Educational Practices in Private Schools in Pakistan Masadi,
Amongst my peers, most continue to serve in Pakistan while a few indeed have gone to the west. To begin, three pilots in PIA, a few owner of large businesses anf many working in the government and private sector. Some of the christians migrated to Canada, USA and Australia. These are mostly anglos. By the way, four of them got Pakistan colours in Boxing.

I feel our own system produces more stereotypes than the Cambridge

Educational Practices in Private Schools in Pakistan first u asked me abt St Anthony's, now Ravian. 1971-72.
when were u there?

Educational Practices in Private Schools in Pakistan I hope you know how difficult it is to perform in our system?

Educational Practices in Private Schools in Pakistan Just to connect further:
I was selected by the Pakistan Catholic Academic Council and ratified by Pope John Paul II to make the project architecture and commissioning of the first Catholic University in Pakistan. As I see it, fortunately, we had to spend most of our start up expenses in rehabilitation of Kshmiri orphans. We housed and educated them for three years and this has effected the college project. So we are still stuck at intermediate level and may (big if?)begin undergraduate classes next year. Our admission criteria is built around INCLUSIVENESS ie admissions for most deserving and least privilidged.To make it more attractive, the campus is very well laid out and fully laid out. I am very thankful to Mr. Ashraf of MIA corporation (Acson Airconditioners)for very cheap rates beyond my expectation.
Having said that, most rich parents whose kids score A+ etc are aghast seeing their kids studying with students coming from villages with a B or C Grade. They take their kids out on the pretext that the college does not follow merit. They do not understand inclisivity and the merit system we follow in awading merit to the degree of difficulty faced by a student in a rural school (teachers, labs, ambience etc).
This is the Cross we have to carry and the quest goes on.
Cheerios

Educational Practices in Private Schools in Pakistan akcheema & Masadi,
Since you brought up the subject once again, I find this the correct board for a discussion. I will discuss it in the background of your own educational experience and efcourse my own.

Though at an advanced stage, I did do professional education in France, all my education is Pakistan based. Though I had Phd and fellowships offered to me in USAs best institutions,I declined because I did not wish to become the fodder for the US Think Tank system like so many other Pakistanis who harm their own country by becoming psuedo experts. For me it was better to stay here and effect a change.

I am a product of a Convent KG1-2) A Village type Tat School upto Primary and then O/A level System of Cambridge. Being a Ravian, I also had experience of the Pakistani system. Studying at Qaid e Azam University was a good experience that depended on the quality of the teachers. Men like Tariq Rehman teaching Research Methodology and Languages were a breed apart. They forced us into inquest. Most others were just cram masters. So it was up to the student to pick up the level he wanted to achieve and I tell you it was very difficult. At times, it was frusterating deviationg from the script.

By worldly standards, God bestowed me with a fair amount of succes. But I must admit that it is basically my Cambridge experience that has got me through. Just to allude to an assertion, our urdu level syllabus called Johar Parey printed by Ferozesons was much tougher than the FSc Urdu. No one was then allowed to pick up Urdu B. It was but obvious that I made my kids follow the same route.

I disagree with masadi that this education is meant to produce slavish out puts. The syllabus is universal and not in any way designed to produce stereoypes. My only observation is that Urdu B should be confined only to students who have english as a mother language. This is a policy decision to be made by our government and not the education boards abroad.

Why a brain drain on A Level students? First, most do not do well in the rata based entry tests. Second, our higher education system based on Precis, notes and ratta vomit them out. Third, most lectureres look upon them as Burger Stuff, immoral and a generation lost. My own daughter became a victim of this treatment in NUST despite being an international topper in A Levels. Her class fellow in school and iniversity met the same treatment. As a reaction and realisation, he also did a parallel BSC from a local college and then enrolled for MSc Physics in Qaid e Azam University. So by the time he finished his engineering, Pervez Hoodboy had guided him into getting a Gold Medal in MSc Physics too. Pathetically, the NUST saw him as useless & generation lost. He just scored a GPA around 2. Now, barely 25, he is already a PhD from USA with top homnurs.

Give some incisive thought please.

Cheerios

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond tahmed,
We inbred and resident Pakistanis live in interesting times day in and day out.
'Rule of Law' is a very good political slogan and cliche. Considering the ground realities, the Rule of Law in the truest sense has laways been violated and exploited. In a country, where ruling elites do not hesitate to construe religion for political ends, what better do you expect........ In a country whose leaders can sacrifice national interests for their personal benefits, what else do you expect........ In a country where power elites are ready to sell their fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers without any moral limitation, what else do you expect.

We as citizens wish for the Rule of Law. We can only try which we do. We cannot force it down the throat of an establishment that has other motives and linkages.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Tahmed,
You are again firing at me from the hip.
As for the Rule of Law under Zardari?
Unfortunately, I see many more Unnars, Twin city Scams etc to happen.
I just pray and hope that Preservation of Punjab Base does not add to the woes in this regard.
Bye for now.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond an interesting debate.will join in three hours.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Re: # 245
Somehow you always miss my point. Why should rule of law not be important to me? surely it is.

I am talking of effects and not what I feel. The effect is that at the end of the day, the 'Rule of Law Thesis' of NS did not matter. This happened because NS and his team had certain shortcomings in that, despite a very popular pulse of people of Pakistan including us all, proved an anti thesis in itself.What a betrayal.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Re: # 227
Zeemax,
It was NS the Lamb versus Zardari the Fox. In the final analysis NS is outfoxed by Zardari. In the politics of realism and practicalism, there is no space for emotions and sometimes even morals. The law of fishes applies.

aab to haqiqat wazay hai. Arguements ka kiya faida. Mera bhi dil khrab hua magar kiya kareiN, Jab chityaiN ChugH gaiN Khaith.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Zeemax, Majumdar and Romair,
In political terms Nawaz is a Romantic and not a Pragmatic and what MQM terms as Practicalism. His first fault was that he did not assess the ground realities.
1. Though he endeared the COD, he should have had second thoughts after the NRO which in fact was the death of COD. His love affair with COD blinded his judgement.
2. He knew that due to his proximity to OBL in the past, he had to do enough in practicalism to allay the perceptions of USA. He did not do it.
3. His team of think tanks did not war game the results of the elections. His Einsteins should have evaluated why he got no seats in Sindh. Now he must face the humiliation of having missed the boat. Perhaps his major pre occupation was Punjab and his own third term, and Zardari knew how to play his perceptions.
4. Knowing that he had wheeled dealed in the past (OBL, IJI, Hamid Gul Saga, Mehran Bank) to think that he was an idealist and stood for principals would be naive. He thought that the CJ issue is a foregone conclusion and used it as a veto to strengthen his power base. In the end he failed in both while Zardari knew where the fault line was.
5. He and his team are guilty of very serious errors of judgement now as they had been in the past.
6. Most, he did not enjoy the luxury of eavesdropping that Zardari had. His benefactors did it for him.

As an aside, I am beginning to believe that Aitezaz Ahsan is also planted and the Dharna in Islamabad has to be seen in this context.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Re: # 218
He did not learn.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond masadi and Matloob,
I agree fully and value your views. We will be soon entering the most treacherous and cantakerous phase of Pakistan's history. BB's death has created a very serious leadership void and NS despite all blessings proves a Bonga as ever. In the interim, this void is filled by Zardari who represents the Centcom connection, but for how long. See this.
"WASHINGTON — Zalmay Khalilzad, the American ambassador to the United Nations, is facing angry questions from other senior Bush administration officials over what they describe as unauthorized contacts with Asif Ali Zardari, a contender to succeed Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/washington/26diplo.html?ref=asia

Zalmay Khalilzad played a distasteful role in the pseudo-triumphant return of Benazir Bhutto from notorious corruption-fueled exile… namely, the “old friend” was the one of the U.S. officials who convinced her to return on her ill-fated trip to take back Pakistan’s Parliament. We all know how that turned out.
http://www.registan.net/index.php/2008/08/26/he-just-cant-keep-his-hand-ou t-of-the-cookie-jar/

School Days Re: # 36
akcheema,
"have no political/widespread say in what happens in the society at large"

Then have no say in rediculing others when you do not even know them. They may be striving just as hard.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond O posted this on OTW.
Its a no trump hand for Nawaz. He has a singleton Ace of spade with three dukies. If the 10th move comes in his hand he is the winner. What is that move of Ace?

There are unresolved issues here to challange Zardari who has been cantakerous and treacherous. Nawaz as usual has been Ziddi and dumb.

The issues include his Forged Graduation from some non existant institute in London, which they now call a diploma (surely it is qouted in his bio data etc), constitutional indemity ( I dont know if it needs 51% or 2/3rd majority to pass, an accord he has dishonoured and NRO in light of the Shariah (who can condone whom)

School Days akcheema,
Please go and put the order right. I'll join you .