Stratified education system and its impact
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Date
2017
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Publisher
University of Management and Technolog
Abstract
The central argument of the study stresses that stratified education system prevalent in Pakistan is responsible for inequality and social differentiation in society. My research argues that it is reproducing the non-egalitarian opportunity structure and perpetuates the class-distinction. One more aspect is worth mentioning. Our education system shows indelible signs of social, cultural and historical forces. Two antagonistic ideologies fill the narrative core of Pakistan. One is the British protégés class of liberal elite and another is fundamentalist religious clergy. They have maintained their ideological legacy through monopolization of respective educational institutions. Elite English medium schools and Madaris represent their respective classes. And like every other socio-administrative institution, public education emerged to enact a compromise between these two antagonistic perceptive orders. And it represents the worst of both.
Though there are wide varieties of educational streams, yet my research included three major types, i.e. Public Schools, Elite Education System and Madaris. They provide divergent curricula, pedagogical strategies, cultural orientations, epistemologies foundation and social experience to their respective pupil. All these differences directly impact their personality development and self-image. The analysis of income status of parents of students urges that their socio-economic status is highly bourgeois. Students of elite school enjoy prestigious position, where as their counterparts belong to lower strata. All the factors bring important repercussions.
An upper stratum instrumentalizes their dominant and elevated class status by providing quality education to their children and ensures them competitive advantage to occupy the leadership roles and hold monopoly over means of power and control. Conversely language barrier, ideological disposition and lower cognitive development disable the students of public and Madaris school to participate in decision-making.
Secondly, it is generating social disorganization, intolerance, moral turpitude, religious extremism, sectarian schism, violence, gender inequality, orthodoxy and anti-pluralist behavior. Attitudinal and cultural differences are being inculcated by these streams who impart fundamentally different perspective to their respective pupil. This is the reason that we are still unable to address the ideological, political, economic and religious gulf on issues of critical importance.
Thirdly, elite schools produce blocked minority, whereas public school and Madaris produce disabled majority. Elite education system is imported and had alien conceptual orientation. Students do no share popular concerns and sense of social cohesion. Their education system is devoid of our indigenous value system and local cultural traditions. Consequently, they remain aloof and inherit sense of alienation. Alternatively, education system of public schools and Madaris do not offer enlightened perspective and tolerant narrative. Ideological stratification, religious intolerance, social stagnation and economic instability could be partially attributed to these educational models. In one way or another, education is an instrumentality and propaganda tool in the hands of ruling elite to maintain their ideological, political and social power.
Description
Supervised by: Professor.Sohail Ahmad
Keywords
Instrumentalizes their dominant and elevated, Differences directly impact their personality, MS thesis