According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Pedagogy is the
“study of teaching methods, including the aims of education and the ways in which such goals may be achieved. The field relies heavily on educational psychology, which encompasses scientific theories of learning, and to some extent on the philosophy of education, which considers the aims and value of education from a philosophical perspective.”
One of the biggest issues that we, as a nation, are facing is the asymmetry of the education provided to our young. The opportunities provided to our young are tilted in the favor of the haves rather than the have nots (which should be the opposite in these cases).
The Bourgeoisie (Those that have money and influence in our society) are already going to ensure that their children are getting their best education possible, that is what happens when our education system falls victim to capitalism, the best education goes to the highest bidder.
Meanwhile, the have-nots are stuck in a perpetual cycle of going to bad schools, getting bad education, and then ending up in dead-end jobs, and then having to put their children in sub-par public schools, and so on.
Another problem is that Educating is not seen as a Noble Calling in our country.
Unless you are a Doctor or Engineer, you are not seen as a success by and large in most segments of our society. And those that do progress in other fields have to do so outside of the country since our country does not value niche careers that are valued in other foreign countries. Sucking the creme de la creme of our student society and leading to the brain drain conundrum that we have been stuck in for the longest time.
This then pushes those that are better educated to not teach, leaving teaching jobs to those that could not cut it in some other career or retired from another career and are now teaching young children with the lack of ambition that their supposed failings in life have imbued within them.
This is reflected in the students of this nation, who look more like miners getting ready to extract coal from the underworld rather than students hungry for learning about the world.
With their dull eyes and heavy bags filled with books that have been censored and then uncensored only to be censored yet again by another Governing authority that has focused more on the syllabus of what is being taught rather than the how and the who of the problem.
There is light at the end of the metaphoric tunnel, however. And it comes with a unique solution to the brain drain as well as the un-ambitious teachers’ problem. This supposed light comes with the work of TFP or Teach For Pakistan, an NGO that is making inroads to solving the pedagogy issue in Pakistan.
According to TFP’s website, Teach for Pakistan is partnering with Teach for All which is a global movement that is working to mitigate the harm caused by educational inequality. They are doing this by going after the most promising leaders of the respective societies they are functioning in.
“Pioneered by Teach For America, USA and Teach First, the UK, the model has been successfully contextualized in 59 countries.”
They already have 14,000 teachers and 60,000 alumni globally.
The focus for this article, however, will be Teach for Pakistan and its efforts to tackle the issues faced by the young of the nation. Especially those that have not been born with a silver spoon in their mouths. And they do this, ironically, by using those that have been born with a silver spoon in their mouths.
According to the TFP website:
“Teach For Pakistan leverages promising young talent to create a multiplier effect on the education system.
We recruit and train top graduates and young professionals from all fields for a two-year Fellowship to teach in low-income schools that lack qualified teachers.
After the Fellowship, our Alumni use their experiences to tackle Pakistan’s most pressing problems in education, fostering action to change policy and curriculum, mobilizing resources, turning around schools, and spurring social innovation. Collectively, this movement aims to transform systems of educational inequity and promote excellence in education.”
Even though TFP provides a very unique and workable solution to the pedagogical problem that we face here in Pakistan (and globally). We have to understand that the organization is essentially appealing to those that will disregard high-paying corporate jobs in order to work for them.
The objective of this article is to raise awareness about an issue but also to show that efforts are being undertaken to solve the said issue.
Teaching is the most Noble of all professions.
TFP is always in the need of donations or if you want to apply for a fellowship or volunteer for a social internship, you can find the info on their website.
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