Schools all around the world are entrusted with the responsibility of teaching the children manners and instilling in them the characteristics of obeying rules, especially state rules. I have studied in four countries and can recall 10 schools that I have attended and in all those places the schools taught patriotism and instilled in us the characteristics of obeying rules.
This mindset of schools can be attributed to the direct success and progress of the countries. We can see India, a nation that will soon become a superpower, has a population of a billion patriotic people that are ready to do anything for the progress of the schools. The school system there teaches the children the importance of obeying rules be it bad or good, and makes them love their country.
However, the schooling system in our beloved country Pakistan has become a victim of social disparity that exists in our society.
The majority of the public schools here portray an empty look with students or teachers being absent on a consistent basis, and we have private schools with lots of students and teachers but they teach nothing substantive to help them become better citizens.
The private schools here often have well connected sources to have influence over the local authorities to expand their school and defy the rule at their convenience.
One such school that has been at its zenith in terms of defying the rule has been a new private A-levels school in the posh area of DHA, Karachi. This school has been able to host a multitude of extracurricular activities ranging from a fashion show in an Islamic country involving students to holding concerts in its vicinity which is in the midst of a residential area.
The school has sort of captured and taken over the whole area. The residents around the school have become helpless with the local authorities being incapable of stopping the school’s activities in any way. The school in the name of security has barred cars from being parked in front of the houses irrespective of the cars being of the guests coming to visit the houses nearby.
The school does not even respect the notices of the government. It stays open even on the days the government has announced a public holiday, be it Shah Abdul Latif’s Urs or Begum Nusrat Bhuttos’ funeral, the school stays open. The school may be good in imparting knowledge to its students but the regular defiance of state rules and laws does not give a good impression to the kids. In a country already short of patriotism, such acts can further the problems for the government.
Schools are there to play a dual role, impart knowledge and make the children better citizens, and if the school itself is defying rules, we can imagine what the children would do.
AFFAN
Karachi
