New Delhi
The world seems to have almost gone Topsyturvy in Pakistan. Intellectuals, experts and political class are now busy appreciating India's onward journey in the comity of nations and in the developmental sphere under Narendra Modi.
Now, it's the turn of a noted writer and a Physics teacher from the Quaid-i-Azam University, Pervez Hoodbhoy.
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| Hoodbhoy: Candid |
In his latest piece for the premier English daily in Islamabad, 'Dawn', he writes: " .....the true meaning of Modi’s double engine metaphor transcends India’s state-level electoral politics. It’s actually about reinventing national ideology, culture, and education.
To understand why India presently stands so high on the world stage — and also how it could crash down — let’s peek inside the two engines. The lessons for Pakistan are immediate and obvious".
To substantiate his argument, the senior academician says even US President Joe Biden has recently quipped that “Indian Americans are taking over this country”.
"He could have meant Britain as well where Rishi Sunak is its new prime minister," runs the article.
Hoodbhoy also notes, "The first engine pulls India along the road to prosperity and modernity. It has sent Indian spacecraft winging to the moon and Mars, placed India’s IT and pharmaceutical companies among the world’s largest, filled America’s best universities with professors who are graduates of Indian universities".
On this backdrop, the scholar maintains how neglecting modern education by Muslims has proved such a costly affair.
He also laments that while "The loudest call for reforming Muslim education" was that of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and when he said Madrasas were "entirely unnecessary".
The 'Dawn' article also says - while the children of Indian parents in English-medium schools were "learning trigonometry and logarithms, the properties of solids and gases", the ulema across India fiercely "resisted the modern curriculum".
"Very few opted for science, medicine, or other forms of hard learning. Most learned just the airs and graces that would assure their social position back home".
Almost in a tone of frustration, Rhodbhoy says, the education quality of Pakistan has nosedived to the level of Somalia.
"Institutions and organisations steadily crumbled for lack of modern-minded people. Industrialisation flopped in spite of the billions pumped in by America, China and Saudi Arabia. Finding graduates of Pakistani institutions capable of performing even basic tasks became harder and harder".
He further says, "Pakistan’s regular schools have now come to resemble madrassas with the difference shrinking by the year. Many surveys indicate student learning has descended to Somalia-like levels"
In the recent past among others former Pakistan PM Imran Khan has also lauded Indian's diplomacy andother ways of governance.
It goes without stating that the last seventy five years has changed things a lot in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
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| Blogger and daughter Tanvi |
At 25 in 1971, Pakistan was amputated giving birth to Bangladesh. Last few decades show how Pakistan remained locked with its Islamic policies but how India's eastern neighbour, Bangladesh, has done well in textiles, exports and empowering women.
In other words, India's growth story and robust development in infrastructure have been commendable.
It is not without good reason that on the Red Letter Day, August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to help the suffering Indians out of poverty and turn the country into a developed country in the next quarter-century.
It is also a fact that India’s per capita income is $1,947 and this was primarily due to a reduction in India’s economic growth due to Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.
ends
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