The shadow of economics

Preparing students for careers is one of the aims of education — the economic aim. Education, of course, has other worthwhile aims too: inspiring the pursuit of truth, nurturing emotional and moral maturity, boosting creative expression and creating an informed sense of belonging. In recent decades, in Pakistan and elsewhere, the economic aim has come to dominate other educational goals, with significantly harmful consequences, according to an opinion piece by Farid Panjwani, a professor and dean, Institute for Educational Development, Aga Khan University. Though building one’s earning capacity has always been an aim of education, it has become prominent in modern education systems, which were created explicitly to meet society’s industrial and bureaucratic needs. Professor Panjwani proposes three solutions to refocus education’s true purpose: schools should help young people discover and nurture their passions; lower grades and higher grades should introduce a conceptional and practical separation with the former focused on fostering morals and imagination; and a new social contract should be established to ensure that basic human needs are met.