- GSB campaign’s fourth song, Taleem ki Chutti, criticizes country’s education system which discourages questioning and critical thinking, stressing rote learning
Gao Suno Badlo (GSB), a project of AAWAZ voice and accountability programme and Mishermayl Productions, released their fourth song ‘Taleem Ki Chutti’ on International Children’s day, highlighting the crippling state of education system in Pakistan.
The song, sung by Umair Ahmed, produced by Saad Sultan and Madiha Gul and directed by Farhan Adeel, received great support on all social media forums. The video was shot at Green Kot, Kasur, an area which itself speaks of the declining state of education.
The lyrics of the song written by Salman Haider are hard-hitting. They bring to light the issues of ghost schools and teachers, the regression in the syllabus design as well as the pressure on children to pursue science instead of arts for a successful career.
Set in an abandoned school building, the song starts off with three children heading to school dressed up as a parrot, a sheep and a donkey.
According to the song’s composer and campaign head, Ali Aftab Saeed, “Those children represent the three groups of students being produced in schools: the donkey represents those who work very hard without questioning or absorbing anything, the sheep stands for those who do not develop critical approaches and follow the herd and the parrot stands for those who get educated by rote learning and repeat whatever is taught to them.”
Ali further pointed out that the lyrics highlight the centuries old debate of science versus art, in which the latter is considered as futile with respect to its usefulness in real life.
GSB also posted thought provoking pictures, designed by Farooq Gul, that depicted the deletion of education from our system leaving children being ‘donkeys, parrots and sheep’.
