The turbulent and
tumultuous history of the Indian subcontinent has given it unique
characteristics. From the numerous invasions from the North, the
religious movements, conflicts between races and religions, the
colonization by the British, the uprising against the British in
1857, and the freedom movement of 1947 to India-Pakistan wars, the
Kashmir issue, the Soviet Afghan war, and the recent US/NATO Afghan
war, all have left their marks and have shaped the society in a way
where the extremist behaviour is dominant. Pakistan, being
financially and militarily weaker than the bigger India, is more
prone to extremism. Lets look at some of the elements that contribute
to the promotion of extremism in Pakistani society and then the
strategy to contain it. Although extremism starts right from the
cradle, lets start with the educational institutions.
Syllabus of Government
Schools and Colleges
The educational syllabus
in the government sector schools and colleges of Pakistan does not
promote thinking, analysis, brain-storming and research. Memorizing
and cramming remain the main mode of learning. Apart from a syllabus
that curbs the creativity and discourages unbiased analysis, the
students are beaten into submission through physical punishments.
Physical punishments in government schools are so rampant (at least
they were in 1990s) that they look almost legal. It is lamentable
that such illegal practices are routine in the institutions where the
future generations of Pakistan are educated and trained. Some
physical punishments were specifically designed to hurt the
self-esteem of students. This educational milieu creates a mind-set
which is susceptible to develop the extremist tendencies. Social
workers, philanthropists, journalists and educationists regularly
evoke this issue on different media platforms from time to time but
nothing concrete is done. In fact nobody has seriously analysed as to
why this is happening. Is it financially beneficial?
