Skip to main content

PBS Special on Pakistan's Education System

I finally got a chance to see this.



Overall, I thought this piece was very interesting, informative and well... depressing.

I have plans to move to Pakistan in a few years. They're not finalized just yet, but they are plans none-the-less. Do notice how I didn't say "move back to Pakistan..." I wasn't born there but for some reason I still feel attached to the country. Perhaps it's because I used to visit often during the summer. Or maybe it's because most of my closest friends are South Asian and they remind me of how great the culture of friendship is there. Whatever it is, I don't think I could ever forget the place.

If I end up there and things don't get better, I might just decide to stay in education. Call me crazy, but just thinking about doing something good over there (regardless of how little of an impact I might have) gets me excited. I feel motivated. I want experience so I can help in any way possible. I have a lot to learn, but that's okay.

Check out this Five Rupees post for some interesting commentary.
Labels:

Comments

Alpha Za said…
For starters let me point out how odd it is I went to school with your wife. I had no idea... contact me some time and I'll give you the dirt on her... ;)

You feel an attachment because you are part of that diaspora. It often more authentic than the 'natives' themselves.

Pakistan could obviously use some good teachers.

There is no country so full hope for a better tomorrow that is bitterly disappointed.
March 2, 2010 at 11:16 AM
nh said…
^^ dude!! please you have no dirt on me. i was quite shareef!
March 2, 2010 at 2:17 PM
Yo Mista! said…
@ Alpha:

Yes, it's a very weird feeling everytime I go back... do you know of any other sources that might provide an insight as to the state of education in Pakistan? This is an area I want to study up on.

And regarding my significant other, tell me everything you know...
March 2, 2010 at 3:52 PM
Alpha Za said…
I know the head of the education section at Dawn Newspapers, contact me directly and I'll make an introduction. At the very least she'll have the network.

As for your significant other, there are things you rather not know. Just kidding, she was a peach and bright as a whip lash.
March 19, 2010 at 3:47 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On My Visit to My Old High School

I had the incredible opportunity to visit my old high school while I was in Chicago last week.  This was something I was really looking forward to; I was worried I wouldn’t have enough time to cram in a visit. I wanted to not only visit my old teachers, but also to walk around the hallways aimlessly and remember what it was like to be me eight years ago. It still blows my mind that I’ve been out of high school for that long. Okay, fine. The voice of accuracy in my head desperately wants me to clarify how long it’s really been. Technically, I had gone back to visit a few of my teachers shortly after I graduated high school, but I choose not to count that as a “proper” visit as I was still in college and coming back home quite often. It’s not like I was living out of the state as I am now. So it doesn’t count, okay? So Wednesday morning, I walked into the visitor’s entrance at gate 3 and received my visitor’s pass for the day. It was odd because as a student, I neve...
Post a Comment
Read more

We Need to Talk About Tenure

The idea and privilege of "tenure" in public education has garnered a lot of attention as of late. Most people who have never worked in education a single day in their lives seem to feel that tenure is unfair and teachers should work under the same expectations that other "regular" and hard-working Americans work under. At least, that's the narrative being presented in the media. Three years ago, I would have agreed, but I didn't know any better. At the college and university level,  tenure  is difficult to obtain and can take 4-8 years. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but from what I think I know, the candidate usually needs to have published some sort of research and have demonstrated a strong teaching record, among other things. Before becoming a high school teacher, I understood why tenure was necessary at the college and university level as it protected academics when they published work that went against the mainstream, and thereby prevented profes...
16 comments
Read more

Two Face

The past two days have been unusually challenging for me. The majority of my school's students have been rude, disruptive and careless. I'm really feeling stretched right now given all the other shit going on. Here's the thing: I have all my lessons up online. I e-mail my students with reminders, send them review packets, make myself available by cell, text and e-mail. I even pack myself a sandwich everyday because kids feel my classroom is a "safe space" during lunch and use the classroom to socialize, study or just do homework. I can't say no to that... I also keep a spreadsheet which I update daily with all my students' grades to track trends in performance. I spend hours on each lesson and presentation to make sure it's clear for visual and auditory learners. I throw in real-life examples for those who need to be able to relate in order to understand. So why the fuck isn't everyone acing this shit??? If I'm doing everything I can t...
20 comments
Read more