New book advocates equality of opportunity in Pakistan’s schools
June 12, 2021
‘Agents of Change’ is an immensely enjoyable and inspiring book that is deserving of a widespread readership inside and outside Pakistan. Unlike many works of political literature, it is not an angry tome, nor is it reductively ideological. It can be best described as a results-oriented work written by an extremely diverse group of pragmatic idealists with a passionate belief in the power of a quality education coupled with a fierce opposition to an education system that is failing millions of children in the country.
Author Amjad Noorani, along with co-editor Nadeem Hussain, and the advocates of change he interviews, pull no punches and leave few stones unturned as they expose the why behind an education system that has produced such glaring inequities in Pakistani society. The country’s dysfunctional education system suffers from a myriad of problems, including soul-crushing language apartheid, elite indifference, political self-interest, unqualified teachers, nepotism, widespread corruption, governmental mismanagement, feudalism, lack of oversight, assessment or objective monitoring of the operationalisation of the system, gender bias and massive economic inequality. Noorani doesn’t shy away from the unpleasant facts about the state of education in Pakistan, but he doesn’t believe the system is beyond repair. However, to change the system he emphasises the need for active engagement from innovative thinkers, social entrepreneurs, civil society organisations, community and religious leaders, educational actors, and other members of civil society.