Iqra Khan
If you want that education brings a change in you and you want to be considered a learned person then you must start learning instead of merely rattafication or cramming, which is a mindless memorization of facts and figures just to score grades in exams.
Learning involves gaining knowledge or skills by focusing and understanding. Practical education is also key for learning. Experimentation, planning methods and processing of whatever you study enables you to learn. If you just read and memorize you end up with scattered information in your brain which is dull and boring.
On the contrary, learning inspires you to create and information is organised and effective. Learning makes information meaningful. I personally believe that learning is better and important. One of my favorite quotes is :
I don’t like studying. I hate studying. I like learning. Learning is beautiful!
Now connecting this to our society we see education system is predominantly focusing on memorizing since forever. To the extent that if you ask a little kid about his education it would be a big turn off for him. He or she would correlate his education as lethargic, torpid and above all monotonous. Basically our education and teaching systems are lacking variety and interest. Students are focused not to learn and improvise but to gain marks and grades. This, I think, is an unhealthy and dreary way to gain ” knowledge”. In our system marks or grades are where the story begins and ends. Conventional teaching methods contribute to this drawback.
We must learn from other nations such as Finland. They don’t focus and teach students to pass ‘exam’ rather prepare them to learn and experiment. You will be surprised to know that there isn’t any examination or testing in Finland’s schools especially in the early years of school. All because they focus on “learning”.
In our society students are threatened to score up to the mark otherwise they won’t be considered intelligent enough. Let me make it clear that knowledge doesn’t come with fear but with interest.
At the end, I hereby proclaim that if we don’t make our education and teaching system interesting and learning oriented I am afraid we may fail as a nation. The government of Imran Khan must focus on education reforms and their execution to change the future of country.
Ms Iqra Khan is a student of Medical University in Islamabad, Pakistan. Comments can be sent crvoices@gmail.com
