One of the byproducts of an emerging society struggling to find its feet is the extraordinary amount of opinions on what is good or bad. And just about everybody seems to be an expert on such matters.

Our society today is rapidly evolving, but we are yet unsure as to the direction it will take. Old customs are fading rapidly as an expanding youth culture embraces the new. While our faith remains a constant, everything else is game for improvement or change. In the field of education, many have been calling for an overhaul of a syllabus that hasn’t changed significantly for over two decades. Nor has the method of teaching varied dramatically. The emphasis remains more on memorization than understanding, leaving many with very little insight into what they had been exposed to in classrooms for so many years.

The basics of education such as reading, writing, comprehension and the ability to write an intelligible page or two devoid of mistakes seem to be eluding most students. Is it the syllabus, the schools, the teachers, the parents, or what?

Mona, a long time schoolteacher at a government school believes it is the quantity of studies that is the root of the problem. Teachers, she says, have simply no way of compacting this vast amount of material into something palatable enough for the children to understand readily. With students facing a total of 16 subjects or so, it seems to be an impossible task. As a result, most teachers consider themselves lucky just to get through the curriculum on a lecture basis, no questions asked.

Ahmed, a parent of two school-age children agrees with Mona. But he adds that it is not just the quantity but the quality as well that needs looking into.

His tirade against the current curriculum, which is foreboding in mathematics and the sciences, and yet lacking in the basics does not set up a child well into the employment world. And lack of effective English teaching contributes a great deal to that dissatisfaction.

Abdou, an 11th year student at a private school offers another angle to his educational experience. “The way our studies are taught is very boring. The contents of some of our schoolbooks are archaic and hardly something that would prepare us for the future. We do not have a chance to question the teachers on matters we do not understand. Philosophy and the arts are not common subjects, and the English taught is very weak.”

He continues, “Researching a topic is rare, and group discussions are hardly encouraged. The teacher seems only interested in getting through several pages of the book to meet his quota. Whether we comprehend or not seems to be immaterial. The only way serious students can supplement this form of education is through private tutors or training institutes. But that is not always within everybody’s means.”

Rana, a high school graduate of some years adds, “I remember my last day at high school. Once the exams were finished, a group of us students got together and dumped all our text books in a big dumpster. I guess now when I look back at it, along with those books went years of what we were supposed to have learned. I honestly don’t think I have learned that much after spending twelve whole years. Tells you something about our system of education, doesn’t it.”

Sohail, another recent graduate agrees. “ I have learned more in my current job than in all the years I’ve spent in schools. And it has not necessarily been a pleasant experience. Many times at my job I felt like a dummy. Why didn’t my school prepare me for this better? Many of my colleagues who joined with me have quit, as they couldn’t face their shortcomings. I stuck it though, as I have family depending on my income.”

As students today throughout the country sit for their first day of final exams, there are hopes across the land that the experts at the Ministry of Education would re-evaluate the current syllabus and the teaching techniques in our schools.

The time for proper education is now, and not with another committee being formed to study the matter.