wei : i | +} EDUCATION, INEQUALITIES, j AND FREEDOM : | A sociopolitical critique i | : : i Shahid Siddiqui . t i3°82, gy. Copyright © Narratives 2012 Allrighs reserved. ‘No patt of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or ansmitted, in any form or by ‘any means, without the prior permission in writing of Narratives (Private) Limited. Al enquires regarding reproduction should be sent 19 ‘Narratives (Private) Limited a its address given below. ‘Title by: Tariq M. Saljad Printer: BPH Printers, Lahore, Pakistan, ISBN: 978-968-9645.27-3 t abi Fre i é Ae ) i Narratives. P.O. Box 2110, Islamabad, Pakistan. Phone: +92-51-2291586 Fax: +92-51-2100651 Email: [email protected] “Web; www.narratives.pk Price: PKR 850 USD 25 aaa ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS take this opportunity to thank all those who contributed to this book in one way or the other. My special thanks to Javeria for organizing and editing the material. Thanks are also due to Najem, Sufia, Rabia, Uzma, and Omar for reading. the manuscript carefully and giving useful suggestions, T am also indebted to Nasir and Saeed for their input in formatting the book. In the end I would like to thank Amir Rana who showed personal interest in the contents of the book and facilitated the process of publication.| 1 CONTENTS PREFACE ec Aleit 1 EDUCATION AND POLITICS {Ideology and education . Reason for education . Corporatization of education Education and culture industry .. INEQUALITIES AND STRATIFICATIONS.... Inequalities of education Educational apartheid Death of public sch Politics of exclusion .. Education and social C1885... Education and social justice Education and social awareness Education and extremism EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT senensos Education, development, and individual freedom Revisiting human development z 7 7 Education and development ‘TEACHERS, CONTROL, AND FREEDOM. Teachers" individual freedom Exploitation of teachers... ‘The melting-pot pedagogy. Going beyond method ... Beyond behaviouristic mode6. 2 ‘Teachers as intellectuals mm The challenge of faculty retention .. LANGUAGE AND POWER. Linguistic capital and educai ‘The polities of language Language desertion, POLITICS OF REFORMS Politics of educational reforms. Federalism and education reronnnre Democracy, diversity, and devolution, Adding to strtifications.. EDUCATION AND HEGEMONY .. 9/11 and our curriculum Education and symbolic violence Mechanistic educational management... 147 MYTHS AND SLOGANS. Can schools do it alone? Overselling literacy... Rhetoric of uniform curriculum . ‘Students, elite class, and politis.. Quality in education EXPLORING ALTERNATIVES A case for alterative textbooks 7 Interdisciplinary approach to education .. ‘Media and education : Resistance through education... Bibliography Appendix — PREFACE ‘What is political about education? How is education exploited as ‘2 tool for suppression and control? Can education be used {o challenge ‘and put up resistance to control? What is the relationship between education and social justice? How is education linked with development? What is the role of schools in perpetuating inequalities? ‘These are some of the questions which this book intends to unpack and Postman (1978:39) wrote an intriguing piece with the tile Politics of Reading, where he candidly suggested that all educational practices are profoundly political in the sense that they are designed to produce one sort of human, being rather than another—which is to say, an educational system proceeds from some model of what a human being ought to be like, ‘The dominant groups, be argues, would advocate some degree of functional literacy so that the masses should be able to read the onders/niles and follow the instructions. The role of educational institutions becomes vital in the polities of knowledge construction, knowledge validation, and kmowledze issemination. The popular view of knowledge in most of the ‘mainstream institutions is that i is something fixed and out there, This view of knowledge leads to a certain kind of education that focuses on transfer of knowledge to the pupils. Thus education in this paradigm simply means transmission of knowledge, skills, and values to the next generation. To comply with this definition of education the most suitable method that is adopted by most schools in Pakistan is teacher- fronted ‘method where the teacher controls and dominates tie classroom. ‘Typical classroom dynamics includes a one-way, long and boring lecture by the teacher where students sit back and have to listen to the “sermon” in a passive manner. A more contemporary version of teacher-fronted teaching is excessive use of multimedia. ‘The teacher, luring the given time, goes over the slides, reads them out and thinks that the job is done, A fixed view of knowledge leads to the transmission mode of ‘teaching. Another factor which strengthens the fixed notion ofPreface Knowledge 4s the evaluation system, The evaluation system in mainstream schools and colleges encourages rote learning and seldom tests the higher-order thinking. Consequently, the transmission mode of teaching thrives on the kind of evaluation where just recall is required from students. That is why if we look at the question papers of different examinations we observe that the majority of the questions are what type questions where students are required to answer with the help of their memory. The how and why types of questions are either nonexistent or insignifieant in term of their ratio to other questions, ‘Thus our examination system sets the tone for the teachers to involve in examination-driven teaching. The students do not feel the need to develop higher-order thinking skills as our assessment system does not require them to do so. ‘The educational institutions thus become the hub where different components of education, i.e., curriculum, textbooks, school milieu, teachers, and students are supposed 10 meet and interact with oe another, Teaching, according to Freire (1972), is a political act. ‘This political act is shaped and driven by the notions of knowledge, educativn, teaching and evaluation. Since knowledge is transmitted in the educational institutions they become very important source of impacting society Educational institutions play an important role to establish hegemony through civil society, as Gramsci (1996) puts it. They contribute to the hegemonic act in thuee important ways. Firstly, they are involved in the construction of stereotypes that favour certain dominant groups. Secondly, they are engaged in perpetuating those Stereotypes by transmitting them fo the young generation. Thirdly, ‘being important social institutions, they validate and legitimize those Srereotypes. When the students join society after completing their education, they reinforce the already popular stereotypes which favour Certain group(s) associated with power. lilich (1971) in his classical work, Deschooling Soctery, Iaments the situation where educational institotions with their stereotype programmes and teaching tim a society into a “schooled society” where critical thinking docs not find its space, Apple (1999, 2001) contributed significantly to ascertaining, the relationship among education, ideology, and power. Such potent linkages so underlined by Giroux (1992) and MeLaren (1995) ‘Let us now relate this situation to the thesis offered by Postman (1974) thatthe sote purpose of literacy is to produce people who could follow the rules, instructions, or orders to further strengthen the agenda of the mote powerful. In such kind of literacy thinking skills are not requited and thus not encouraged. This leads us to the central question: 10 » 5 Education, Inequalities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical ritique What is the purpose of education? In the wake of neoliberalism the anawer is simple; to fit into the job slots of society, the jabs that promise mote money. Interestingly, some donor agencies recommend nore vocational education for the developing countries, Prin facie, it “ppears singularly positive that véeational education would bring more Jobs but on the flip side of the coin we totally ignore a very impostant function of education, ie., development of a thinkiag luman being ‘Thus social sciences and humanities are pushed back in the neo-liberal world order as they have a weak correlation with the “maximization of profit” Can education be apolitical? There have been efforts to depoliticize education in Pakistan dusing the military regime of Zia al Haq (1977-1988) and later on by the civilian govemments, But the paridox bas been obvious. On the one hand student unions were ‘banned to ‘sanitize’ the campuses from the germs of politics aad on the other hend a special kind of imowledge was constructed in the specially Gesigned textbooks. The curriculum and textbooks were modified to Ssuit-a certain perspective, Thus, in an atlempt to depoliticize the campuses, another agenda was followed which was highly political in nature, ‘in the critical paradigm, the essence of education is change: change at personal and societal level. This change is for she betterment of individuats and society. Areal development, timked with fmancipation, should be the target of education, For shat we need to revisit the conservative definition of education tot hinges around transmission. We need 10 redefine education as a tool for transformation, To realize the objective of education that focuses on transformation of individual lives and society, we have to wean away from the transmission mode of teaching and move to the use of critical pelagogy. This means a more interactive classroom where students fand teachers both have active roles and where they are engaged in co- onstruction of knowledge which is linked with our life, and is beneficial to bumanity ai large, This is possible if we develop an evaluation system that encourages critical thinking and analytical skills, ‘Only then we could be looking for an educational system that produces students not just to fit inte the slots of society but a! times to challenge some of the taboos of society ‘From a Pakistani context, the sociopolitical aspects of education were focused by Rahman (1996, 2004a, 20048), Saigal (2000), ‘Siddigui (2010) and Hussain (2012), Education, Inequalities, and Frecdom, is an extension of eritical educational discourse in Pakistan, It underscores the role of education as a powerful sociopolitical uPreface phenomenon that is liked with power, politics, hegemony, resistance, and freedom, The book suggests how education, which is believed te be a tool of emancipation, isin fact involved in further widening the socioeconomic gaps in society. The book calls for a major shift in'the concept of knowledge, pedagogical practices, and assessinent. norms prevalent ia our schools. To tackle the enormous challenge of social Change, schools need to reposition themselves by making use of other social institutions and linking their pedagogies to non-formal and informal sources of knowledge, The book is divided into nine thematic parts, looking at education and politics; inequalities and stratifications, education and development; teachers, control, and freedom; language and power, politics of educational reforms; education and hegemony; ‘myths and slogans; and exploring altematives, Shahid Siddiqui 2 renner enero PART 1 Education and Politics./IDEOLOGY AND EDUCATION ‘There has been a growing realization in the recent past for the need of analyzing and understanding the phenomenon and dynamics of education in the sosiological perspective. It is through this perspective that we could hope to get a more comprehensive view of education which is essentially a social phenomenon. It is important to understand {hat educational practices do not toke place in isolotion but are influenced, shaped, and, in some cases, determined by certain ideologies, ‘Thus, to bring a qualitative change in educational practices, itis essential to recognize the relationship of ideology and education and the vital role ideology plays in the conceptualization and execution of education. Before we analyze the role of ideology in the construction of social practices it is pertinent to unpack this elusive term which has ‘been used in different periods with different connotations. In the past the term ideology had a neyative connotation but in contemporary times itis considered akin to a term of philosophy. Ideotogy in simple words can be defined us a set of beliefS. ‘These belief are usually entertained at group levels. Ideology at the group level can be contrasted with individual opinions in a society. A usefl descripticn is given by Eysenck & Wilson (1978) who refer to thiee levels, ie. specific opinion level, habituel opinion level, 2nd attimde level Hdeology constructs the stereotypes that constitute the common sense and are tates for granted in 9 society. These stereotypes. are legitimized ond supported by certsin social institutions, ‘Thus the ideology that has the backing of a powerful social institution becomes dominant in a society and has the potential to capture the minds of marginalized groups. It is this subtle hegemony of ideas which was first focused on and elaborated by the Italian scholar Gramsci (1996), Schools and Stereotypes Among other social institutions engaged in the process of socialization educational institutions play an important part in the onstruction end perpetuation of certain ideologies which generally serve the interests of the dominant groups of society. A look at the history of education in Pakistan demonstrates how education has beenIdeology and Education cused fo propagate certain ideologies favoured by the powerful rulers. In Ayub Khan's era (1958-1969) the. whole emphasis was “on ‘economic development” whereas social development was undermined. During Zia’s regime (1977-1988) educational institutions were used 0 “islamize’ society whereas Pervez Musharraf's (1999-2008) emphasis ‘was on an imported brand of “enlightened moderation”. No ruler ever asked the masses for their preference. They could make a decision on ‘behalf of others as they enjoyed power. The fact that every powerful ruler tried to use educetion to legitimize and promote a certain ideology, suggests the significance of educetion and its two-way relationship with ideology. View of Knowledge Having unpacked the term ideology, let us now briefly visit its relationship with education with special reference to Pakistan, We can do this by looking at ideologies linked with certain educational notions and practices. Knowledge in most of the mainstream educational institutions is viewed as static, predetermined, fixed, and out there ‘This ideology of knowledge encourages a certain pedsgogy whose sole objective isto pass on the pre-existing knowledge from one generation to the next, This ideology of pedagogical practices does not encourage any innovation, creativity or reflection. ‘The students are considered as passive recipients who are kept at the receiving end and the “mind filling job’ is left for the teachers who are at the giving end. ‘The ideology of learning, encouraged by this kind of pedagogy, is that of cramming and recalling, which is tightly dubbed by Freire (1972) as the banking concept of knowledge. The ultimate aira of this kind of leaming is to cram the pre-existing and fixed items of Imowledge and reproduce them in the examination pazers. This ideology of learning is devoid of any critical thinking. “Thus students find no motivation to reflect and reinterpret @ phenomenon. ‘This process of dominant teaching and passive leaming gets encouragement and reassurance from the ideology of the existing assessment system. Our prevailing essessment system is geared towards piecemeal assessment of disjointed items where students are not requited to understand and apply the acquired knowledge. This prompts us to look at the ideology of the prevailing educational system that is biased in favour of the powerful groups in society. The kind of education prevalent in most educational institutions not only supports 16 Education, tnequalities, ani Freedom: A sociopolitical critique the existing power structures but also widens the gap between the haves and have-nots. Need for a Paradigm Shift Recently there have been calls for qualitative improvement in educational practices in Pakistan. The required improvement cannot come through scratching the surface as the problem is much deeper. We need to challenge the ideologies associated with the notions of education, ie., pedagogy, learning, assessment and indeed the very aim of education, Education has to move from the transmission to the transformation ideology for which we have to revisit our notion of knowledge. This would lead to more vibrant and interactive classroom dynamics where students are engeged in the co-construction of mowledge, For this we need to challenge the ideology of the current assessment system which is memory based and is unable to tap higher- order thinking skills. We nced to strive for an assessment system which requires the students to think ertically and apply knowledge in diverse contexts. For all these changes in Teaming, pedagogy, and assessment itis important that we revisit our ideology about the very aim of education, We need to challenge the transmission mode of ‘education that supports the existing power structures and move to the transformation miode whese the main abjective of education is to reduce the socioeconomic gaps in society and empower the have-nots by rmenamizing their prospeets in li 7REASON FOR EDUCATION Without « narrative, life has ao meaning. Without meaning, learning has no purpose. Without a purpose, schools are houses of deteation, not attention. “Neil Postman (The End of Education, 1996) ‘The goals of education have been clanging through time. These goals provide the reasons for education and schools. ‘The reason for ‘education informs, shapes, and guides curriculum, syllabi, assessment system, leaning processes, and pedagogical techniques. It is this reason for education which Postman (1996) regards as narrative. These narratives keep on changing with social, political, eultural, and economic trends. Currently, we are living the narrative of ncoliberalism. The desire (or financial gains is the essence and soul of this nrrative. ‘These financial gains justify the means as there is not much talk of values and ethics in this narrative, Maximization of profit in itself becomes a value, The slogan of quality is used to sell the product of education. The notion of quality, in this paradigm however, is confined to the measureable aspects of efficieney and proiuctivity. Rhetoric of Quality Education Recently there has been a lot of rhetoric to improve the quality of education in Pakistan but most of the efforts are hinged around the physical, measureable change as it is easier to demonstrate. ‘The problem with this kind of change, however, is that it focuses only on the quantitative aspeet and numbers tend to dominate the individuals. The school manageient encourages machine-like, automated system of teaching and learning as it is handy to monitor, convenient to document, easy 10 evaluate, and suitable to serve the interests of the Ibegemonic paradigm of management, In this paradigm there is tittle room for teachers® individual freedom, personal initiative, out-of-the- box thinking, reflective stance, and creative space. Education and Mohoculture Thus the gos of education has been confined to producingReason for Education ‘monoculture minds, possessing robotic thinking, acting in a mechanical ‘manner, demonstrating efficiency and productivity by moving into the set grooves, and approving the unequal social relations dictated by the powerful groups of society, Postman (1996) in his provocative book, The End of Education, laments the state of schools at large, Schools, being an important source of the socialization process, are unsble to construct their own narrative or reason. In most cases the schools help approve, certify, validate, and perpetuate the powerful narrative or ideology of the powerful socisl groups of society. In contemporary times it is the ideology of ncoliberalism, based an maximization of profit that is acting as a driving force in our educational system and, in tum, is being justified by the existing educational system, This mutual relationship of convenience flourishes through privatization and commodification of education, The Space for Creativity Tis tue that the role of schools as 2 manufacturing tool of social teality has been constrained and curailed with the emergence of powerful media, popularizing the ideology of consumerism, but the litle space for creative movement which is still with the schools is not being exploited creatively, The reason is overemphesis on the development of piecemeal skills assessed through discreet point-testing system depending heavily on objective-type questions. This kind of assessment is popular for a number of reasons including its so-called objectivity and the fact that such objective-type tests can be easily ‘marked with the help of computers in a very short time. The problem, however, with such a testing system is tht its scores do not reflect the competence and ability of a leamer to critically reflect and apply Knowledge in a new situation. Such discreet-point assessment system that encourages just ‘memory has a ditect impact on teaching and learning interaction in the classioom. In such a system where competence and efficiency is measured through recall-based assessment system, the teacher is encouraged to teach with the sole objective of facilitating the students to get botter grades. The vicious circle of recall-based assessment, onsmission-oriented pedagogy, and moncculture efficiency of students earry forward the existing power structures and amplify and perpetuate tie socially constructed stereotypes, Fducation, Inequalities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical ertigue Constructing a Reason for Education How can a school be empowered to construct a reason for ‘iucation? The answer les in breaking the vicious cirle and entering the ‘benign circle of higher-order thinking assessment, erect Pedagogy, and jtellectal pluralism, This may appear to be Srsightforward task but in reality it is a highly complex and hallenging process which cannot be realized tivough quick fies Such quick-fix approsch initistives have been taken in the recent post in the name of eash coutses in txcher taining, widely publicized by the Political governments to enkence their image by showing the infeed number of ‘trained teachers.” Tinkering with the curriculum hes bec another convenient activity for all goveraments. The ‘key to empowerment is a holistic approach to change where essesscene edegogy, and teaching materials should be revisited simullancously, {tis this holistic change which can ereate space for teachers" inofeedl fcedom and creativity and lead to a more meaningfl teaching earning profs necessary fo producing thinking citizens for society. I i Such a milieu that schools can explore the alternative reesons ite seek a plore the alternative reasons % 21CORPORATIZATION OF EDUCATION ulucition has undergone a wemendous change in Pakistan over the last two decades, It has emerged as a plausible business venture and as thus caught the atention ofthe private sector, A velated aspect of contemporary education is corporatization. The business paradigm has a different viewpoint of education in terms of its role objectives and dynamics, ‘The relationship between education and soziety should be ideally mutual so that on the one hand needs of society should be catered by education and on the other education should perform the role of making society a place where the freedom of thought and expression could be exercised. Education also needs to empower citizens 9 challenge the taboos in society. Unfortunately, the relationship between education and society has turned out to be a one-way affair ‘where corporaiiation of society has completely taken over the field of education. The economic aspect has become the driving force in education and hns thus radically changed the complexion of education in many countries, Education as Industry A cursory look at the new idiom of education can help us visualise the coatouts of contemporary education, largely influenced by the corporatization of society. One key term that_ may deseribe education generically is induswy. Education, which used to be considered a mission, las been conveniently turned iato a money- making venture where the maximization of profit acts as the guiding principle. Emerging 9s a lucrsive industry, education attracted the attention of businessmen who invested in this in¢ustry and found it (0 be a profitable experience. ‘The businessmen also found their way to the board of directors and similar forums. Thus the corporate mindset, in dircet and indirect manner, dominated the educational scene. Education and New Lexicon ‘The schools are considered corporate organizations where productivity and efficiency are the two most important demands of the management. The teachers are considered faformation providers whoCorporatization of Education act as salespersons to sell the product. Another term used for teachers is cultural workers. These terns suggest a very narrow and limited role given to teachers, ie, implementing the given seript. Where does this script come from? In a number of private school chains the detailed lesson plans are designed at a centralized office and are disseminated to different school branches for implerientation, The texchers thus have limited chanees of input, innovation and creativity and are just reduced to technicians instead of acting as reflective practitioners. The educational programmes are now considered as protuct. As, on market, people are swayed by the branded products 50 isthe case with education where the brands are expioited. Following the factory model, some school systems have opened up numerous branches in different cities. These branches act as produetion umis, ‘The net result of having a large number of production unis is selling large quantities of the product to amass more profit. The Notion of Client Another term which is central in contersporary education is customer or elfent. The students are considered as evstomers in the business model of education who buy the product of education. In this business transaction Kind of dynamics, the teachers" role is 10 satisfy the customers as they are important for the business, ‘The notion of principals and head teachers has been turned into managers whose job is to ensure productivity, ‘To make sure that the system is working properly a new term, academic auditing, hes been borrowed from the corporate world, This academic auditing is made in a non-academic manner as a number of coordinetors do the job of moniforing in schools and create a threatening environment. ‘The evaluation is done purely on the basis of the product and the process is not considered, ‘The academic auditing ‘measures are purely quantitative and the qualitative aspects do not really matter. An obvious reason of quantitative auditing is that it is easy and measures the quantifiable units. For the sake of convenience the qualitative aspects are not taken into account. Consequently, the auditing exercise tums out to be narrow in scope and misleading in nature, Efficiency is messured by looking at the competencies. The curricula in vogue aim at certsin competencies and skills. The underlying assumption is that knowledge can be broken down into small measureable units which can be measured through assessment of 24 Education, Inequalities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical critique students. The discteet-point tests, i.e, multiple-choice questions (M1CQs) have become very popular in the recent past. Thay are easy to ‘mark and a large number of students can-be assessed in a relatively short time. That is why the educational managers have a cleat preference for MCQs and other objective-type. ‘The flip side is that smadents may score well on disereet-point items but when it comes to the application of knowledge in real contexts they find it difficult to cope with the challenge. Education and Free Market ‘The dominance of corporate world in education owes to the economic principle of laissez faire where there is open competition in ‘the market and no intervention of the state. The same model is being demonstrated in the domain of education as there is little say of the state as fur as private sector education is concerned. On the contrary, the state, which, according to the Constitution of Pakistan (Government, 1973), is responsible for provision of initial education hhas given up on public sector education. A number of public sector schools were up for grabs by the NGOs. Using the comporate term these schools were considered sick units which should either be closed down or handed over to the private sector, The state, which claims 10 have plans for the improvement of education, should realize that qualitative improvement cannot come unless public sector education is encouraged, empowered, and respected by the state,EDUCATION AND CULTURE INDUSTRY Education is an intriguing phenomenon which impacts society and at the same time gets impacted by societal changes. The objectives, dynamics, pedagogies, assessments, and outcomes of ‘education have beea changing through different periods of history. A number of sociological, political, and economic influences on education can be taced as we study the history of education. A relatively yecent phenomenon that has impacted education is neolibcralism, This is basically an economic phenomenon whose essential attributes include free market, now-intervention by the state, maximization of profit, and exploitation of labour. Since the whimate objective of nealiberalism is maximization of profit, the end is considered more insportant than the meays. Consequently, values or morals are not viewed 3s important considerations in the process of maximization of profit Neoliberalism and Educa’ Qn Neoliberatism had a direct influence on educational systems of technologically advanced countries, The culture produced neolibershism and technology had an intimate relationship with education, Technological means effectively produced a certain brand of education which in turn legitimized and advocated the technological rationality. Industrialists found their way to the boards of directors of universities and colleges on the pretext of goodwill, Was thet just goodwill or rauch more than that? Hill (2003-42) suggests that “whe copitalist class hus a Business Plan for Education and a Business Plon Education.” The neo-liberal implications became quite conspicuous in the last ccade in the education secter in Pakistan, One saw the emergence of a large number of private educational institutions in Pal riod of time. At the lime of ereation of Pakistan there were some private educational institutions which were mostly run by plilantwopist organizations. The purpose of these institutions was to spread education and not to engage in profit maximization. But the bulk: of private initiatives in the country over the fast decade were ‘essentially established for commercial purposes, Pakistan has someEducation and Culture Industry excellent educational institutious which are very expensive but they assure quality in educstion. But the majority of the institutions are in a race to make more money fast. Education, thus, has turned into a big, industry that is producing graduates on mass scale, Education, 2 neo-liberal maxims advocate, js least concerned about the values o: ‘morals. The must striking feature of some school chains is the mimber of branches they have in different places. This is a typical factory ‘model where mass production, with the lielp of more production units, reduces expenses and creates margins for profit, Control and Conformity ‘With more branches emerges the issue of control and conformity, For the purpose of ‘consistency’ ready-made lesson plans, with most ‘inute detatls, are prepared at the ‘headquarter’ and transmitted to the various branches for implemenaiion. ‘The proper implementation is closely monitored by the headquaster nominees, This kind of regimentation Jeaves litle tom for teachers" own creativity. The most importent outcome is that teachers’ individual role becomes insignificant as they are turned into ordinary technicians who follow the instructions without making use of their own reflections, Teacher's Role This kind of mechanical and detsched role of the teacher contributes only to the onward transmission of the brand of knowledge that suits the technological rationality. This technological rationality hhas made us believe that education means a good job and a good job ‘means a more lucrative job. That is why the popular trend is the business and computer-related courses. In this technological rationality re is no space for subjects of humanities and social seiences as they are not considered to be “bread earning’ subjects. The construction of this technological rationality is made possible through effective fechnological means of communication, It is these means of communication which play a crucial part in the process of socialization, There was a time when femily, school, and religion, among other social institutions, were considered’ to play an important part in the process of socialization. Nowadays itis the media that shapes notions and thoughts, creates and perpetuates certain stereotypes and thus ‘constructs certain ideology. ‘This ideology is manifaetired in a subtle ‘manner to achieve the ‘spontaneous consent’. This consent which is asiven by the individuals is usually not through their fre will, slthough 28 Education, Inoquatities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical critique ‘hey think it is, but through the strategic process of internalization of certain stereotypes popularized through means of communication and controlled by the dominant groups. With more modem technologies! ‘means this process takes less time, impacts more people, and leaves a deeper effect, Media and Socialization ‘AS mentioned earlier, the schools are not playing the role that they should. This role is taken over by the media which, on the wings of fechnology, is offering a certain brand of knowledge, rationality, and sulture, Horkheimer and Adorno (2002) in Dialectic of Enlightenment Used the term culture industry that was producing a special brand of culture through its very effective technological means. ‘This situation is visible in Pakistan now. Human beings have been reduced fo the level of mere consumers who are given the impression that the choice lies with them, In the free market world it is claimed that individuals ate important and all the products are produced 10 serve them but the reality is just the opposite. Adomo (1991:99) in Culture Endustry Reconsidered suggests that “the customer ig not the king, as the culture industry would have us believe, not its subject, but its object.” ‘The brand of knowledge that is being processed in schools is producing the students with mono-track thinking which is in Ine with technological rationality. Marcuse (1964:19) in One-Dimensional Man refers to a “comfortable, smooth, reasonable, democratic, uafieedomt” that prevails in advanced industrial civilizations. ‘This “unfreedom" is seeping through the contemporary brand of education in the developing countries as well, Reclaiming Individual Freedom ‘The biggest chatlenge faced by education is how to reclaim th individual freedom, This is not an easy tnsk and demands a complete overhaul of the objectives, dynamics, and assessment of education, We need to make a distinction between factories and educational institutions. Most of the private educational institutions in Pakistan enjoy the blessings of “free market’. At times there ate legitimate grounds to seck state interference in the interest of the common people, For instance, the exploitation of teachers in terms of theit work loud and salaries needs to be checked. There should be a linkage between educetion and the market but education should not be completely driven by the market. This leads us to underline the subjects of humanities and social sciences which may not be apparently 29Eaucetion and Culture musiry ‘go “useful” but they ate vitally important for individuals to broaden their mental horizons. There is a necd to revamp our educational fpatitutions which are, in Freize’s (1972) words, vader che domination fof “banking concept of knowledge”. If we are interested in reciaiming the individual feedom, taken away by the ‘modem technological lMdueation", we need to make it more vibrant by focusing on the evelopment of critical thinking. Educational institutions need to produce thinking citizens who could dare to challenge the taboos of Bpelety including the myth of the modem brand of technological knowledge and its ostensible individual freedom. 30 PART 2 Inequalities and StratificationsINEQUALITIES IN EDUCATION There is an increased nced for a politics and a notion of border crossing thar can work across dhe fault lines of natons, classes, races, sesualities, and religions as they operate to create new forms of division, demarcation, and separation “Henry Giroux Border Crossings, 1992) Education is considered a powerful tool for personal and societal development. Quality of education afd economic resources are considered to be interdependent, Economically well-equipped individuals are likely to get quality education and quality education ‘may lead to better job placement, The significance of education as a ticket to better job prospects can be realized in contemporary times when educational qualifications have become indispensible for getting 8 good job. ‘One of the important objectives of education is to reduce the economic differences in a society. This can be realized through provision of equal educational opportunities to different strata of life, In South Asia, there are mulliple stratifications in the domain of education, Realizing the potent linkage between education and prospects in life, the dominant groups in society have always tried to oprive the marginalized groups of education. Historically, education as a right was denied to those groups on the pretexts of race, gender, class and religion. For a very long time, for instance, African ‘Americans in the United States were not entitled fo education, This {deprivation from education led to their economic poverty and impacted negatively their image in society. It is important to note that the impact, of education is not just confined to the individual's job, but it leads to ‘one’s recognition, respect, and ultimately influence in a certain society. ‘Thus ess economic resources may lead to educational marginalization which leads to reduced prospects in life, Thus 2 number of groups yet caught up in this vicious circle Educational Apartheid Educational marginalization is not just confined to caste and colour. We see a clear educational apartheid on gender basis. This canInequalities of Education be understood from the South Asian experience where women were not supposed to go to schools. Their role was confined to home-keeping. ‘The early initiatives in women education paved the way for primary ‘education of women. For a long time it was considered appropriate that ‘women should not go beyond primary education, Now that we have come a long way in terms of expansion in women education we still find that women, even afler getting higher education, cannot make use fof education for personal and societal development in terms of economy, A large number of women in Pakistan still eannot take up or sustain their jobs under pressure from their husbands or in-laws oF brothers and fathes ‘The Class Factor Another factor that becoras the basis of educational inequality is class, The elite class has their own schools whose fees and related expenses are phenomenal and the poor cannot even think of sending their children to such schools. The stratification is much varied and broad. There are posh elite English-medium schools, public sclials, forces schools, cadet colleges, madrassahs, etc, The difference is not just in notaenclature but they are segregated in many important ways, jnclading infrastructure, curriculum, textbooks, faculty, and physical facilities, ele, Posh schools have purpose-built and well-maintained campuses with arrangements for temperature control, the faculty rmetnbers are well-qualified, the curriculum i very competitive, the textbooks are wellwriten and printed in an attractive layout with quality paper, ‘There also have effective systems of monitoring and accountability. These schools select students after detailed interviews of both students and their parenis. Thus elite schools offer quality education to the studenis-who ase elready advantaged as they come from a stvong socioeconomic background. The other extreme is the mainstream public schools where physical facilities are lacking, ccrrieula are outdated, textbooks ae boring and are printed in an unattractive manner on poor quality paper. The faculty members are underpaid and thus lack morivation. Proper systems of monitoring end accountability are lacking. The classes are overcrowded. Most of the students who come fo public schools come from mndest socioeconomic backgrounds. Oxe can find a huge difference in the quality of education between public and elite schools. Thus our schools are engaged in not only preserving the sociopolitical power structures Education, Inequalities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical critique based on inequalities but they are further widening the chasm between, the haves and have-nots Narrow Understanding of Quality We see a lot of discussion about quality in education but generally quality has been confined to ivory towers of elite schools where only a selected few can send their children, If education is @ basic human right, each individual should be entitled 10 get quality ednestion. The World Bank report, Equity and Development (World Bank, 2006;2), defines the term equity thus Individuals should have equal opportunities to pursue a life of their choosing and be spared ftom extreme deprivation in outcomes. In the current educational scenario where the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer, it is important fo focus om the question of equity. ‘There is a need to work for reducing the physical and academic isparities between the clite schools and mainstream public schools. Enhanced funding, more physical facilities, better management, and effective accountability are some areas tbat need attention in public schools. Since education, like health, is the responsibility of the State, the State needs to address the issue of provision of educational opportunities. ‘This also means giving extra help, facilities, and encouragement to the downtrodden to enhance their prospects in life, It is only through quality education that the have-nots can get recognition, respect, and power to influence decision-making. 35EDUCATIONAL APARTHEID "For unto every one that hath shal be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath” Gospel of Matthew (XXV:29) ‘The Matthew effect was popularized in education by Stanovich, (1986) s renowned psychologist, in his article, Matthew Effects in Reading, where he focused on the cumulative advantages of early reading, This Mathew Effect can also be seen in the educational system of Pakistan wire the rich are getting richer and the poor ‘becoming poorer. During a research study in Karachi, I observed some lite schools and public schools to study their English language teaching and learning practices. I found a huge difference in educational environment that plays a central role in developing proficiency in the Iaguage. Let us first look at the physical side of the environment, I observed in elite schools neat and clean classrooms ‘where reasonable facilities were available. On the other hand, in state- rum schools I observed some classes being held in a veranda where students could see what was happening in the playground. They were also being disturbed by the movement of other people. It was summer and the students were sweating. Most of the students in the public sector schools belonged to lower-middle class where it was unthinkable to have an English newspaper at home and where parents were not proficient in Englishlanguage. On the contrary, the students in the elite schools had an estly exposure to the English language. In some cases their parents would talk to them in English. They had access to English newspapers and books and belonged to a social circle where English ‘was part of the cilture, In elite schools the faculty members were generally fluent in English and came from a sound socioeconomic background, The faculty members in public schools came from low socioeconomic backgrounds and were not quite proficient in English. The Poor Get Less The essence of this observation was that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who had less of no exposure to English atEducational Aparthetd home and had tow proficiency in the language ended up in schools where there were poor physical facilites (library, classroom, furniture, fans, air conditioners, heaters, safe drinking water, ec.) and quality of teaching of the English language (especially the spoken language) was, very low as the teachers themselves were not very confident in using English. On the other hand, the students with a higher socioeconomic background had rich exposure to English at home, greater proficiency in the language, and access to elite schools, where there were better physical facilities. The teachers were more comfortable with the English language. This simple comparison showed that students who needed more quality input got less and those whose Engtish language skills were already good got richer input. This is exactly what the Maithew effect is all about Access to Quality Education It is claimed that education and development have a strong correlation, i., education opens the doors to development, including access to better jobs. But there is a need to look deeper into the question of who are the people who can access quality education which then acts as a passport to higher economic and social status. Bourdiew (1979, 1986) gave a suceinet description of this kind of relationship by suggesting chat the economic vantage point leads to higher educational gains which in turn pave the way for the many social, economic, and cultural advantages. The elite in society thus. enjoy the ‘positional superiority’ (a term used by Edward Said, 1978) that enables them to get quality education and enhances their prospects in life. Education and Economic Disparity Can education help in reducing the gap between the haves and have-nots? Theoretically the answer is in the affirmative but it is certainly a daunting prospect especially in the wake of ncoliberalisin that is seeping through the educational system in Pakistan, The call of globalization supported the notions of privatization, de-regulatization, and maximization of profit. These three slogans capture the essence of neoliberalism and globalization in education, In the absence of state interference (a central maxim of fee market), education has become completely dependent on market forces. AS neoliberalism has no preference for ‘values’, only those subjects which are sellable are taught in schools and social sciences and humanities take the back seat, 38 Exiucation, Inequalities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical critique Perpetuation of Unequal Gains Schools, under the economic model of neoliberalism, are engaged in mass production through their outlets at various inra-city fnd intercity points, These schools are act only perpetuating the ‘unegual economic, social and cultural geins for those who are already ailluent in this respect and those who have less resources, but are further widening the gap by offering more to th rich and Jess 10 the poor. Such gaping differences can he seea on the basis of social cles, fender, ethnicity, ctc., where the marginalized groups are given a Smuller share of resources. This situation needs our urgent attention, ‘The attbutes of justice and equity are essential to any civilized society. In order 10 help schools play a positive role, we need to make fadical changes in other social institutions as well. Giving equal opportunity of education to our children is a fist step towards the dream of equity and justice in the county. 39DEATH OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS In a recent move, thousands of public schools are being closed down or merged in the different provinces of Pakistan as a result of the rationalization process of schools, ‘The enormity of the exercise raises certain questions regarding the factors that led to this major decision by the government, especially when the report of Education Emergency Pakistan (2011) came out with starting figures about the educational stamis in Pakisten, According to this report, around seven million children are out of school and about 28 percent of the students drop out ‘before they reach class five. "These figures should not be unexpected as education has never the government's priority in Pakistan, Despite the global realization of the crucial role of education in economic and social development, serious, holistic, coordinated, end sustainable efforts to improve education are conspicuous by their absence in Pakistan, In the era of knowledge economy the amount Pakistan spends on public sector education is embarrassingly low. A comparison of public sector spending on education given in the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2009-2010 (Government, 2009:145) is an eye opener. ; Publie Sector spending on Education pane (As GDP %age) Bangladesh a6 ae India 33 a Indonesia 35 a 52 7 Malaysia a7 [Nepal 32 Pakistan 2.4 a Thailand a3 (Viet 33. Source: Econanile Survey of Pakistan 2009-10 Closure of Public Schools According to this comparison, Pakistan is at the bottom of the table in terms of spending on public sector education. Against this backdrop, the closure of a number of public sector schools is # matterDeath of Public Schools of concem, The process is called rationalization of schools. Some of ‘he main justifications given for this exercise include presence of ghost schools, schools established as a result of political pressures, schools with very low student enrollment, and multiple schools in the same vicinity. These reasons may have some weight but another very important factor which has led to the so-called rationalization bas not ‘been considered in the discourse. ‘That is the emergence of private sector schools which played a role in depleting the strength of public sector schools and as a result a number of public sector schools tuned into sick wnits, falling prey to the process of rationalization, The public sector schools which were known for their quality education are now deserted. It is important for policy makers and researchers (0 understand the real reasons for the plight of public sector schools. I would refer to some of these reasons here. Impact of Neoliberalism Aa important factor is the impact of neoliberalism on education which can be seen in Pakistan in the last three decades. Some of the attributes of neoliberalism include open competition, no interference of stale, maximization of profit, and exploitation of labour. Private schools enjoy fiee competition without any interference of the state, ‘This kind of freedom is unthinkable in public sector schools, In the wake of globalization, a number of multinational companies and businesses opened their oulets in Pakistan. This situation led to a realization of the vital role of the English language, as uency in English and the ‘right accent? were considered the pretequisites for getting a good job on the market. This led to the popularity of English-medium schools that mushroomed across urban Pakistan and are now spreading into rural areas as well. The situation in public sector schools deteriorated over time due to shortage of teachers, teachers’ absenteeism, and lack of accountability, etc Consequently, the initial romance with public sector schools started dwindling, The Charm of Private Schools ‘The private séctor is well equipped with the skills of marketing and showcasing, ‘They cash in on the demend for proficiency in English and use their marketing skills to persuade the masses to switch from public sector schools to private schools. The parents find special 2 Education, Inequalities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical eisique attraction in English-medium private schools, as in addition to their claims of facilitating Muency in English, these schools offer the students a shot at elevated social status and prestige. The role of the state has been crucial in this regard. Instead of strengthening public sector schools, the Government gave up on them and started encouraging NGOs to adopt and manage the ‘sick” schools. ‘This callous attitude proved to be the last straw for public sector schools. Poor funding, tack of patronage, and conservative ‘management rules and regulations, are expediting the demise of public sector education, ‘The private sector's pull, together with the ineffective government policies towards public sector education, is depleting the public sector schools. The rationalization process in the coming years will be closing down more public sector schools. To meet the educational requirement of Pakistan we cannot have an eithev/or approach as the private sector should complement the public sector to cope with the enormous challenges of access and quality ia education, Tae government needs to have trust in the public schools and should provide them space for innovation end creativity together with an effective system of monitoring and accountability. 4aPOLITICS OF EXCLUSION Human history i replete with struggles between different interest groups. Marx views history as a constant class struggle where different lasses are engaged in tactics fo acquire, sustain, and resist power. A nore recent interpretation is offered by Bourdieu (1979), who Considers that the constant human strugale is for social distinction ‘which finds its ways through culture and education. A number of ways nd means are adopted to gain supremacy and dominance over other fgroups. One fundamental means is to construct ‘others’ and exclude them, ‘The process of exclusion is constituted by the use of various social institutions including educational instvutions, law ‘making/implementing organizations, interpretations of religion, and print nd elecironie media, Historically, the caste system was a powerfil system of exclusion where a eertain caste was completely barted from “respectable” chores Of life. This Tower class was the class of ‘untouchables’ and arrangements were made {0 keep them ot a distance, This desi o: excluding others is reflected indifferent forms. For instance in most 0? the public offices in Pakistan, washrooms for officers and staff are Gifferent. ‘The staff members are barred ftom using the washroom designated for officers. At most toll plazas on Pakistan's highways, fem personnel ate exempted fiom paying oll, wheress the civilians do rot get such preferential treatment. A recent example in the politics of Pakistan was the exclusion of 98 percent of the national population through a law that made a bachelors degree mandatory for those seeking to contest elections to the national and provincis! legislatures, Tm 2008, a large number of interested candidates could not contest ions bectuse of this condition, This discriminatory Tow was ‘withdrawa later asa result of tremendous public pressure. The Notion of Silencing “Another concept linked with exclusion is ‘silencing’ where a certain group is pushed to an extent where they are deprived of the opportunities and roles to voice their feelings. The structures are designed, though language, education, and culture, in such a manner that the marginalized groups do not come up to the ‘standard” and thas are discouraged ot crippled to participate in the social arena of politi:sPolitics of Exclusion and power. A pertinent example is the silencing of women in the domain of literature, where in the past women were not expected to write literature as that was considered unbecoming of a lady. Woolf (1990) refers to certain petiods of silence in the history of women writings, Rules Made by the Powerful In all the above examples one point is common: the rules were set by te powerfil. These rules are bound to favour the interests of the dominant groups and the marginalized groups always fail short of the standards or norms set by the dominant groups. "The dominant groups ina society do not necessarily represent the majority but it is power that gives them the right to set the rules of the game. It is in favour of the domninact groups to shore the fits of power in a smaller group. They do so by depriving ‘ophers’, through the rules they make themsclves. These mutual differences are highlighted and, at times, created 10 exclude others through making categories, label, setting up norms, and standards that favour the dominant groups. According to Virginia Woolf (1990:34) “...Law and custom were of course largely responsible for these strange intermission: of silence and speech.” Other important factors include education and language that play an important part in constructing, legitimizing, and Perpetiating certain stereotypes which are based on labeling’ and ‘categories, ‘These categories are constructed in such a manner that one category appears {o be superior and the other inferior. The makers of these categories are usually the dominant groups of society who possess the discourse and the “legitimate knowledge’ This ‘legitimacy of kuowledge’ is certified by the socially accepted educational institutions in a society. The hegemony coming from educational institutions through a certain brand of education is so powerful that Bourdieu (1986) rightly considers it ‘symbolic violence’. Constructing the Differences The class differences, the boundaries, the categories are constructed and perpetuated by the educational system in an effective manner. The market value of ‘A’ Jevel exam system students is far greater than the students from locsl intermediate exam systet, ‘Similarly, the private educational institutions are in more demand than the public sector institutions. Education that needs to lead us to bridge 46 ennai instnnsinsctnnnnaiennennoncsinaialsiil Education, Inequatutes, and Freedom: 4 soctopolitcal eritigue the differences is not only sustaining them but is also widening the gaps. Uhimately, people with meager resources are excluded as they are deprived of the opportunities of getting into such educational institutions. In Pakistan we see an educstional system which is ridden with segregations, ‘There ate public school, elite English-mediuma schools, cadet colleges, forces’ educational institutions (Amy Public Schools, Fazaia School, etc), Urdu-medium schools, non-elite English-medium schools, and street schools. Then we have schools for the ruling cite such as Aitchison College and Lawrence College, etc. where only the children of the elite can get admission, ‘These segregated educational systems are strengthening the boundaries between different lasses, Education And Inter-Class Differences There is a serious need to reduce the artificial differences which, ‘are being constructed and perpetusted by education and our social practices. This, however, is a challenging task. Every government announces that it would have a uniform sysiem of education in Pakistan with identical curriculum. But, like many other political statements, this statement also fades away. The reason is that we cannot plan effective strategies in a small sphere of education unless we are cognizant of the sociopolitical practices taking place in society. Education cannot be improved in isolativa uuless there is support available from the sociopolitical set up of a country, This fact must be kept in view while planning projects for the qualitative improvement of education. One central problem with Pakistani educational system is that all the major decisions at policy and implementation levels ‘emanate from the short-term political interests ofthe rulers. There is 3 lack of consistency in policies and every new government, instead of improving implementation, immediately embarks on preparation of new education policy and curriculum. One of the reasons for not achieving the goal of a meaningfl and sustainable change is ad hoc political arrangements which encunrage gimmicks in the name of educational change, The result is that the existing educationel system is sfill acting es a catalyst for the process of exclusion and class difference, 47EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CLASS “Classis everywhere, is all around us, and within us” Dave Hill (Schooling and Equality: Fact, Concept and Policy, 2001) Social class is an elusive phenomenon which can be interpreted at different levels. Bourdieu (1979, 1986) refers to economic, social, ‘and cultural capitals that constitute class. People differ on factors that lead to hierarchical distinctions. The classical Marxist perspective, which refers to two broad classes of the haves and have-nots, hinges around the economic factor that is responsible for the chasm between classes. The Webberian perspective adds more dimensions to the notion of social class by referring to occupation as another distinguishing feature in the composition of a class. A useful concept brought in by Webber (Gerth & Mills, 1946) is the idea of status which can also be acquired through sources other than wealth. Thus some defining components of class and status include power and rights in the means of production, wealth, income, occupation, and education, Social Class and Domination A related concept to social class isthe ide of social relationship. ‘Wright (2005:10) suggests in Approaches fo Class Analysis ‘When the rights and powers of people over productive rescurces are unequally distributed—when some people have greater tights/powers with respect to specific kinds of productive resources than do others—these relations can be described as clas relations. ‘The interrelationship of classes is ridden with exploitation and domination. ‘The class boundaries are further cemented by elass- consciousness of their members whose interests are linked with their respective classes, The stratification in any society paves the way for the hegemony of one class and exploitation of the other. The inequality fn rights, powers, resources, and access pushes classes farther apart, How can we reduce the gaps between the classes? How can the ‘inequality factor be taken care of? Is social mobility possible? What role can education play in it? These are some of the central questions which constantly draw our attention. Education is supposed to lead us to emancipation, justice, and development by enabling us to remove the inequalities in societyEducation and Social Class Quite ironically, the imperial powers and other dominant grouzs used education t0 create inequalities and new statfications in society. A comprador class was exeated in India as a result of this policy that acquired a distinct status by identifying themselves withthe rulers. Segregation of Society Through Education ‘Affer the creation of Pakistan education was used by che otninant groups to further segregate society und deepen the boundaries Of classes, This segregation was done at different fevels. First a section of population was deprived of access to schools and was immedistely declared “iterate, But those who did have access to schools were subjected to stratified clas systems, eg. the elite clase schools, the high English-medium schools, the low English-metiua schools, the cadet colleges, the armed forces schools, e., Army Public Schools, Fazaia Schools, etc, Urdu-medium schools, and madrassas A of these streams promise different statuses and material benefits to their students. If we look at the members of ashranfia (elite) of Pakistan, who bave been ruling the country since its inception, most of them are the product of Aitchison College, Lawrence College or schools of similar status. So, does access to schools contribute to reducing the inequality between classes? The answer to this question is unfortunately not positive. Bourdieu (1986) suggests that schools, instead of reducing the differences, further widen them, This is so uue of the stratified educational system of Pakistan that is not only reproducing the existing social order but is afso engaged in further widening the gulf between classes. 1 was involved in a study that focused on English language teaching in elit and poor schools of Karachi. During tis study T observed a huge difference in the physical facilities at schools, socioeconomic background of stdens, educational qualifications of teachess, proficiency of teachers, teaching rmaterials, and sebool milieu. This situation is not only true to ELT (English Language Teaching) only but also reflecis the overall educational system of Pakistan, State and Education ‘What is the role of state in education? In the constitution of Pakistan provision of education is declared as the responsibility of the state, The Constitution of Pakistan (Government, 1973) asserts: 50 } \ } Education, Inequalities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical ertque ‘The state shall promote, with special are, the educational and economic interests of backward classes or areas, Unfortunately, the state schools, the “only choive for backward classes and areas” as they are economieal, are in a bed shape. A number of state schools ae up for grabs and are being “adopted” By the NGOs, The stratification in our educational system is making the process of social mobility quit difficult. The affiliation to a certain social class hs become inereastigly influential in the process of Jeaming. Mureay (1951:17) argues: - Social class largely conditions the cil’ social Teaming because it limits his social and economic eavitonment, and detemiues largely both his social stimali and the models tobe initiated Change in Social Order What is sling the educational system in Pakistan that it has not been able to bring any change in the social order? There could be several answers to this fundamental question. One major factor responsible for the ailinent is the overall goal of education which is, fetermining, to a large extent, the pedagogy, assessment, and process of education. This goal af education js confined only to getting 3 good job. To achieve this goal the mansmission method is used whic prepares the students 1o find jobs. ‘The existing assessment system that encourages the transmission rode of teaching largely relies on memory and recall. The whole process of education is devoid of eritical thinking as itis not required in earning a degree and getting a job. As 2 result, the current educational system is engaged in perpetuating the existing social order, Goal of Education Should snudents to fit goal of education be confined only to producing job stots and perpetuate the existing social order? coal of education is also to develop students to make society a better place to live in. The students should be prepared to think critically and challenge the malpractices of society, They should hhave the ability and courage to raise questions about injustice and exploitation in society. Can education bring a positive change in the stratified society of Pakistan? Are different classes ordained to live in a status quo? Is there no hope for power shift? Marx & Engel (2008:6) aEdlucation and Social Class Were quite optimistic when they came up with this famous expression: “The history of hitherio existing society is the history of class struggle”. ‘This perspective also suggests that the positions of power are not fixed. Edgar & Sedgwick (2008:47), in Key Concepts in Cutturai Theory, suggest The subordinate classes do nat simply accept, passively, an account of the world that is in the intereste of the dominant class, but rather more or less successfilly negotiate and resist that account, in the light of their own experience. From Transmission to Transformation The kind of education needed to challenge the deep-ronied stereotypes of classes requires moving away fiom tranvmistion to mansformation mode, MeLaren (2005:151) is right when he says If we are to engage in 2 revolutionary educational praxis, we need to do more then rail against the suffering and tcibalations of the oppressed and instead seek ways of transforming them, The state needs to play its role by making conscious efforts to reduce the educational streams based on social classes as these streams are widening the gulf between classes. Furthermore, the state is required to bring a qualitative change in the educational system to censure that it is based on the broader vision of improvement of society that makes use of critical pedagogy and strives to develop thinking Jnunvan beings. It is this kind of education that can promise (o empower the citizens to not just become a part of the prevailing social order but ‘engage in 2 struggle to create a better society based on the principles of ‘equaity, justice, and emancipation. EDUCATION AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Efficient education is always in jeopardy either in the culture at large or with constinencies more dedicated to maintaining a status quo to fostering flexibility “Jerome Bruner (The Culture of Education, 1996) The notion of social justice has multiple interpretations. An oversimplification of the term is the execution of justice at societal level. Another interpretation could be a just society where people have ‘equal opportunities to exercise their freedoms and where there is no iscrimination in the provision of justice on accowint of social class, gender, disability, ethnicity, colour, and religion. The role of education in realizing the objective of social justice is vital, It is education that empowers human beings to achieve the goals of socioeconomic development, emancipation, and social justice, Unfortmately, rather than minimizing the socioeconomic disparities, education is further widening them. According to Bourdieu (1979), education is instrumental in perpetuating the social structures ridden inequalities. Objectives of Education One of the important objectives of education is to reduce the economic differences in a society. This can be realized through appropriate provision of resources to different strata of society. The social justice approach recommends thst disadvantaged groups should be provided with more resources to compensate for their past Geprivations. If we look at the situation in South Asia we see a staggering number of stratifiations in the domain of education Realizing the potent linkage between education and prospects in life, the dominant groups in society have aluays tried to deprive the marginalized groups of education. Historially, education us a right has ‘been denied to such groups on the pretexts of race, gender, class and religion. For a very long time, for instance, African-Americans were not entitled to education. This deprivation from education led to their economic poverty and negatively impacted their image in society. It is important to note thatthe impact of educetion is not just confined to anEducation and Social Justice individual's job, it also affects one’s social recognition, status, self esteem, respect, and ultimately one's in uence in society. A failure to allocate appropriate economic resources to education may, therefore, lead t@ educational marginalization which in tum leads to diminished prospects in life Tory Towers of Quality ‘The notion of social justice is ironically synchronized with the terms efficiency, productivity, globalization, monitoring and accountability. Since these terms come from powerful organizations, they are perceived es gospel truth and the education system, in order to achieve the corporate version of social justice, is producing monoculture minds through offering courses ouly in the “prefered” disciplines,mechanical pedagogy, insensitive assessment practices and highly quantitative evaluation system, Let me briefly explain these points. At the national fevel, showing enhanced literacy figures is considered a panacea forall educational ils. ‘The decision makers tend to forget that their notion of literacy is based on purely functional aspects of literacy where reflection and critical thinking have no space. Efficiency and Productivity Such education can produce efficient and productive workers but not thinking iuman beings. Consequently, our schools, instead of reducing the gaps of economic disparity and socal injustice are farther widening them, Education which should be a precursor ta emancipation, freedom, and social justice is engaged in furnber stratification of society. The tich-poor divide is becoming sharper and more obvious in terms of access. “Quality education’ seems to be out of the reach of the poor. The state seems to have given up and has passed the buck to the private sector. The contemporary education ‘imparted in mainstream schools is perpetuating the existing power structures and the dream of social justice is becoming more distant This dreain, however, could be realized through an educational system which is five, vibrant, and relevant, prepares is students, nat merely as elficient and’ productive technicians, but as thinking and responsible citizens, of the society. Such educational system is based on equal opportunites, mutual respect, and recognition of each individual. Bducutivn, Ineywutties, and Freedons a suctopolitical critique The Issue of Equality In the current educational scenario where the rich are getting richer and the poor are becoming poorer itis important to focus om the {question of equality. There is a need to work for reducing the physical and academic differences between the elite schools and mainstream public schools, Enhanced funding, more physical facilities, better management, and effective accountability are some areas in public schools that need attention. This also means giving extra help, facitisies, and encouragement to the downwrodden to enhance their ‘prospects in life. It is only through quality education that the have-nots ‘can gel recognition, respect, and power to influence decision-making,EDUCATION AND SOCIAL AWARENESS One of the gosls of education is social awareness: a better understanding of society and the Imowledge of the available alternatives. ‘The notion of development that is usually linked with ‘education should, according to Sen (1999), promise different kinds of ficedoms including the freedom of choice. A prerequisite to this freedom is awareness of the alternatives and a skeptic attitude towards the taken-for-granted knowledge. I shall focus here on the inability of educational institutions in Pakistan fo create social awareness about the sprawling culture of fast food which faces tough resistance in various ‘countries inthe region, including India. ‘The fast food culture in Pakistan is not very old. But in the Tast decade some multinational food chains opened up their outlets in all the big citics of Pakistan. These chains sell a variety of burgers, fries, and desserts. A number of research studies suggest that fast food has hazardous effects on human body. The most common complaint is ‘obesity that could lead to serious diseases, Similarly, there are some soft drinks that ate detrimental to health. Vandana Shiva, a famous environmentalist, is of the opinion that the societies that have shifted to 1 fast food culture have developed health problems. In an interview, Shiva (1997) revealed that “Singapore is having to set up new obesity clinics, Japan has had a 70% increase in food related illness.” Likewise, the popalar soft drinks patronized by multinational companies have additives such as artificial colours and flavours which are certainly not good for health and frequent use can lead to serious health problems. Addiction to Fast Food [Apert ftom the other harmful components of fast food, another consequence is its adgiction. The fast food users do not find any taste in the pure food items, The mejorty ofthe people who fall prey to the fast food culture are youngsters. Even very young children are addicted to popular soft drinks and processed mil: available in packs ‘They find pure mill smelly and tasteless. This imapression is further substantiated by the onslaught of print and electronic media where pure milk is linked with bad smell, dir, and disease, Some of th: advertisements on electronic media aim at convincing the consumersEducation and Social Awareness through fear. One advertisement of a certsin brand of mifk is really scary. It paints a threatening scenario and then offers a certain milk brand as a saviour. The frequent airing of these advertisements forms and consolidates the opinions of young children and their mothe The excessive media campaign replaces the individual choice with corporate logic in a subtle way. ‘This is done so skillfully that ¢ stage comies whiea people start considering their own local food as inferior and accept the imposed food as their wa choice, Spontaneous Consent This state of mind can be explsined through the Gramscian notion of “cultural hegemony” through "spontaneous consent”. Food is an important item of culture. Thus fast food items are not only impacting the health and local economy in a negative manner but are disassociating people from their own soil and society and ultimately from their own identity. The fast food culture, which in the third word ‘countries is linked with the elite class, represents the so-called elite ciulture. ‘Thus a section of our population goes to the multinational food chains as they symbolize a certain elite culture and by visiting those places there is a hidden desite of aligning with the elite class. An inferesting term that has been coined in Pakistan for the elite families is “burger families”. Such terms and attitudes are a direct outconte of the fast food culture All this is made possible through the media power thot plays a vital role in the construction of a certain kind of social reality dat favours the interests of the comporation, Each corporation has huge funds dedicated for media campaigns. ‘The sed part of it, however, is that with the help of the media, pure food items are denigrated and artificially processed items offered as alternatives that should be preferred. Multinational food chains are exploiting the indigenous resources, changing the eating habits of the local people, adversely impacting the indigenous economy and maximizing their profit. Schools and Social Awareness The role of educational institutions in creating awareness about fast food, or junk food, is not satisfictory. Some leading educational institutions are in fact advocating and promoting fast food by housing outlets of fast food chains on campuses. In return they get monitory benefits in the shape of a building facility or provision of furniture, ete 58 Education. Inequalities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical critique In this way, these fist food items and beverages get the validation of another social institution: the school, college, and university. This validation i important a it further Iegitimizes the social reality already constructed by the media, “The cle of schools n creating awareness about fod and eating habits is very important, [t should be part of the educational agenda of social awareness if he schools ae convinced tht jank fod isnot good for the students they should not house such outlets on campus. The schools need to organize seminars to share with the students the impact of different fast food items that contsin additives, artificial colours and flavours, The students shoull also be told about pure food items and their impact on human body. These seminats could be conducted by doctors, nutritionists, or environmentalists. Such awareness campaigns should be a part of the school curriculum as education is not merely getting 2 certificate but having greater socisl awareness and enhanced freedom of choice. 39EDUCATION AND EXTREMISM The 9/11 Commission Report (2005) recommended that Pakistan should be given more financial support in order to improve is education. Concern was shown that madrassaks were generating potential extremists through indoctrination and promoting tunnel vision. It is important to understand the term terrorism before we explore the proclaimed causal relationship between education and terrorism. According to Longman Dictionary (Longman, 1998:485), ‘extremism’ refers to “opinions, ideas, and actions, especially politica and religious ones that most people think sre unreasonable and sunaeceptable.” Knowledge / Power Words have literal and connotative meaning, This connotation, ¢s suggested by Foucault (1980), is provided by those in power. According to him power, constructs, popularizes, and legitimizes certain discourse that in tum justifies the actions of that power. So while we know the literal meaning of extremism it is important to understand What meaning is given to this expression by the ruling power, Itis interesting to note that the same set of people is considered terrorists by one group and freedom fighters by the other group. in the end, the meaning of that group prevails who is in possession of the sources of production of knowledge. Interestingly, the detinitions of extremism and extremists keep on changing as and when interests ard needs of the powerful groups change, Types of Extremism Extremism has various faces, ie., religious extremism, political extremism, and ethnic extremism, ete, Extremism has’ multiple ‘manifestations: ‘a. Extremism could be at an intellectual level when a person has extreme views about a certain issue. , Extremism may entail action when extreme views are put into practice. . Extremism, at times, can use violent means.Education and Extremism Having looked at the types and manifestations of extremism it is important to explore the potential causes that lead people to become extremists, The most important factor seems to be the denial of rights, This means the refusal of opportunities in the existing political, ‘economic, educational and legal systems ofthe country. This amounts to the closure of all doors to access to social justice and economic parity Education and Emancipation My focus here is on the educational system thet theoretically claims to reslize the goals of emancipation, development, freedom, and social justice. The formal mode used to dispense education is schooling, Ths, schools have traditionally been considered to be a Powerfill social institution to impact societal thinking. These great expectations have been associated with the school, keeping in view its strength as it used to enjoy the support of two other powerful social institutions, ic,, religion and family. We shall retum to the changed status of schools in cotemporary times later. Let us look at the disturbing figures showing how educational opportunities are denied to 4 sizeable postion of our population, According to the Education Emergency Pakistan (2011:10), seven milion children in Pakistan cannot make it to school. Tweiny ight percent of these students drop out by the time they reach class five. This is the second highest dropout rate in the world. According {o this report, it is impossible for Pakistan to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of education for all by the 2015 deadiine. At the current pace, this goal may be achieved by Punjab in 2041, Sindh in 2049, Khyber Pakhtankhwa in 2064, and Balochistan in 2100. This scenario is due to the low priority given to education by the state. This is evident fiom the fact that despite acknowledging education as a fundamental right in the constitution the financial allocation for education has been curtailed for three consecutive years. What happens to those who make it to schools? In most of the mainstreatn schools they are exposed to obsoleie curricula, uninspiring textbooks, transmission-based pedagogy, and memory-based assessment system. Thus the narrowness of thought connot be just associated with madrassaks but another kiad of narrow mentality is being developed in the mainstream schools as well, Education, Inequalities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical critique Education for Transformation If we really want to use education as 2 too! for development and achieve the dreams of emancipation, we need to bring revolutionary changes in it which require an educational system built on ttansformation-based pedagogy aiming at developing peace-loving. cognitive, and tolerant human beings. Now, the central question is “Can our schools conitont the challenge of eradicating social injustice and economic disparity, which are major causes of turing people to extremism?” The answer to this question is not promising, The reasons are multiple, First, the school fas fost its traditional strengeh as, ‘two strong social institutions, ie, religion and family, which traditionally used to be its partners, are no more there. Second, the media has emerged as a potent social institution that is capable of influencing minds ina shorter span of ime and ona larger scale. This has further dwarfed the role of the school, Then there is the role of externa} social, economic, and political forces that impact the school. Thus if we want to combat extremism, formal educativa alone is not going to be sufficient 10 ensure that, Ics important to explore the non-formal and informal means of education and link school pedagogy ‘with other social institutions inciuding the media, The most important initiative to ensure eradication of extremism, however, is provision of equal opportunities to all through politcal, economic, educations} and Tegal systems to access social justice.PART 3 Education and DevelopmentEDUCATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM The 1998-99 World Bank report, Knowledge and Development, Stated that the eaps between the develeped and developine countries were in fet the gaps of knowledge, In other words, knowledge. is diectly equated with development. In the wake of this assumption, “Knowledge Economy” has emerged as a popular expression. The {erm ‘education’ has receded to the background ond a ‘new brand of Knowledge’ has emerged as ity most compelling alternative, What is the difference tetween education and the ‘new brand of knowledge’ which makes the basis of knowledge economy? Education, in its essence, promises development, broadening of mental horizons and individval freedom. Education is also supposed to inculeate critical faculty among leamers who should be ble to think independently and challenge some of the negative stereotypes, Redefining Development Now let us unpack the contemporay brand of kuowledye which inakes the basis of knowledge economy. ‘This brand of knowledge hes one specific goal that is development, ‘This notion of develosnest whieh i promised by the new brand of knowledge is nunow sed incomplete. It is confined to the economic manifests, eg, technological gadgets, skyscrapers and gms. Can we relly esl lopment? Can we see the aspect of individual fredom in the soe called development promised by the new brand of knowledge? Contemporary Brand of Knowledge The contemporary brand of knowledge aims at modem technology which in tin helps produce and propagate this knowledge, This brand of knowledge that becomes the basis of knowledge economy has a very clear target which is profit maximization. So the Knowledge that leads to a good job or generation of money is considered “good and relevant, otherssise it docs not come up to the definition of “true knowledge” which is required for development,Education, Development, and Individual Freedom ‘The contemporary brand of knowledge which is interdependent fon technology is repressive in nature as it has reduced individual fieedom, The apparent claim is “individual choice” but in reality the individual has lost the freedom of choice in the wake of emergence of technological social structure, Modern Rationality Modem technology has its own rationality that overpowers individuals. Marcuse, quoted by Appelroulh & Edies (2008:406), suggests: Unquestioned conformity to the dictates of efficiency, convenience, and profit now governs performance not only in the realm of offices, schools, assemblies and finally in the realm of relaxation and entertainment ‘The irony of the matter, however, is that individuals think that following the technological rationality is a result of theic “free will” ‘The brand of knowledge which is being propagated in the name of development thrives on controls. Foucault (1980, 1995) believes that [power appears in its most potent form when successfully translated into stems of knowledge. To understand this we need to refer to ‘oucault's (1991) Discipline and Punish, where he describes vividly hhow growing knowledge led to invent more sophisticated and improved techniques of punishment. He analyses different historical phases of punishment and concludes that in the past the focus was on physical harm but with growing technological knowledge the focus is not on the body but on the mind of the people. These modem penal practices, according to Foucault (1991), are based on surveillance and discipline. The surveillance techniques are being used now in offices, educational institutions, and courts. Corporatization and Dehumanization In corporate capitalism where money is the primary concern and where the evidence of development are grand corporations and where domination, exploitation, and debumanization are some defining attributes, space for individual freedom is non-existent. The impact of this technological structure can be seen in our educational system. In Pakistan during the last decade education has emerged as an industry that is busy in mass production of graduates who are being prepared to fit imo the slots of society. The notions of student, teacher, school, 68 Education, Inequalities, and Freedom: A sociopolitical critique nowledge are redefined inline with ‘technological efficiency’. In this tiodernized system a teacher is no more than a salesperson who works ina superstore and caters to the needs of customers, Development of Holistic Personality In the name of efficiency, which is the name of the game these days. the spaces of pleasure and contemplation from individuals" life have been taken away. This is so obvious when we lock at the heavy school bags of children and thriving culture of tution academies. To demonstrate efficiency a cut throat competition is going on and a large snamber of students attend their regular colleges in the moming and ate cnrolled in the tuition academies in the evening. Not that they are dumb students, Most of them are very good students but it is the technological rationality, a blessing of corporate culture, that has taken ‘over individual choice, Now students, even atthe primary level, do not find time to play or enjoy as they ave either busy doing their home work cor attending private tuition academies. Where have gone those debates, speech contests, sports fixtures, mushairas (poetry recitation by poets), ete, which used to be the hallmark of educational institutions? Education, in those days, was gesred towards the development of a holistic personality giving equal importance to academic, intellectual, physical, spicitual, and moral aspects of one’s personality Technological Brand of Knowledge Now let us look at the technological brand of knowledge that focuses only on skills and strategies and shapes the students inte groomed screws to fit into the technological machine of society. Being very efficient serews the individuals can play dheir part to move the machine but they do not know, and in mast ofthe eases do not want to tow, in which ditection this machine is moving. The individual voice diseppeats in the dominating noise ofthe social structure. This is the pictwre of development that the contemporary knowledge paradigm presents to us. Sen (1999:4) suggests that “..he assessment of progress has 10 be done primarily in terms of whether the freedoms that people have are enlianced.” Applying this criterion to assess progress we realize that the much trumpeted ‘progress’ and ‘development is in fact an illusion where individual freedom and privacy breathes its last under the weight of technology, 9