for receipt of
complaints, which is followed by a 30-day period for corrections and publication
of the final roll. In view of these timelines, the ECP needs three months to
delimit constituencies and another three for roll preparation. And all this
needs to happen by April 5, 2018 .
Let’s
say the April deadline is recommended but not mandatory. Section 39 states that
there can be no change made to electoral rolls 30 days before the term of the
assembly is about to expire. This makes May
5, 2018 the absolute cut-off date. In short only if the ECP initiates the
delimitation process by November 5 could it possibly complete delimitation and
preparation of rolls by May 5. So we have about two weeks to address the
ambiguity in Article 51 and amend Article 51(5) and Section 17 to initiate
delimitation on the basis of the preliminary census data.
The
ECP has to undertake delimitation on the basis of the latest census. The tenure
of assemblies expires on June 5. If delimitation and preparation of rolls
hasn’t been undertaken on the basis of Census 2017, elections won’t be possible
within the prescribed 60-day period. But Article 254 of our constitution states
that, “when an act or thing is required to be done within a particular period
and it is not done within that period, the doing of the act or thing shall not
be invalid or otherwise ineffective by reason only that is was not done within
that period.”
Planning
to hold Election 2018 on the basis of Census 1998 or not taking all legislative
and administrative measures to ensure that delimitation and preparation of
rolls on the basis of Census 2017 take place prior to the installation of the
interim government is tantamount to inviting a roll-out of the Bangladesh model. If
politicos fail to act now, they must not yell conspiracy later.
EDUCATION SYSTEM OF PAKISTAN: Issues, Problems and Solutions :ESSAY
·
Introduction
·
What is Education
System
·
Vision 2030
·
Issues/ Problems
·
Analysis of Problems
·
Solutions
·
Recommendations
·
Conclusion
Introduction
It is mandated in the Constitution of Pakistan to provide free
and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 5-16 years and
enhance adult literacy. With the 18th constitutional amendment the concurrent
list which comprised of 47 subjects was abolished and these subjects, including
education, were transferred to federating units as a move towards provincial
autonomy. However, in spite of this constitution recommendation education
system in Pakistan is the most neglected
sector in the country. In the long history of 70 years no government has set
education as majority goals list. It is not impossible to remedy our education
system but it required serious and timely efforts to bring on track our this
sector comparative to modern nations on all fronts.
What is Education System?
The system of education includes all institutions that are
involved in delivering formal education (public and private, for-profit and
nonprofit, onsite or virtual instruction) and their faculties, students,
physical infrastructure, resources and rules. In a broader definition the
system also includes the institutions that are directly involved in financing,
managing, operating or regulating such institutions (like government ministries
and regulatory bodies, central testing organizations, textbook boards and
accreditation boards). The rules and regulations that guide the individual and
institutional interactions within the set up are also part of the education
system..
Vision 2030
Vision 2030 of Planning Commission of Pakistan looks for an
academic environment which promotes the thinking mind. The goal under Vision
2030 is one curriculum and one national examination system under state
responsibility. The strategies charted out to achieve the goal included:
(i)
Increasing public expenditure on education and skills generation from 2.7% of
GDP to 5% by 2010 and 7% by 2015.
(ii)
Re-introduce the technical and vocational stream in the last two years of
secondary schools.
(iii)
Gradually increase vocational and technical education numbers to 25-30% of all
secondary enrolment by 2015 and 50 per cent by 2030.
(iv)
Enhance the scale and quality of education in general and the scale and quality
of scientific/technical education in Pakistan in particular.
Issues/Problems:
The issues lead to the comprehension of the problems which are
faced in the development of education system and promotion of literacy. The
study outlines seven major problems such as:
1) Lack of Proper Planning: Pakistan is a signatory to Millennium
Development Goals and Education For All goals. However it seems that it will
not be able to achieve these international commitments because of financial
management issues and constraints to achieve the MDGs and EFA goals.
2) Social constraints: It is important
to realize that the problems which hinder the provision of education are not
just due to issues of management by government but some of them are deeply
rooted in the social and cultural orientation of the people. Overcoming the
latter is difficult and would require a change in attitude of the people, until
then universal primary education is difficult to achieve.
3) Gender gap: Major factors
that hinder enrolment rates of girls include poverty, cultural constraints,
illiteracy of parents and parental concerns about safety and mobility of their
daughters. Society’s emphasis on girl’s modesty, protection and early marriages
may limit family’s willingness to send them to school. Enrolment of rural girls
is 45% lower than that of urban girls; while for boys the difference is 10%
only, showing that gender gap is an important factor.
4) Cost of education: The economic cost
is higher in private schools, but these are located in richer settlements only.
The paradox is that private schools are better but not everywhere and
government schools ensure equitable access but do not provide quality
education.
5) War on Terror: Pakistan ’s engagement in war
against terrorism also affected the promotion of literacy campaign. The
militants targeted schools and students; several educational institutions were
blown up, teachers and students were killed in Balochistan, KPK and FATA. This
may have to contribute not as much as other factors, but this remains an
important factor.
6) Funds for Education: Pakistan spends 2.4% GDP on
education. At national level, 89% education expenditure comprises of current
expenses such as teachers’ salaries, while only 11% comprises of development
expenditure which is not sufficient to raise quality of education.
7) Technical Education: Sufficient
attention has not been paid to the technical and vocational education in Pakistan . The number of
technical and vocational training institutes is not sufficient and many are
deprived of infrastructure, teachers and tools for training. The population of
a state is one of the main elements of its national power. It can become an
asset once it is skilled. Unskilled population means more jobless people in the
country, which affects the national development negatively. Therefore,
technical education needs priority handling by the government.
Poverty, law and order situation, natural disasters, budgetary
constraints, lack of access, poor quality, equity, and governance have also
contributed in less enrolments.
Analysis
of Problems:
An analysis of the issues and problems suggest that:
The official data shows the allocation of funds for educational
projects but there is no mechanism which ensures the proper expenditure of
those funds on education.
§
The existing infrastructure is not being
properly utilized in several parts of the country.
§
There are various challenges that include
expertise, institutional and capacity issues, forging national cohesion,
uniform standards for textbook development, and quality assurance.
§
The faculty hiring process is historically
known to be politicized. It is because of this that the quality of teaching
suffers and even more so when low investments are made in teachers’ training.
As a result teachers are not regular and their time at school is not as
productive as it would be with a well-trained teacher.
§
Inside schools there are challenges which
include shortage of teachers, teacher absenteeism, missing basic facilities and
lack of friendly environment.
§
Out of school challenges include shortage of
schools, distance – especially for females, insecurity, poverty, cultural
norms, parents are reluctant or parents lack awareness.
Solutions
There is a need for implementation of national education policy
and vision 2030 education goals. An analysis of education policy suggests that
at the policy level there are several admirable ideas, but practically there
are some shortcomings also.
It may not be possible for the government at the moment to
implement uniform education system in the country, but a uniform curriculum can
be introduced in educational institutes of the country. This will provide equal
opportunity to the students of rural areas to compete with students of urban
areas in the job market.
Since majority of Pakistani population resides in rural areas
and the access to education is a major problem for them, it seems feasible that
a balanced approach for formal and informal education be adopted. Government as
well as non-government sector should work together to promote education in
rural areas.
The government should take measures to get school buildings
vacated which are occupied by feudal lords of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab . Efforts should be
made to ensure that proper education is provided in those schools.
The federal government is paying attention to the vocational and
technical training, but it is important to make the already existing vocational
and technical training centres more efficient so that skilled youth could be
produced.
Since education is a provincial subject, the provincial education
secretariats need to be strengthened. Special policy planning units should be
established in provinces’ education departments for implementation of
educational policies and formulation of new policies whenever needed. The
provincial education departments need to work out financial resources required
for realising the compliance of Article 25-A.
Federal Government should play a supportive role vis-à-vis the
provinces for the early compliance of the constitutional obligation laid down
in Article 25-A. Special grants can be provided to the provinces where the
literacy rate is low.
Recommendations
§
Technical education should be made a part of
secondary education. Classes for carpentry, electrical, and other technical
education must be included in the curriculum.
§
Providing economic incentives to the students
may encourage the parents to send their children to school and may help in
reducing the dropout ratio.
§
Local government system is helpful in
promoting education and literacy in the country. In local government system the
funds for education would be spent on a need basis by the locality.
§
Corruption in education departments is one of
the factors for the poor literacy in the country. An effective monitoring
system is needed in education departments.
§
For any system to work it is imperative that
relevant structures are developed. Legislation and structure should be framed
to plan for the promotion of education in the country. After the 18th amendment
the education has become a provincial subject, therefore, the provinces should
form legislations and design educational policies which ensure quality
education.
§
Unemployment of educated men and women is a
major concern for Pakistan . There should be
career counseling of the pupils in schools so that they have an understanding
of job market and they can develop their skills accordingly.
§
Counseling of parents is required, so that
they can choose a career for their child which is market friendly.
§
There are two approaches to acquiring
education: First, which is being followed by many in Pakistan is to get education to
earn bread and butter. The second approach is to get education for the sake of
personal development and learning. This approach is followed by affluent and
economically stable people who send their children to private schools and
abroad for education. The problem arises when non-affluent families send their
children to private schools, and universities. This aspiration for sending
children for higher education is wrong, because the country does not need managers
and officers only. There are several other jobs where people are needed. Hence
the mind-set of sending one’s children to university only for becoming officers
and managers needs to be changed.
Conclusion:
The reforms required in the education system of Pakistan cannot
be done by the government alone, public-private participation and a mix of
formal as well as non-formal education can pull out majority of country’s
population from illiteracy. Similarly, to make the youth of the country an
asset, attention should also be paid to vocational and technical training.
مائنڈ سیٹ یا تنزل؟
Dr. Safdar Mehmood, Columnist |
ہمیں غور اور تجزیہ کرنا چاہئے اپنے قومی
رویے، سیاسی روایات اور مائنڈ سیٹ کا کیونکہ مجھے کبھی کبھی یوں لگتا ہے جیسے
صدیوں کا سفر طے کرنے کے باوجود ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ اور فکری رویے نہیں بدلے، ہم
صدیوں پرانے ذہنی سانچے سے نہیں نکلے حالانکہ ہمارا نظام حکومت بدل گیا، شرح
خواندگی بڑھ گئی، اندرون و بیرون ملک سے اعلیٰ ترین ڈگریوں والے حضرات کی تعداد
میں بہت زیادہ اضافہ ہوگیا اور سب سے بڑھ کر یہ کہ سیاسی شعور اور سیاسی آگاہی کی
سطح نہایت بلند ہوگئی۔ صدیوں پہلے نہ اخبارات ہوتے تھے، نہ ٹی وی چینلز ہوتے
تھے،نہ آزادی فکر و اظہارکی نعمت میسر تھی اور نہ ہی انفارمیشن سینکڑوں ہزاروں
میلوں کا سفر منٹوں میں طے کرتی تھی۔ حتیٰ کہ اسکولوں کی جگہ مدرسے ہوتے تھے جہاں
مذہبی تعلیم کے ساتھ تھوڑی سی اخلاقی تربیت کا ساماں ہوتا تھا۔ آج اسکولوں،
کالجوں اور یونیورسٹیوں کا جال بچھا ہوا ہے اور ہمارا خواندہ طبقہ امریکہ انگلستان
اور دوسرے اہم ممالک کے بارے میں اتنی ہی معلومات رکھتا ہے جتنی اپنے ملک کے بارے
میں۔ ان علمی و فکری ’’ترقیوں‘‘ کے ساتھ ساتھ جمہوری عمل کے پروان چڑھنے کا سلسلہ
بھی جاری ہے، انتخابات بھی ہوتے ہیں اور لوگوں کو رائے دینے یا ووٹ دینے کا حق بھی
دستیاب ہے اور ظاہر ہے کہ وہ بیلٹ باکس میں پرچی ڈالنے سے قبل امیدوار کا فیصلہ
بھی سوچ کر یا کسی نہ کسی جذبے اور محرک کے تحت کرتے ہیں۔ اس تمام تر تعلیمی،
معاشرتی، معلوماتی (انفارمیشن) اورسیاسی ترقی کے باوجود ہمارے مائنڈ سیٹ یا ہمارے
فکری و سیاسی رویے میں اس قدر ترقی اور بلوغت نظر نہیں آتی جو صدیوں کے سفر کا
نتیجہ یا تحفہ ہونا چاہئے تھی۔ سوچنے کی بات ہے کہ دنیا بدل گئی، گھوڑوں کی سواری
کی جگہ بسوں، ٹرینوں اور ہوائی جہازوں نے لے لی۔ بادشاہتوں اور علاقائی وڈیروں کی
جگہ اسمبلیاں اور منتخب حکومتیں آگئیں، رعایا کی جگہ عوام اقتدار کاسرچشمہ بن
گئے، ابا جی کو ڈیڈی کہہ کر پکارا جانے لگا، آنکھوں میں خوف کی جگہ بے خوفی کا
مورچہ قائم ہوگیا اور ہر طرف انسانی برابری اور مساوات اورانسانی حقوق کا درس دیا
جانے لگا لیکن اس قدر حیرت انگیز ترقی اور شاندار تبدیلی کے باوجود ہمارا مائنڈ
سیٹ اور سیاسی رویہ کیوں نہیں بدلا؟
تاریخ ایک زبردست آئینہ ہوتی ہے جو نہ صرف ماضی کی عکاسی کرتی ہے بلکہ زندگی کے سفر پر بھی روشنی ڈالتی ہے۔ ہم سب جانتے ہیں کہ مغلوں نے ہندوستان پر دو صدیوں سے زیادہ موثر حکمرانی کی۔ اورنگ زیب کے انتقال کے بعد مغل حکمرانوں کی گرفت ڈھیلی پڑ گئی اور اٹھارویں صدی کے نصف تک بادشاہ سلامت محض علامتی یا ملامتی بادشاہ بن کر رہ گئے۔ مغلیہ دور حکومت کی نسبت رنجیت سنگھ کا دور حکومت مقابلتاً نزدیک کی بات ہے اور تاریخی حوالے سے صرف 168برس پرانا قصہ ہے۔ رنجیت سنگھ نے 1801سے لیکر 1839تک پنجاب پر حکمرانی کی اور اس کی سلطنت چند علاقوں کے استثنیٰ کے ساتھ تقریباً موجودہ پاکستان کے بیشتر علاقوں پر محیط تھی۔ میں اس بات سے محظوظ ہوتا ہوں کہ محترم ایاز صاحب صرف رنجیت سنگھ کو پنجاب کا لیڈر مانتے ہیں اور اس موجودہ سیاسی لیڈر کی لیڈر شپ سے بھی انکاری ہیں جس کے ہاتھ پر خود انہوں نے بیعت کی تھی حالانکہ بیعت کے بھی کچھ تقاضے ہوتے ہیں، کچھ ادب ملحوظ خاطر ہوتا ہے لیکن یہ بات سچ ہے کہ جمہوریت نے آزادی کی آڑ میں ادب آداب پر گہری چوٹ لگائی ہے اور اسے قصۂ پارینہ بنا کر رکھ دیا ہے۔ بہرحال مجھے رنجیت سنگھ کی یہ ادا پسند ہے کہ اس نے اپنا حرم رنگا رنگ حسینوں سے آباد کر رکھا تھا۔ یہ رسم آج بھی جاری ہے اور پنجاب کے بعض حکمران رنگا رنگ حرم کے حوالے سے منفرد شہرت بھی رکھتے ہیں لیکن رنجیت سنگھ کو یہ امتیاز حاصل ہے کہ اس کی وفات پر اس کی چار ہندو ’’رانیوں‘‘ اور سات لونڈیوں نے ستی کی رسم ادا کی اور یہ گنگناتے ہوئے اپنے آپ کو نذر آتش کر دیا کہ ’’تیرے بنا کیا جینا‘‘۔ سنگت سنگھ نے سکھ ہسٹری میں اس کا خوب ذکر کیا ہے۔
گورنمنٹ کالج لاہور میں میرے ایک کلاس فیلو نے بڑی دلچسپ نظم لکھی تھی جسے سن کر ہم لطف اندوز ہوتے تھے۔ اس نظم کا پہلا مصرعہ تھا ’’کھڑک سنگھ کے کھڑکنے سے کھڑکتی ہیں کھڑکیاں‘‘۔ جب میں نے ڈاکٹر سنگت سنگھ کی سکھ ہسٹری پڑھی تو اچانک یہ نظم یاد آگئی کیونکہ رنجیت سنگھ کی وفات کے بعد جب اس کی اولاد میں جنگ تخت نشینی شروع ہوئی تو اس کا پہلا جانشین کھڑک سنگھ تھا۔ دوسرا نونہال سنگھ تیسرا شیر سنگھ پھر مہارانی چاند کور پھر دوبارہ شیر سنگھ اور آخر میں پانچ سالہ کمسن بچے دلیپ سنگھ کو تخت نشین کردیا گیا۔ دلیپ سنگھ نے ساڑھے پانچ برس حکومت کی حتیٰ کہ مارچ 1849ء میں انگریزوں نے پنجاب پر قبضہ کر لیا اور اسے اپنی سلطنت کا حصہ بنا لیا۔ دلیپ سنگھ کو لمبا چوڑا وظیفہ دے کر لندن پیرس بھجوا دیا گیا یا جلاوطن کردیا گیا تاکہ وہاں کی گوریاں اس کی تربیت جمہوری خطوط پر کریں اور اس کے مائنڈ سیٹ میں یہ خیال شامل کریں کہ جب خاندان میں کوئی اہل حکمران موجود نہ رہے تو اقتدار کو مضبوطی سے جاری رکھنے کے لئے اپنے مخلص حمایتیوں میں سے کسی کوقیادت سونپی جاسکتی ہے۔ اگرقیادت پر صرف اپنے خاندان کا حق سمجھا جائے تو اس کا نتیجہ یہی نکلتا ہے کہ کوئی طاقتور جانشینی کے کھیل کو بکھیر کر رکھ دیتا ہے اور ہاں! یہی دلیپ سنگھ تھا جس سے انگریزوں نے روشنیوں کے پہاڑ جیسا لاجواب کوہ نور ہیرا ملکہ برطانیہ کو بطور ہدیہ عقیدت پیش کروایا؎ ہے جرم ضعیفی کی سزا، مرگ مفاجات۔
ہاں تو میں عرض کررہا تھا کہ مغلیہ بادشاہت تو بہت پرانی بات ہے مگر رنجیت سنگھ کی حکومت ابھی کل کی بات لگتی ہے حالانکہ اسے ختم ہوئے پونے دو سو سال ہونے کو ہیں۔ رنجیت سنگھ کے مرنے کے بعد سکھ دس سال حکمران رہے اور ان دس برسوں میں چھ حکمران بدلے حتیٰ کہ پانچ سالہ کھلونوں سے کھیلتے دلیپ کو تخت پہ بٹھا دیا گیا اور اس کے پس پردہ رانی حکومت کرنے لگی۔ ڈاکٹر سنگت کے بقول اگر کسی اہل اور مضبوط شخصیت کو عنان حکومت دے دی جاتی تو سکھ حکومت طویل عرصے تک قائم رہ سکتی تھی لیکن اقتدار کو گھر تک محدود رکھنا ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ ہے۔ صدیاں گزر گئیں، سیاست، معاشرت، تعلیم اور ذہنی و فکری رویوں نے طویل سفر طے کر لیا ہے لیکن شعور کی اس چکاچوند ترقی نے ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ نہیں بدلا اور نہ ہی جمہوریت نے ہمارے فکری سانچے میں سرنگ لگائی ہے۔ آج بھی ذوالفقار علی بھٹو کے بعد بے نظیر بھٹو اور بے نظیر بھٹو کے بعد بلاول زرداری بھٹو۔ اسی طرح میاں نوازشریف کے بعد مریم نواز یا مریم صفدر کیونکہ حسین نواز لندن ہجرت کر گئے ہیں ورنہ یہ تاج ان کے سر پہ پہنایا جاتا۔ اسی طرح شہباز شریف کے بعد حمزہ شہباز۔ گویا سیاسی حوالے سے ہم ابھی تک رنجیت سنگھ کے دور میں رہ رہے ہیں اور گزرنے والے 168برسوں نے نہ ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ بدلا ہے نہ سائنسی، سیاسی اور تعلیمی ترقی نے ہمارے ذہنی رویے کا کچھ بگاڑا ہے۔ کیا آپ اسے ترقی کہتے ہیں؟ یا تنزل؟
تاریخ ایک زبردست آئینہ ہوتی ہے جو نہ صرف ماضی کی عکاسی کرتی ہے بلکہ زندگی کے سفر پر بھی روشنی ڈالتی ہے۔ ہم سب جانتے ہیں کہ مغلوں نے ہندوستان پر دو صدیوں سے زیادہ موثر حکمرانی کی۔ اورنگ زیب کے انتقال کے بعد مغل حکمرانوں کی گرفت ڈھیلی پڑ گئی اور اٹھارویں صدی کے نصف تک بادشاہ سلامت محض علامتی یا ملامتی بادشاہ بن کر رہ گئے۔ مغلیہ دور حکومت کی نسبت رنجیت سنگھ کا دور حکومت مقابلتاً نزدیک کی بات ہے اور تاریخی حوالے سے صرف 168برس پرانا قصہ ہے۔ رنجیت سنگھ نے 1801سے لیکر 1839تک پنجاب پر حکمرانی کی اور اس کی سلطنت چند علاقوں کے استثنیٰ کے ساتھ تقریباً موجودہ پاکستان کے بیشتر علاقوں پر محیط تھی۔ میں اس بات سے محظوظ ہوتا ہوں کہ محترم ایاز صاحب صرف رنجیت سنگھ کو پنجاب کا لیڈر مانتے ہیں اور اس موجودہ سیاسی لیڈر کی لیڈر شپ سے بھی انکاری ہیں جس کے ہاتھ پر خود انہوں نے بیعت کی تھی حالانکہ بیعت کے بھی کچھ تقاضے ہوتے ہیں، کچھ ادب ملحوظ خاطر ہوتا ہے لیکن یہ بات سچ ہے کہ جمہوریت نے آزادی کی آڑ میں ادب آداب پر گہری چوٹ لگائی ہے اور اسے قصۂ پارینہ بنا کر رکھ دیا ہے۔ بہرحال مجھے رنجیت سنگھ کی یہ ادا پسند ہے کہ اس نے اپنا حرم رنگا رنگ حسینوں سے آباد کر رکھا تھا۔ یہ رسم آج بھی جاری ہے اور پنجاب کے بعض حکمران رنگا رنگ حرم کے حوالے سے منفرد شہرت بھی رکھتے ہیں لیکن رنجیت سنگھ کو یہ امتیاز حاصل ہے کہ اس کی وفات پر اس کی چار ہندو ’’رانیوں‘‘ اور سات لونڈیوں نے ستی کی رسم ادا کی اور یہ گنگناتے ہوئے اپنے آپ کو نذر آتش کر دیا کہ ’’تیرے بنا کیا جینا‘‘۔ سنگت سنگھ نے سکھ ہسٹری میں اس کا خوب ذکر کیا ہے۔
گورنمنٹ کالج لاہور میں میرے ایک کلاس فیلو نے بڑی دلچسپ نظم لکھی تھی جسے سن کر ہم لطف اندوز ہوتے تھے۔ اس نظم کا پہلا مصرعہ تھا ’’کھڑک سنگھ کے کھڑکنے سے کھڑکتی ہیں کھڑکیاں‘‘۔ جب میں نے ڈاکٹر سنگت سنگھ کی سکھ ہسٹری پڑھی تو اچانک یہ نظم یاد آگئی کیونکہ رنجیت سنگھ کی وفات کے بعد جب اس کی اولاد میں جنگ تخت نشینی شروع ہوئی تو اس کا پہلا جانشین کھڑک سنگھ تھا۔ دوسرا نونہال سنگھ تیسرا شیر سنگھ پھر مہارانی چاند کور پھر دوبارہ شیر سنگھ اور آخر میں پانچ سالہ کمسن بچے دلیپ سنگھ کو تخت نشین کردیا گیا۔ دلیپ سنگھ نے ساڑھے پانچ برس حکومت کی حتیٰ کہ مارچ 1849ء میں انگریزوں نے پنجاب پر قبضہ کر لیا اور اسے اپنی سلطنت کا حصہ بنا لیا۔ دلیپ سنگھ کو لمبا چوڑا وظیفہ دے کر لندن پیرس بھجوا دیا گیا یا جلاوطن کردیا گیا تاکہ وہاں کی گوریاں اس کی تربیت جمہوری خطوط پر کریں اور اس کے مائنڈ سیٹ میں یہ خیال شامل کریں کہ جب خاندان میں کوئی اہل حکمران موجود نہ رہے تو اقتدار کو مضبوطی سے جاری رکھنے کے لئے اپنے مخلص حمایتیوں میں سے کسی کوقیادت سونپی جاسکتی ہے۔ اگرقیادت پر صرف اپنے خاندان کا حق سمجھا جائے تو اس کا نتیجہ یہی نکلتا ہے کہ کوئی طاقتور جانشینی کے کھیل کو بکھیر کر رکھ دیتا ہے اور ہاں! یہی دلیپ سنگھ تھا جس سے انگریزوں نے روشنیوں کے پہاڑ جیسا لاجواب کوہ نور ہیرا ملکہ برطانیہ کو بطور ہدیہ عقیدت پیش کروایا؎ ہے جرم ضعیفی کی سزا، مرگ مفاجات۔
ہاں تو میں عرض کررہا تھا کہ مغلیہ بادشاہت تو بہت پرانی بات ہے مگر رنجیت سنگھ کی حکومت ابھی کل کی بات لگتی ہے حالانکہ اسے ختم ہوئے پونے دو سو سال ہونے کو ہیں۔ رنجیت سنگھ کے مرنے کے بعد سکھ دس سال حکمران رہے اور ان دس برسوں میں چھ حکمران بدلے حتیٰ کہ پانچ سالہ کھلونوں سے کھیلتے دلیپ کو تخت پہ بٹھا دیا گیا اور اس کے پس پردہ رانی حکومت کرنے لگی۔ ڈاکٹر سنگت کے بقول اگر کسی اہل اور مضبوط شخصیت کو عنان حکومت دے دی جاتی تو سکھ حکومت طویل عرصے تک قائم رہ سکتی تھی لیکن اقتدار کو گھر تک محدود رکھنا ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ ہے۔ صدیاں گزر گئیں، سیاست، معاشرت، تعلیم اور ذہنی و فکری رویوں نے طویل سفر طے کر لیا ہے لیکن شعور کی اس چکاچوند ترقی نے ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ نہیں بدلا اور نہ ہی جمہوریت نے ہمارے فکری سانچے میں سرنگ لگائی ہے۔ آج بھی ذوالفقار علی بھٹو کے بعد بے نظیر بھٹو اور بے نظیر بھٹو کے بعد بلاول زرداری بھٹو۔ اسی طرح میاں نوازشریف کے بعد مریم نواز یا مریم صفدر کیونکہ حسین نواز لندن ہجرت کر گئے ہیں ورنہ یہ تاج ان کے سر پہ پہنایا جاتا۔ اسی طرح شہباز شریف کے بعد حمزہ شہباز۔ گویا سیاسی حوالے سے ہم ابھی تک رنجیت سنگھ کے دور میں رہ رہے ہیں اور گزرنے والے 168برسوں نے نہ ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ بدلا ہے نہ سائنسی، سیاسی اور تعلیمی ترقی نے ہمارے ذہنی رویے کا کچھ بگاڑا ہے۔ کیا آپ اسے ترقی کہتے ہیں؟ یا تنزل؟
LIMITTED OPPERTUNITIES OF EDUCATION FOR WOMAN IN BALOCHISTAN
Balochistan is very backward in respect of women education. The reasons are numerous but top most are:
Lack of institutions
Job oppertunities
tribal mindset
early marriages etc.