Daily Times

In general, there is no customary definition of national identity. Different scholars employ different conceptions and/or varied names such as nationalism, national character, and nationhood. A few use them indistinguishably others employ them to depict different phenomena. Generally the focal point of national identity, implicitly or explicitly, is on nationalism and its historical development. However, national identity can be set apart from nationalism.

Smith & Wehler (1991, 2001) classified nationalism to sort — political ideology, religion, or political movement that projects at national self-determination. On the other hand, national identity is a self-governing approach that may be expressed as a cognitive and emotional attachment to the nation. Tajfel and Turner (1986) explained the phenomena of NI that individuals recognize with their nation by identifying the nation as a group they belong to and by believing keenly because of their attachment to that group. Although nationalism and national identity are not unrelated for the grounds that nationalism can politicize and influence power and nature of national identity, and both are based on thoughtful understanding of nation.

The objectives of education are analyzed in education policy to inquire about the aims, societal and individual, that it is designed to accomplish. Methods for achieving them and tools for gauging their success or failure are also the subject of discussion in EP.

In my opinion, development of education and the philosophy of the discipline of education policy are linked with the aims, forms, methods, or results of the program of educating or else being educated. It may be meta-disciplinary in the rational of being associated with the concepts, aims, and outcome of those plans and conceptions.

The South Asian history of education started with teaching of conventional elements, for instance Indian religions, Indian mathematics, Indian logic at ancient Hindu and Buddhist hubs of education, Taxila (in modern-day Pakistan) and Nalanda (in India), are earlier than the common era. With the beginning of the Islamic empire, Islamic education was ensconced in the subcontinent. During the Middle Ages, the arrival of the Europeans brought western education to the colonial Subcontinent. Education of Indians during the colonial period had huge divergences of vision. The colonialists were divided into two schools ‘the orientalists’, who were of the view that education should be given in Indian languages (classical like Sanskrit or Persian) or ‘utilitarians’, Thomas Babington Macaulay, who sturdily deemed that medium of teaching for Indians ought to be English.

He initiated English education in Subcontinent through his famed Minute of February 1835. He pioneered an educational system that was supposed to produce a group of anglicized Indians who were cultural liaisons for the Colonialists in India

According to him, ‘the most excellent education’ for them could only take place in English. He initiated English education in Subcontinent through his famed Minute of February 1835. He pioneered an educational system that was supposed to produce a group of anglicized Indians who were cultural liaisons for the Colonialists in India. With the success of Macaulay in executing ideas priory proposed by Lord William Bentinck, the governor general since 1829. Bentinck supported an annulment of Persian; with English as the ‘executive language’. As he whipped up support for utilitarianism he contested for ‘useful learning’ by employment of English as the language of instruction, and the grounding of English-speaking Indians as teachers.

The era of 1784 to 1854, was scrutinized by Frykenberg (1986) to figure out how education assisted to amalgamate the assorted constituents of Sub-continental society — generating an agreed tie among colliding loyalties. Restricted and selective persons in charge were from the ‘clean-caste’; chiefly Brahman.

Regions which later came to be a part of Pakistan were amongst the final to be sequestered to the British Empire. Sindh in 1843, Punjab in 1849, and some regions of Balochistan, Quetta and the outer regions in 1879, the leftover of Baloch region turned into a Princely State surrounded by the British Empire, according to Tharoor (2002). Moreover, Rahman (2002) explained that the British strategies which crafted English as an indicator of privileged class and the language of authority; such as the civil service, the officer corps of the armed forces, the higher judiciary, universities, prestigious newspapers, radio and entertainment exhibit a continuation of British policies.

As a matter of fact the prolongation of those policies by the Pakistani government from 194, until now, has made English Pakistan’s de facto official language, a rank which was ‘sanctified’ in the constitution of 1973. Together with Urdu, both languages are used as official languages of the country. All government documents, military communications, street signs, many shop signs, business contracts and other activities use English as a medium of communication.

A sequence of quantified darting all through first half of the 20th century put down the base of education in the Subcontinent. The value of education and the right type of education cannot be over emphasized. In a dreadful disposition of fixations, Pakistan as a post colonial country regrets. Adequate consideration is not rendered to educate the people, and if Pakistan is to craft any genuine, rapid and sizeable advancement; education policy designers will have to sincerely deal with this issue and make educational policy that goes well with the needs of Pakistan’s citizens. Changes must be consonant with Pakistan’s history and culture, and must take into consideration the latest circumstances and massive expansions that have been adopted by the modernized world.

Pakistan as a country has faced years of rampant terrorism. Pakistanis as a nation have faced and still are combating massive indictments as a broken nation, lost state, eighteen million people without any goal, a directionless nation from local and foreign media. In this scenario, the role of education becomes more significant rather most significant in building a nation.

At this point policy makers are responsible to make suitable policies for the country. To use education as a tool to get targeted goals by different nations is an old and effective strategy. Policy makers should devise policies with desired objectives which can impart skills, occupations, direction, values, beliefs, attitudes, character, morals, understanding of social phenomena etc can be transmitted to the coming generation…

To be continued

Nida Ahmed is an emerging columnist, passionate to see people learn to get rid of targeted messaging by creating opinion-changing content

Published in Daily Times, November 13^th 2018.