I do not know why I always have the same feeling before I put something to pen. No matter how much I research or study a topic, I end up empty minded and doubtful. I do not know how much I know not! However, what I have come to know is that that the more I come to know, the clearer it becomes to me the wideness of the depth of the knowledge I know not. I do not want to give the impression here of talking about some awkward philosophical puzzle. I want to emphasize simply that knowledge is unlimited. This is what I feel Socrates realized when he asserted, “I am the most knowledgeable man in the land; for I know that I know nothing”.
It is mostly the layman, who sees himself as the greatest authority of opinion. It is the layman who seems to know the most of what is going on in the world. Come to any street in Pakistan and you’ll find Danishwars at every corner. Every person is so opinionated; seeming to have all solutions in his own midst. What people rarely figure is that it is at this stalemate that knowledge crosses the border of knowledge, and enters the realm of ignorance.
Ignorance, and ignorance alone, is what halts education. It is only at the point when we put aside this barrier of denial, that we advance our knowledge. Ignorance is a set of mind that closes the gates of further knowledge for an individual. It’s when an individual eliminates options. I do not imply here that it is when one becomes selective, for I believe that is, in a large extent, human nature, but rather it is when one eliminates all options other than those he has selected. What I mean here is that we should not, in any case, eliminate differing opinions from consideration. If we are ever to attain any education we should first agree to disagree, if we are not able to do so than we cannot progress. The famous Chinese proverb seems quite relevant here that “he who cannot agree with his enemies is controlled by them”.
Education on the other hand, is something that may justify discrimination between two individuals. However, I do not use the term “education” as usually taken to be understood. I talk of education in terms of knowledge that is beyond degrees, grades, exams and the likes. Education is the treasure nobody can take away. It’s the trigger in the evolution of human thought. It’s what gives you leadership and fellowship. It’s what makes you look beyond the obvious when looking at the obvious. It’s in the sky and the sea, the past and the present, the limited and the unlimited. For sure, it’s something that cannot be put in your hands, whether in the form of a shining piece of paper or a dazzling body of metal.
In class we were discussing the strengths and weaknesses of our society. I tried to point out that lack of education should also be added to the weaknesses camp. To my amazement, a student pointed out that this doesn’t register as a weakness! Using a seemingly Marxist dialectic, he stated that education is something that deviates people from reality and develops false consciousness. However, his later elaboration made it clear that he was using the term education in the popular sense, or more precisely, education-the-system! Although, his point remains equally valid, the word he was looking for was schooling, not education. This distinction was made by Mark Twain, when he claimed, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education”.
I do not go to the extreme to say that there should be no system of education. However the system should be one that reflects the purpose of education. It should widen the horizons of the mind. It should polish creativity, or at least keep it intact. It should let the student reach out to his potential, rather than limit his options. It should prefer comprehension over expression. It should feed the idea that argument is something done to reach a conclusion, and not something done for the sake of argument itself. It should teach integrity, respect, dignity, honor, and all virtues man has come to recognize. It should not make individuals competitors to each other. It should not promote the survival-of-the-fittest idea in academic life. It should see an individual for what he is, a complex being and not a dogmatic automation.
Aristotelian logic stands valid that all paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind. Financial dependency puts a halt on vision. People have to think in the direction of the demands of their pockets. Even if someone is fully convinced of “academic freedom” and the sorts, he will still have to consider the approval of the opinion of his funders. Education suffered the most the day it became a business. The day the money question was introduced to educational institutions, competition replaced cooperation. Institutions see each other as rivals, each branding itself as a better option. Instead, if these institutions were to work together and to see themselves as friends, not foes, than society would definitely benefit. I would not point fingers on those who made things this way, but would add that our traditions speak otherwise. And we should learn from our past.
The famous Muslim jurist Nauman bin Sabit, or commonly referred to as Abu Hanifa, set a great example in this respect. We can see that he created a medieval Think Tank and research center during his time. But when it came to financing, he kept his institute completely independent in terms of finance. He based all finance on his own shoulders, through his private business. Although he fully devoted himself for education, he did not make it his earning profession. He gave all his pupil scholarships, and not simply to cover expenses, but also ones that covered and even bettered alternative livelihoods. This concept of economic freedom was not specific to this one person. During the reign of Caliph Umer (RA), funds were released for researchers and scholars. Many accepted, while many (of the same proportion) others didn’t, on the grounds of a Hadith that states that a reason for the decline of previous nations was their scholar’s tendency to sell knowledge.
Knowledge should be productive. It should benefit society. If it fails to do so, than it fails to achieve its purpose. Even Homer Simpson (yes the cartoon) makes a point when he says “ how is education supposed to make me feel smarter , besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain, remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive !!!”. So the purpose of education is also something that must be kept in mind. Otherwise we may also harm ourselves, and society in the process.
I am not here concerned with education policy. I just reflect on the approach to education. Policies are made in the light of our approach. We have to change the dominant perception of education, and come forward with better policies in this regard.
By: Muhammad Saad Lakhani
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