Pakistani Textbooks and Edu Sys: What went wrong with them?

[Indx TechStyle]

Kickin off with worst level, I can get ever.

A Pakistani Physics Textbook

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Is it science or theology?

The writer teaches physics in Lahore and Islamabad.
When Pakistani students open a physics or biology textbook, it is sometimes unclear whether they are actually learning science or, instead, theology. The reason: every science textbook, published by a government-run textbook board in Pakistan, by law must contain in its first chapter how Allah made our world, as well as how Muslims and Pakistanis have created science.

I have no problem with either. But the first properly belongs to Islamic Studies, the second to Islamic or Pakistani history. Neither legitimately belongs to a textbook on a modern-day scientific subject. That’s because religion and science operate very differently and have widely different assumptions. Religion is based on belief and requires the existence of a hereafter, whereas science worries only about the here and now.

Demanding that science and faith be tied together has resulted in national bewilderment and mass intellectual enfeeblement. Millions of Pakistanis have studied science subjects in school and then gone on to study technical, science-based subjects in college and university. And yet most — including science teachers — would flunk if given even the simplest science quiz.

How did this come about? Let’s take a quick browse through a current 10th grade physics book. The introductory section has the customary holy verses. These are followed by a comical overview of the history of physics. Newton and Einstein — the two greatest names — are unmentioned. Instead there’s Ptolemy the Greek, Al-Kindi, Al-Beruni, Ibn-e-Haytham, A.Q. Khan, and — amusingly — the heretical Abdus Salam.

Demanding that science and faith be tied together has resulted in national bewilderment.

The end-of-chapter exercises test the mettle of students with such questions as: Mark true/false; A) The first revelation sent to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was about the creation of Heaven? B) The pin-hole camera was invented by Ibn-e-Haytham? C) Al-Beruni declared that Sind was an underwater valley that gradually filled with sand? D) Islam teaches that only men must acquire knowledge?

Dear Reader: You may well gasp in disbelief, or just hold your head in despair. How could Pakistan’s collective intelligence and the quality of what we teach our children have sunk so low? To see more such questions, or to check my translation from Urdu into English, please visit the website http://eacpe.org/ where relevant pages from the above text (as well as from those discussed below) have been scanned and posted.

Take another physics book — this one (English) is for sixth-grade students. It makes abundantly clear its discomfort with the modern understanding of our universe’s beginning. The theory of the Big Bang is attributed to “a priest, George Lamaitre [sic] of Belgium”. The authors cunningly mention his faith hoping to discredit his science. Continuing, they declare that “although the Big Bang Theory is widely accepted, it probably will never be proved”.

While Georges Lemaître was indeed a Catholic priest, he was so much more. A professor of physics, he worked out the expanding universe solution to Einstein’s equations. Lemaître insisted on separating science from religion; he had publicly chided Pope Pius XII when the pontiff grandly declared that Lemaître’s results provided a scientific validation to Catholicism.

Local biology books are even more schizophrenic and confusing than the physics ones. A 10th-grade book starts off its section on ‘Life and its Origins’ unctuously quoting one religious verse after another. None of these verses hint towards evolution, and many Muslims believe that evolution is counter-religious. Then, suddenly, a full page annotated chart hits you in the face. Stolen from some modern biology book written in some other part of the world, it depicts various living organisms evolving into apes and then into modern humans. Ouch!

Such incoherent babble confuses the nature of science — its history, purpose, method, and fundamental content. If the authors are confused, just imagine the impact on students who must learn this stuff. What weird ideas must inhabit their minds!

Compounding scientific ignorance is prejudice. Most students have been persuaded into believing that Muslims alone invented science. And that the heroes of Muslim science such as Ibn-e-Haytham, Al-Khwarizmi, Omar Khayyam, Ibn-e-Sina, etc owed their scientific discoveries to their strong religious beliefs. This is wrong.

Science is the cumulative effort of humankind with its earliest recorded origins in Babylon and Egypt about 6,000 years ago, thereafter moving to China and India, and then Greece. It was a millennium later that science reached the lands of Islam, where it flourished for 400 years before moving on to Europe. Omar Khayyam, a Muslim, was doubtless a brilliant mathematician. But so was Aryabhatta, a Hindu. What does their faith have to do with their science? Natural geniuses have existed everywhere and at all times.

Today’s massive infusion of religion into the teaching of science dates to the Ziaul Haq days. It was not just school textbooks that were hijacked. In the 1980s, as an applicant to a university teaching position in whichever department, the university’s selection committee would first check your faith.

In those days a favourite question at Quaid-e-Azam University (as probably elsewhere) was to have a candidate recite Dua-i-Qunoot, a rather difficult prayer. Another was to name each of the Holy Prophet’s wives, or be quizzed about the ideology of Pakistan. Deftly posed questions could expose the particularities of the candidate’s sect, personal degree of adherence, and whether he had been infected by liberal ideas.

Most applicants meekly submitted to the grilling. Of these many rose to become today’s chairmen, deans, and vice-chancellors. The bolder ones refused, saying that the questions asked were irrelevant. With strong degrees earned from good overseas universities, they did not have to submit to their bullying inquisitors. Decades later, they are part of a widely dispersed diaspora. Though lost to Pakistan, they have done very well for themselves.

Science has no need for Pakistan; in the rest of the world it roars ahead. But Pakistan needs science because it is the basis of a modern economy and it enables people to gain decent livelihoods. To get there, matters of faith will have to be cleanly separated from matters of science. This is how peoples around the world have managed to keep their beliefs intact and yet prosper. Pakistan can too, but only if it wants.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Promoting anti-science via textbooks

The writer teaches physics and mathematics in Lahore and Islamabad.

A BIOLOGY textbook is normally expected to teach biology as science, meaning a scientifically based study of the structure, growth and origin of living things. But what if such a book instead says science must follow ideology and loudly denounces the core principles of biology, condemning these as wrong and irrational?

Published in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last year, a biology textbook declares that “The theory of evolution, as proposed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century, is one of the most unbelievable and irrational claims in history”. Ridiculing the notion that complex life evolved from simpler forms, it claims this violates common sense and is just as “baseless” as assuming that when two rickshaws collide “a motor car was evolved”.

Colliding two rickshaws will, of course, never result in a motor car. That’s common sense. But what does this have to do with the prokaryote-eukaryote transition (which the authors are trying to refute)? More importantly, common sense isn’t good enough for science. Didn’t common sense once tell you that the sun moves across the sky, the earth is flat, and that being out in the cold produced colds? Common sense didn’t tell you that smoking was dangerous. Evidence did.

Ideological discomfort with science largely explains our near total absence from the world of creative science.

Evidence through years of patient observation — not common sense — led to Darwin’s theory of evolution and to Newton’s laws of motion. Take them away and biology, as well as physics, instantly collapses into a meaningless jumble of facts. Robbed of fundamentals, biology ceases to be biology and physics ceases to be physics. They cease to be branches of science.

If the quoted textbook was just one of a kind, I would not have written this article. But almost all books have this attitude. Another KP textbook says “A person in a stable and proper state of mind” cannot accept the wild theories of Western science. By corollary, only mad people can. A physics textbook of the Sindh Textbook Board categorically states that the universe sprang instantly into existence when a certain divine phrase was uttered.

Anti-science does not live in our textbooks only. Many Pakistani science and maths teachers are uncomfortable with their vocations. Whether in schools or universities, they obtained their jobs by possessing requisite certificates and degrees. But not all agree with what they are paid to teach, or even understand it. It should surprise no one that most biology teachers in Pakistan either do not — or perhaps dare not — touch upon human evolution.

Other teachers also feel torn between science and faith. Qari N. was a mathematics professor at Quaid-i-Azam University and my neighbour in the QAU housing colony. He was a soft-spoken and deeply pious man who wore his shalwar well above his ankles and would rebuff customary embraces after Eid prayers, declaring them to be bid’at (an innovation, hence disallowed).

His PhD in mathematics notwithstanding, the gentle qari would say to his M.Sc students that although it was his job to teach, yet mathematics was not to be trusted. He rejected not just mathematics but all Western cultural contaminations, including modern medicine. A chronic diabetic, he refused to see a regular doctor and instead put his trust in a hakeem who prescribed several spoonfuls daily of pure honey. Sadly, I was unable to make it to his funeral because of my busy class schedule that day.

Ideological discomfort with science largely explains Pakistan’s total absence from the world of creative science or technology. But there are other competing reasons, foremost among which is corruption and extreme incompetence in the field of textbook publishing. I do not think there is another country in the world that miseducates its young so badly.

Over four decades, I have collected scores of school science textbooks, both Urdu and English. Most have been produced by the Punjab and Sindh textbook boards. You can guess how many copies need to be printed for a population of 200 million people, as well as imagine the profits from even a small markup. These are ideal conditions for corruption and incompetence to thrive in government education departments.

One year ago, my article ‘Burn these books, please!’ was published in this newspaper. It pleaded that our students should be kept away “from the rotten science textbooks published by the Sindh Textbook Board (STB), an entity operating under the Sindh Ministry of Education. Else yet another generation will end up woefully ignorant of the subjects they study — physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology.”

The article caught the attention of the current Sindh secretary of education, a man who appeared committed to change. He invited me to be part of the Sindh government’s education advisory board, an honorary position which I instantly accepted. A Karachi-based philanthropist offered to underwrite expenses needed for a massive revamp of textbook development and also paid my airfare to attend a committee meeting. There was some excitement, and a faint ray of hope that one hoped was not that faint.

The first meeting was duly held, and then subsequent ones. Unfortunately, the committee’s secretary made sure nothing would really move. Many promises were made but none were kept, critical issues were left unaddressed, and endless bureaucratic hurdles were devised.

One year later I see that our efforts — including those of a US-based Pakistani academic — had been neatly sabotaged. Now I hear over the grapevine that the committee has been dissolved. It doesn’t matter if it has — the lack of seriousness was apparent from day one. When foxes are charged with protecting chickens, the outcome rarely surprises.

The Sindh education ministry is beyond reform. It cannot deliver good textbooks for Matric and FSc. Adapting, subsidising, and translating internationally produced ‘O’ and ‘A’ level science books — used presently by only a tiny sliver of upscale Pakistani schools — is the only reasonable way to go. Those who protest that this amounts to a Western cultural invasion should be asked to produce their own science. In the meantime they shouldn’t use electricity or mobile phones, and travel only on donkeys and camels. Instead of antibiotics or insulin they could, like my former neighbour, opt to use honey.

 

[India22]

Indus valley Civilization was a Pakistani civilization, but first Pakistani was an Arab Muhammad Bin Qashim who invaded Sindh in 712 CE. :bounce:

 

[F-14B]

I once got dawat-e-deen from a Pakistani who used to work with me in the UAE he said that I was a good person and he didn't want to see me go to hell and that I should abandoned Hinduism and join Islam .
I told him that I would not do it because I saw my faith as gift from my parents and forefathers and I will not abandon it even if will lead me to hell

Then he became angry and I said to him to forget me ever joining his folk
he said I will definitely go to hell

I said so be it and tell him bey bey

 

[Zulfiqar Khan]

Kickin off with worst level, I can get ever.

A Pakistani Physics Textbook

It isnt a Pakistani physics textbook, it's an Islamiat textbook talking about Physics. I've studied in Pakistan for two years; despite it lacking good facilities - it had great teachers and quality material for learning. If only I had my old textbooks so I could send you pictures of what we actually used to study.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

It isnt a Pakistani physics textbook, it's an Islamiat textbook talking about Physics.

Clear from the first page, it must be from some religious center (though with overloaded emotions).
But the point is that even such ignorance bears bans in most countries, how your establishment let it breathe.

Put case of this textbook aside, I have posted two articles that Pakistani text books aren't very nice either.

I've studied in Pakistan for two years; despite it lacking good facilities - it had great teachers and quality material for learning.

I have no doubt about facilities, every type of things exist everywhere (I won't bring IITs here because we feel same as that of you when see towards Standford).

Matter is the degree of such things.

If only I had my old textbooks so I could send you pictures of what we actually used to study.

No need for pictures, you can just cite the names of chapters.

For us, our actual study in senses starts after Primary school.
We learn pre history, early civilizations, Indian civilizations in 6th standard, Indian emprors and dynasties in 7th standard, Rise and rule of Muslim empires in 8th standard, about European and world history and entry of British invaders, start of East India company, 9th standard, expansion of British rule in India, world wars, Industrial revolution and some important events of world history, 10th standard, European nationalism and nationalism in different parts of world, Indian Nationalism, America Vietnam war etc..
After that, stream divides and I took science, so I don't know about what goes on in arts field. Though I know separately about further history but I have no idea what's taught in which order in arts after matric.
Even till matric, some resident Indian member may correct me cuz it's years since I left the school and college.

 

[Zulfiqar Khan]

Clear from the first page, it must be from some religious center (though with overloaded emotions).
But the point is that even such ignorance bears bans in most countries, how your establishment let it breathe.

Put case of this textbook aside, I have posted two articles that Pakistani text books aren't very nice either.

Textbooks have to be approved by a long line of committees and ministries before being published. But it's really hard to enforce 'textbook regulations' here and pretty much in every developing country.

No need for pictures, you can just cite the names of chapters.

For us, our actual study in senses starts after Primary school.
We learn pre history, early civilizations, Indian civilizations in 6th standard, Indian emprors and dynasties in 7th standard, Rise and rule of Muslim empires in 8th standard, about European and world history and entry of British invaders, start of East India company, 9th standard, expansion of British rule in India, world wars, Industrial revolution and some important events of world history, 10th standard, European nationalism and nationalism in different parts of world, Indian Nationalism, America Vietnam war etc..
After that, stream divides and I took science, so I don't know about what goes on in arts field. Though I know separately about further history but I have no idea what's taught in which order in arts after matric.
Even till matric, some resident Indian member may correct me cuz it's years since I left the school and college.

Well, I started school there 8 through 9 (two full years). We learn about the Riwat and Soanian peoples, pre-IVC cultures (such as Mehrgarh), then IVC, Kingdom of Gandhara, Greek/Persian invasions and ect... We learn about different Pakistani cultures, the history of major religions (especially Islam). Geography is very important, we learn about mountains, dams, ect... the issues Pakistan face and how we can fix it.

There are also language classes; for most colleges - completing a secondary language in high school is mandatory. Languages available vary school to school. Punjabi, Pashtun, Baluchi, Sindhi, Seraiki are given priority - in larger schools, Farsi and Arabic is also available - in foreign schools you can learn European languages - recently Chinese has also been added.

These are just some examples.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Textbooks have to be approved by a long line of committees and ministries before being published. But it's really hard to enforce 'textbook regulations' here and pretty much in every developing country.

India is also a developing country and I don't find it hard anyhow. Care to explain what challenges authority of government.

Well, I started school there 8 through 9 (two full years). We learn about the Riwat and Soanian peoples, pre-IVC cultures (such as Mehrgarh), then IVC, Kingdom of Gandhara, Greek/Persian invasions and ect... We learn about different Pakistani cultures, the history of major religions (especially Islam).

Religions are usually out of our syllabus (except history of Sikhism because there evidences of existence of Guru Nanak).
Kill the culture, we are taught about Secular Constitution of India and history of Democracies and Liberalism in world at first.
Sometimes, it becomes irritating when too much emphasis is there on minority appeasement.
Just curious to know..
How much you guys are taught about wars?
We are hardly taught anything about Indo Pakistani relations, wars or disputes. Just after partition, GOI just "ignored" it completely. So, most middle school students have even not any view about Pakistan. What you guys are told about India?

Geography is very important, we learn about mountains, dams, ect... the issues Pakistan face and how we can fix it.

We too, not as an issue (India has plenty of dams) but it goes an headache. Add Industrial parks, wildlife sanctuaries, rivers, locations of wars and croppings etc. too.
My friend says syllabus of Pakistani Punjab Board is even more advanced than our C.B.S.E.. Problem is with bigger institutions.

There are also language classes; for most colleges - completing a secondary language in high school is mandatory. Languages available vary school to school. Punjabi, Pashtun, Baluchi, Sindhi, Seraiki are given priority - in larger schools, Farsi and Arabic is also available - in foreign schools you can learn European languages - recently Chinese has also been added.

In past, we used to have languages like German and French but now there's no foreign language taught except English.

Students study English, Hindi and their regional languages (if any), and the Hindi region, students have to learn some additional language (like Sanskrit or Punjabi) in middle school but now, even that's optional.


I can't understand Kannad or Tamil but South Indians till date I met, Hindi farrate se bolte hain.:biggrin2:


India is further promoting Hindi to foreign countries and will soon establish it as an official language in UN (along with English, French, Chinese and Arabic).

 

[India22]

@Indx TechStyle you cant say India's education is completely secular. As long as Madrasas, Missionary convents are running we cant call it secular. We need to secularize our education system.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

@Indx TechStyle you cant say India's education is completely secular. As long as Madrasas, Missionary convents are running we cant call it secular. We need to secularize our education system.

I met a moronic missionary yesterday in an auto rickshaw.:biggrin2:
Was lookin for a right time to discuss.

 

[India22]

Edit : Come to Conversation.

Lets not derail this thread.

Must watch

 

[India22]

Another video about brainwashing

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Edit : Come to Conversation.

Lets not derail this thread.

Must watch

"Pakistan ne Bharat se bhi zordar atmi dhamake karke"
Funny one, over that India's nuclear tests weren't Pakistan centric either. I'm pretty sure that people in India care less about Pakistanis after watching these girls, no matter how much they call us "obsessed" with them.

 

[vinuzap]

this is the reason in most of the incident of terrorism worldwide you will find pakistani hand worldwide

jia-ul-haq started it will force the hatred against hindu and islamization

 

[vinuzap]

these are born retards with no plurality

 

[Flame Thrower]

It isnt a Pakistani physics textbook, it's an Islamiat textbook talking about Physics. I've studied in Pakistan for two years; despite it lacking good facilities - it had great teachers and quality material for learning. If only I had my old textbooks so I could send you pictures of what we actually used to study.

Khan, you ask your friends to take a screenshot of their children text books and send them...

It's no big deal in WhatsApp world....

I really want to know whether it's true or not...

Everyone knows that Pak drifted from liberal to Islamised version during Zia (though formed on Islamic ideology, there is an argument that Pak was more liberal post Zia than today... If you live in Pak - today or at least post 2010 for 2 or 3 years, then we can talk)

I want to know the how deep the roots of islam ideology into Pak education...

Our esteemed Pak panel...

@Neo @Zaravan

Can you comment on my post

 

[vinuzap]

these morons don't even even know that father of modern lahore happens to be sir ganga ram man behind the construction of various city buildings like Lahore Museum, Aitchison College, Mayo School of Arts, High Court, GPO, Government College's chemistry block and Mayo Hospital's Albert Victor wing

 

[Zulfiqar Khan]

Khan, you ask your friends to take a screenshot of their children text books and send them...

It's no big deal in WhatsApp world....

I really want to know whether it's true or not...

Everyone knows that Pak drifted from liberal to Islamised version during Zia (though formed on Islamic ideology, there is an argument that Pak was more liberal post Zia than today... If you live in Pak - today or at least post 2010 for 2 or 3 years, then we can talk)

I want to know the how deep the roots of islam ideology into Pak education...

Our esteemed Pak panel...

@Neo @Zaravan

Can you comment on my post

In some of way. Islam had always been a part of our education; but I don't get why you guys perceive it so negatively. I've studied in Pakistan for two years and 90% of what we learned in Islamiat was just about being a good human being, helping others, paying charity, brotherhood and ect...

Zia ul Haq's reign was weird; it wasn't really him pulling the string but it was many others. Iran's revolution had profound impact on Pakistan; Saudi Arabia fearing this also began to fund billions for the promotion of Wahhabism in Pakistan. Pakistan's education at this time wasn't really that standardized; so it was easy for outside interference.

 

[OrangeFlorian]

This probably not a private school but whatevs
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