Daily Times

There was a Facebook post shared by a child, which expounded upon the virtues of wishing a ‘Merry Christmas’ by Muslims and its basis in Islam. I must say that I am certainly heartened by the wisdom imparted and intend to use it in all my legal arguments henceforth! Apparently, ignorant me did not know that wishing your fellow human beings a happy Christmas is a sin far greater than zina (consensual sex) and, while the latter can be forgiven, the former will never be! There goes your Hudood Ordinance and in comes an amendment in the Pakistan Penal Code!

Recently, I had the immense pleasure of teaching at one of Pakistan’s most renowned universities. It may not be wrong to say that in order to get admission here, many would be willing to sell a kidney! Guided by this notion I took up the assignment and was utterly unbalanced by what I found out. The quality of students was miserable. Barring the educational backgrounds, the zest to learn and to come prepared for class was something that appeared not to have passed across their wildest imaginations. All the pre-class reading material may just as well have been written in Russian for all the response I was able to elicit! The trend to ‘Google’ on their ‘smart applications’ was the rage but there was no desire or even the remote possibility of entering a room called the ‘library’. And, may God forgive me for all that I may have uttered as I marked their examination papers for three subjects, but in my defence I have to say that it was involuntary — entirely caused by a pained soul — a definite case of grave provocation and mitigating circumstances! There was no concept of abstract or analytical thinking. It was a disaster beyond any I had seen in all my teaching endeavours, and all that I can still think about is, how did these ‘kids’ (not really when they are enrolled in a university!) get admission?

One of the many things that became crystal clear was that these students could not write. They simply did not have the skills. And worse of all was the way they ‘cancelled’ their unwanted answers: not by putting a neat line across them but by drawing huge squiggles across the writing! If I had not desired to be remunerated for my services I would have thrown these answer booklets straight into the bin!

Earlier this month, a friend shared an article written on Pakistan’s CSS Examination. The Central Superior Services (CSS), as it is now called, was always a highly prestigious and competitive examination, with thousands of bright aspirants coveting a place. Being the daughter of a civil servant, belonging to the original CSP (Civil Services of Pakistan), I was exposed to a world that was full of my father’s colleagues, seniors, juniors and batch-mates. Most of them were bright, witty and smart people, well read, well spoken and had the ability to carry themselves. Over the past decade, in the course of my profession, I had the opportunity to appear before the newer lot. All I can say is that my heart bled every single time. It is now a source of joy if I ever run into a CSS officer who can even hold a candle to the men who sat in administration decades ago.

The article I mentioned highlighted the decline in the successful candidates who pass the CSS examination: “The passing percentage of the candidates in the written examination was 30 percent in 2002. In 2013, that figure has plummeted to a barely believable 2.09 percent. According to the Federal Public Service Commission’s (FPSC’s) 2012 annual report, given to parliament last week, the government could only fill 240 out of a possible 285 positions that were open to candidates.” The reasons given included poor writing quality and analytical skills, reliance on rote-learning and guide books and ‘ready-made answers’, failure to adequately comprehend contemporary issues, a mediocre and superficial understanding of subjects and extremely poor English language skills. Am I surprised?

We have an entire generation addicted to their mobile phones and the internet. Yes, they may be more tech-savvy than us or our preceding generations but what exactly are they learning? While the obscenity of the ‘A’ grade race continues and examination boards and schools fill their coffers, all the while lowering the bar, what is being understood by these poor children as they are shuttled from one tuition to another? Obsessed by the abbreviated text/sms English and unable to work without a computer and spell-check, this particular lot cannot even write a simple essay without ‘technological help’. While they may be ‘ROTFL’, there is a huge chance that they cannot put the abbreviation in words using a pen and a paper!

Barring the declining educational standards, this ‘Google generation’ may be good at getting debates on issues started via the social networking sites on the internet. However, the question remains: how many have an actual life beyond the virtual? How many are able to communicate easily when face to face with others? How many feel the desperate need to attend to their ‘smart apps’ when sitting in a gathering? How many are at ease with the 1,000 plus internet friends yet unable to maintain a relationship with even one in real life? How many know that there is a ‘real life’ out there, the link to which is not available on ‘Google’ or ‘Bing’? And, how many will be able to function without any distress or trauma once in it?

Judging by the quality of students out there, access to technology, though a wonderful thing, is not being utilised as probably it should be. While an avid fan of Facebook and Google myself, I know that in ‘real life’ you may not be able to ‘Google’ on the spot. I also know that, though short form texting English may be convenient for many, the examination boards still have not notified it as the primary language to be tested in. Ghalib, Iqbal and their ilk still have not been replaced by that extremely bright poet whose ‘diwan’ graces the back of rickshaws! And, that despite what anyone may believe, one essay still does not fit all!

As the year 2013 draws to a close, I am inspired by a song by Strings, Mein To Dekhun Ga (I will see). Our children are intelligent and gifted. The problem lies perhaps not with them but with us. Maybe we, as parents and teachers, are shirking our responsibilities and not putting in the efforts that were put into the previous generations. Perhaps we too are victims of the same ailment? The trick is perhaps to use the vast reservoir of knowledge available at our fingertips to boost the one acquired through books and life, and to leave the ‘sms English’ out of examinations! But until then, TGIF!

The writer is an advocate of the High Court