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

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

The Two Brothers

Two years ago, two brothers enrolled at the alternative school where I worked. Colin and Ken, at 16 and 15 years old respectively, had just come back from spending two years in the Dominican Republic. They were now living in a foster home in the Bronx away from their birth parents. During the years they spent in the Dominican Republic, Colin and Ken were in and out of school, but mostly out, working on their family's farm as free labor. Beyond the trauma of separation  from  their birth parents, Colin and Ken experienced a significant amount of trauma  with  their birth parents. They were two teenagers who had already lived a lifetime. Silent with a dark sense of humor, Colin kept quiet during the school day during most of his first year. His entrance test scores placed him in classes at about (or slightly under) grade level. In those classes, Colin excelled. During his first year in this alternative school, Colin accumulated credits, earned rewards based on academ...
2 comments
Read more

Teach for Pakistan

I've been visiting Karachi every other year since I was six months old. My parents were both born there. The bulk of my extended family still lives there. It's strange how my perspective and investment in the country has changed over the years. I hated going to Pakistan when I was younger. My mother dragged me there for two, sometimes three months at a time over the summer. The heat was miserable and the humidity was unbearable. My family wasn't well off, so it's not like I was in a huge mansion of sorts living in the tropics, eating cold mangoes. That would've been nice. The only things I enjoyed were the company of my cousins, the food and the taste of Coca-Cola made from real sugar. Besides that, I really never did anything else. I was pretty quiet: my aunts would compliment me on my lack of communication. Heh. It was not until I was a teenager that I truly began to appreciate my experiences in Pakistan. I started engaging in the family functions, weddings an...
15 comments
Read more