Daily Times

Humans observe. They think, analyze and find patterns in what they observe. This is how primitive humans started studying things scientifically; thus, an era of science started. In the beginning, humans started studying nature which was almost a myth to them. Once they turned nature into science through relentless curiosity and sheer perseverance, they started studying themselves. Before them, the point was to find a science to fickle human nature. This study gave birth to social sciences. It was the study in which humans, capitalizing on their experience from scientific study of nature, tried to study human nature at both individual and collective levels in a scientific way. As human awareness expanded, both sciences became indispensable for each other. Today, in a globalized world in which humans’ interaction with nature and among themselves has trebled, where it has become of paramount importance for any state to have its clout in both spheres of sciences comprising social sciences and natural sciences, let’s see how Pakistan has been juggling the two sciences, especially through my vintage point as a graduate of social sciences, by shedding light on all the challenges that graduates of social sciences face in Pakistan.

As a fresh graduate of social sciences, I find academia in Pakistan more inclined toward natural sciences. It is considered that natural sciences lead to successful careers epitomized by Medical and Engineering. I remember how privileged it was to be a student of natural sciences in school and how we would consider Arts’ students worthless.

Basking in the social euphoria for being a bright student of sciences, I, after Matriculation, without heeding to any alternate field of studies, as is the norm, after achieving above average marks, considered chasing medical profession as ultimate goal. There, in college, my faith in natural sciences got reinforced, as I observed, how day in day out, we were courted with extra-ordinary protocol by teachers in classes as compared to students of social sciences in the college.

Though I was very above average student of pre-medical, but deep within I was sick with disconnect between me and my studies. I thought that medical was not my calling. I was not clear what I was for if I said good bye to natural sciences. From the beginning, I had predisposition toward writing and was a thorough reader of newspaper, even during college when I was pursuing pre-medical; so, I decided to delve into the world of social sciences, not knowing quite exactly whether that would click for me or not, but I just wanted to test it.

Interestingly, it clicked. Joining the world of social sciences turned out to be renaissance within as all my previous stereotypical conceptions were made about face of what I had perceived social sciences. It was like putting a fish in water that was out of water. Social sciences are, I think, the soul of any society, which if compromised, might rob society of its conscience.

Knowing that it is sine qua none for society, I sometimes, when, reflect upon with some of fellow graduates about why Pakistan lags behind in social sciences and why its quality graduates, though they constitute very small number, through their precedents have so far failed to bring to forth the essence and indispensable nature of social sciences, before our society, I come across the following challenges that graduates of social sciences face in Pakistan.

Apart from few academic institutes, social sciences in Pakistan are imparted devoid of skills required for job market; as a result, students, after graduation, succumbing to the social pressure of job, compromise over pursuing career in social sciences, and fit in any job whether that is in line with their previous studies or not. Unfortunately, in the capitalist society like ours, like everything, people have started gauging education in terms of utilitarian approach. They think that the sole aim of education is job, which I think is right, but eclipsing aim of education solely with job is a little bit, I think, short-changed transaction with essence of education. Recently, one of my batch fellows having major in Philosophy told that he would never ask someone to pursue studies in Philosophy as there was no scope of philosophy in job market. For him, all the enlightenment that he got because of philosophy was brought to naught when he did not find a job through it.

Moreover, the recent bandwagons in the form of CSS or PMS which most students of social sciences ride on after graduation are some of other obstacles in the way of social sciences not getting entrenched in our academia. Though they incentivize study of social sciences as most of the graduates having major in social sciences qualify these exams, but because of these exams our society loses a major chunk of bright graduates who could have proved to be an asset for all those social problems that are nagging our society for a long time through their research.

In the capitalist world where it has become a new normal that everything be gauged through prism of utilitarianism and in this milieu studies of social sciences are becoming obsolete because of not forging a connect between theory and its application, there is a dire need to customize studies of social sciences with the job market so that our graduates pursue careers in social sciences without fear of unemployment. Moreover, pursuit of knowledge, if solely made utilitarian, does not bode well for any society. Bertrand Russell says, “pursuit of knowledge, if is utilitarian, is not self-sustaining. Utilitarian knowledge needs to be fructified by disinterested investigation, which has no motive beyond the desire to understand the world better. All the great advances are at first purely theoretical, and are only afterwards found to be capable of practical application.” For social sciences to thrive in Pakistan, there is a need that they be whipped with the zeitgeist of the present i.e. utilitarianism.

The blogger is a graduate in Social Sciences from Government College University, Lahore. He can be reached at uinam39@gmail.com