Does school really prepare students  for a job

By Sadia Wali

“Education in Pakistan cannot be acquired, it is something taken as a purchasable thing says Hassan, a student of a private medical university. Today, goal of education is simply to prepare young students to attain materialistic purposes in life. The spiritual and moral education which is essential for character building and nurturing minds is not given significance in our education.”

Therefore, the question arises in our minds what are actually the goal and objectives of an educational institutions? What they aim at? Nowadays, the phenomenon of teaching has been changed? Instead of fostering knowledge and learning in young people, today education is merely motivating young people towards accomplishing academic goals.  Teachers are demoralized and lack spirit of professionalism and commitment. Consequently their capacity for learning is also passive and this has negatively affected individual competencies and personal growth.   

A teacher, who had taken fifteen years out from the profession of teaching to raise her kids returned to teaching six months ago. Being a teacher she observed various changes in the attitude of teachers and students. ‘What really struck me is that kids have become more cynical, impatient and intolerant and less receptive for learning. They use vulgar language.

Parents think that young individuals are less motivated, less responsible and more confused about life. They believe that it is not worth paying thousands of fees in an institution which are not providing purposeful education. Their children seem to have completed the whole course yet they could not prove what they learnt. The question comes to our minds what they learn at the institutions? It is imperative for parents to know whether their son or daughter is acquiring quality education or finding an easy way out to get fake degrees to get desired job.    

Due to uninspiring teachers, young people lack vision and objectivity of acquiring authentic learning, core values and morality. The learning capacity of young people has been influenced by consumer culture. Hence they opt to study those subjects which offer more market value and have better chances of money making. For money minded individuals, it does not matter as to which of the subjects can be more useful for improving their academic learning and knowledge or helpful in character building. They are solely engaged in pursuing fulfilled careers.

However some young intellectuals say that a degree is just a certificate that tells to the world that we have studied some facts from a text book, but the actual thing is that the knowledge and learning which we gain from our education institution should bring a positive change in our thinking and attitude thus, playing a pivotal role in developing a wholesome personality. It is a harsh reality that we have fewer intellectuals and more money minded individuals.

To regain leadership qualities and intellectual stimulation it is essential that our youth must understand the real purpose of education. The most important aspect of education is to develop realization in an individual to know about the purpose of his existence, truth, reality and wisdom. Learning is as natural as breathing, so the aim of Education should be to develop Self initiated learning in young people which boost up their creativity and imaginative thinking and enhances their quest for continual learning and knowledge.

Imam ghazali says, "knowledge exists potentially in the human soul like the seed in the soil; by learning the potential becomes actual." 

To make young people innovative thinkers, teachers who are also mentors; need to reform the mind of young individual by being optimistic, passionate and visionary. Vigorous and energetic teachers motivate their students to work with passion and enthusiasm and engage them in real-life learning activities.

 As Khalil Gibran says about an inspiring teacher, “The teacher who is indeed wise, does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”

To lead an inspiring life, teachers have to rethink about educational beliefs. Committed and enthusiastic teachers should think about the aim of education and enhance their own teaching practices and try to bring about a positive change in students’ lives who could then contribute to bring a change at societal level. 

An enthusiastic student appreciated the efforts of his mentors who played an eminent part in building up his successful career.  He says, ‘My experiences make me feel that life changes if you have a mentor who is enthusiastic, understand you well and encourage you to face the challenges of life with persistence  and strength of mind.  I still remember my mentor words that life is not determined by the grades. Secondly, possibilities are infinite we have to be ambitious and eager to find a way to accomplish them’.

Consumer driven society and distracting mass media continues to influence the minds of our youth. The prevailing anarchy in young people indicates that they lack the spirit of empowerment, self- awareness and individual competence. To foster tolerance, moderation ethics, morality and self reliance in young individual, educational institutions have to play a pivotal role. Teachers have to become more innovative and apply modern teaching methods in classrooms which develop "thinking" students.

Education system can become more powerful if it is integrated with Islamic tarbiyah. Islamic Tarbiyah endeavor to establish a school setting for children who provide them with the learning and education necessary to effectively establish and maintain their character, norms, values, and ideals and combined with outstanding academic achievement.

Muhammad Abid Ali says in his article “Islamizing the taleem part 10, Education and perception development’’

‘‘An education system developed on the wrong assumptions and sprouting from the wrong roots will be full of misleading and hidden traps for us as Muslims. Present dilemma is we ourselves are more or less the product of this alien western education and cannot see these traps unless we go to some depth of educational processes and compare it with the requirement of education from Islamic perspective.’’