Darlymple on India and Pakistan
William Darlymple’s article published in the Guardian is an insightful piece that attempts to be unbiased and reflects on some pertinent issues that afflict Pakistan. The piece examines the media stereotype - successful India and failed Pakistan - a little deeper and identifies a creaky education system as one of the major issues with the country.
While this is no news for us Pakistanis, it nevertheless makes us think why this crucial issue is not highlighted by the opinion-makers in Pakistan. There are endless debates on national media on politics and government-opposition stand-off. Perhaps the Pakistani upwardly mobile classes are a little removed from this debate since they have long abandoned the state run education facilities and chosen the private sector services. Hence the disconnect.
Darlymple writes:
…its desperate education crisis. No problem in Pakistan casts such a long shadow over its future as the abject failure of the government to educate more than a fraction of its own people: at the moment, a mere 1.8% of Pakistan’s GDP is spent on government schools. The statistics are dire: 15% of these government schools are without a proper building; 52% without a boundary wall; 71% without electricity.
…. out of 162 million Pakistanis, 83 million adults of 15 years and above are illiterate. Among women the problem is worse still: 65% of all female adults are illiterate. As the population rockets, the problem gets worse.
It can be argued that improved political system and democratic governance is essential to overcome this state of affairs. However, this may not be enough. After all, Malaysia achieved amazing success in building human capital under authoritarian rule. I am not suggesting that democracy is irrelevant but I think there is a deeper cause somewhere locked in our social and cultural ethos that needs to be identified.
Education requires utmost attention and advocacy by all those who want to see Pakistan progress and flourish in the long term.
“The Poor Neighbour” by William Darlymple can be read here.
Update: just as I posted this, this article came as a little shock.
A REPORT in this newspaper last month tells us that a cleric, Maulana Fazlullah, has issued an edict (fatwa), holding that education of girls is un-Islamic, and urging people in the villages of Swat to withdraw their daughters from public schools. Several thousand parents have acted on his advice, and young girls are now playing on the street instead of attending their classes.
The writer however rejects the stance taken by the silly Mullah and presents an account of five great Muslim women and hopes that this might ‘remove “Maulana” Fazlullah’s ignorance, make him seek God’s forgiveness, and stop him from misleading his congregations’.
August 19th, 2007
in
Journalism, Politics, education, India, All My Posts, World Writers, On Pakistan |
August 19th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Nice post. You asked me a good question that “a tricky question is what about those who were left behind in India - they are not a small number. By and large as big as the muslim populations on in Pak and Bangladesh. Somewhere, the “muslims’ project went wrong?”
I would like to explain this by way of an analogy. Let’s say that if you are a good swimmer and you see three people drowning in a sea. Using your two hands you will try your best to save two of them and hope that the third one may be saved by someone else. Same applies to the case of Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Indian Muslims. Roughly each of these groups is composed of 150 million people. Jinnah and Muslim League strived for the independence of two-thirds of the population of subcontinental Muslims. Thanks to their efforts 300 million Muslims of Pakistan and Bangladesh now live in independent states. As to the remaining 150 million Indian Muslims they are so dispersed in the Hindu majority areas that we can’t demand a separate homeland for them. But the good thing is that India is a secular and democratic country. So the rights of the minorities are protected there. Secularism is an ideal. And ground realities are some times different from ideal situation. Complete separation of religion and society is a myth. Individuals have religions and beliefs, society is an assemblage of individuals therefore our religion and beliefs always play a greater or lesser role in our society.
But I agree that Pakistan project went wrong somewhere. It was not the demand for a separate homeland for the Muslims of subcontinent which was unfair. The right of self-determination is an inalienable right of people who think themselves as different and distinct. But they way that project was carried out led to deaths of hundreds of thousands and a mass migration of 12 million Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. Muslims, Hindus and British all are to be blamed for this terrible human catastrophe. The original date for independence was set to be June 1948 but on 3rd June 1947 it was announced that British will leave India within two months. It was not possible to make proper arrangements and create conditions of security and stability in such a short time to protect the minorities during that upheaval. Indians blame Jinnah and Muslim League for this inter-communal conflict. We blame Hindus and Mountbatten for not carrying out this project in a proper manner. It’s a debatable question and it is interpreted in a subjective way.
Another thing that went wrong is the hostility between the newly created states of India and Pakistan. It shouldn’t have happened. We should have established good neighborly relations not the least for 150 million Muslims who still reside in India and keeping in mind the fact that the demand for Pakistan originated from the Muslim-minority provinces of India. But the scars of intercommunal conflict on the eve of independence and then the Kashmir dispute marred our relations with India. Today Pakistan is a reality and we have also managed to establish a balance of power with India. We have fought enough wars. Now its time to have peace in the region. And as William Dalrymple rightly pointed out we need to spend more on our education and socioeconomic development than on our defense.
August 19th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Quoting from the article:
At the risk of being labeled a commie, I can’t help but agree with the author on this. I always keep saying ‘pakistan should have had its own version of naxalbari‘
August 19th, 2007 at 11:41 am
“Let’s say that if you are a good swimmer and you see three people drowning in a sea. Using your two hands you will try your best to save two of them and hope that the third one may be saved by someone else.”
Perhaps the third didn’t want to be saved and perhaps one of the two that were saved realized that their savior later turned out to be their tormentor so decided to jump back into the water rather than accepting a life of agony with the savior, leaving the savior scratching his head wondering what went wrong
August 19th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
A very informative and comprehensive read.
It’s a pity that the the Public School Education in Pakistan has failed, and as a result people are opting to send their children to madrasas that offer a faith based curriculum. Also, the literacy statistics mentioned in the article are shocking and explain many a woes that the country is facing today.
As for Maulana Fauzalullah… his comment reminds me of the situation in Nobel Laueate Orhan Pamuk’s novel “Snow” where a group of young Turkish girls commit suicide apparently because they are prevented from wearing the veil by the local school board.
May the people of Swat see the light of reason and allow their future female citizens to comprehend their world as literate and educated individuals.
August 19th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Nauman: your comment is much appreciated. I agree with your points that the manner of partition was unbecoming. The mass migration, deaths and the suffering were too heart-wrenching. And I also agree that we (the two countries) should have maintained good relations. Alas, the record on that front is also not that encouraging. Thanks a lot for a comprehensive response.
BD: You were quick to point out the root of all problems - the unequal distribution of assets and resources. Well, the naxalite solution is a little extreme
GA: interesting scenario - cool idea. I need to think about that.
Id: Well, what can we say about this. Unfortunately, the education system needs a major surgery - reform would not yield results.
Good to hear the reference of ‘Snow’ - another great book -. The Swat situation is terrible but it thankfully does not represent the majority view. So there is hope-
August 19th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Extremely relevant post. Dalrymple has great insight on the subcontinent because of his impeccable research. He clearly points out what we all already know but even then when you read the stats on the dire state of education in Pakistan you are in shock. The government has completely let us down in this, and many other, regards.
I had the opportunity of spending an evening with Dalrymple once here in Dubai. A very interesting personality..although I remember he spent most his time using my brother’s computer to access the net. Probably was doing research for his next book.
August 20th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
education is critical! its the backbone of infrastructure of a country.