13

Jan

EDUCATION IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS; MISSION OR BUSINESS

picture courtesy: http://www.fak.nu/2010/03/private-schools-and-their-influence-on-the-education-system/

Quality education is the key concern of most parents who seek a bright future for their children. But is it easy to find the right kind of school and enlighten your child with quality learning facilities in the current commercialized educational scenario…the answer is simple straight NO.

Dr Anisa has two little children. Both are studying in junior classes in a reputable private school. She pays twenty thousands in terms of their school fees every alternative month.

The expenses of course books, uniform and other accessories in the beginning of the term are additional which range from five to seven thousand per child. She and her husband both are working to give their children the best possible education, but they are of opinion that private schools are not giving due facilities such as proper play grounds, libraries, computer labs etc., in return to high fees.

The admission fee in private school is exorbitant. Mrs.Rakshina, a housewife, enunciates. “I have three children and I had to pay sixty to ninety thousands for the admission of every child. My husband is working at an executive post in a bank and every month half of his salary goes in the school fees.  I wonder how a middle class family can afford to educate its children in a reputable school. She pondered.”

What is concerning is despite providing high class schooling, tuition, transportation and other facilities, parents are generally dissatisfied with the overall educational standard.  Students, too, are uncertain about their aptitudes and potentials. On the other hand, educational authorities are also failed to ensure that they are giving the best breed which can meet the challenges of the modern time.

Most of the parents share that they opt for expensive locality schools due to commuting problems. Considering the uncertain law and order situation in the country and strict admission criteria, many children can’t get admission in convent and missionary schools which are still considered the best. So the only option left is of costly private schools which usually support a network of branches in thickly populated areas.

In any case, these little bungalow schools are considered much better than the Urdu medium nationalized schools working under the government sector. Their core area of superiority is English and so-called `English Medium Environment.’ In country like Pakistan where most white collar jobs demand fluency in English and where majority people can’t speak and write the language correctly, parents willingly pay a high price just for proficiency in the language for better career prospects for their children.

English no more remains only a medium of communication. It has rather become a symbol of education and status in our society. Most parents judge the academic progress of their child by the number of English words he/she speaks in his conversation. I still remember request of a Master’s degree holder father to the English teacher of his son. He pleaded “Please do anything to make my son fluent in English. I don’t want him to suffer the way I suffered due to language barrier.” In fact, the same weakness is exploited in most of the private schools.

However, despite high sounding claims, very few schools are actually providing the environment where a child can learn the language for practical purposes. What is mainly lacking is trained teaching staff, standardized curriculum, extinct reading habits and a favourable environment in schools and at home to practice the language without any hesitation.

Teachers are the backbone of any educational institutions and are considered the barometer of its standard. However, in many private schools there is no criteria for their appointment and placement except financial considerations. The system usually works on the law of supply and demand. Whenever any place is vacant, it is filled with the first available teacher, quite often irrespective of one’s knowledge and aptitude to the relevant subject.  So in private schools one can find that Masters in Science are teaching Geography and History. Graduates in Political Science and Sociology are taking English literature. Even Intermediate students, who are waiting for their results, are hired in private schools on temporary basis since they are willing to work at low/nominal salaries.

Teaching in a private school is regarded as a profession for those who don’t have any other career options. The boys who are looking for respectable white collar jobs, the girls who are waiting for suitable proposals, the spinsters, divorcees and widows who want to earn their living independently and the married women who want to pursue part time careers alongside their household responsibilities, usually opt for teaching in private schools.

However, once they enter into the field, they are tested with all kinds of administrative pressures and tactics. Perhaps the idea is to shatter their enthusiasm for teaching profession. In majority private schools, quantity is considered more important than quality. Usually, workload on teachers is immense and they are assigned a number of subjects and classes at a time. Besides they are expected to assess piles of copies, do planning, perform extra duties and jobs given to them by administration.

In such an environment, there are very few teachers who work by choice. A large majority continues since they have no other alternative. There are many who work just for the sake of their own children since some private schools offer free education for teachers’ children. Nevertheless, an unmotivated, exhausted and inexperienced teacher without proper qualification and training are often unable to do justice with their students – ones who suffer the most.

On the contrary, the teachers of the private schools have a different opinion. They believe that parents and children are equally responsible for the declining standard of education in our society. Mostly parents consider that by admitting their child in an expensive school, they have fulfilled all their responsibilities. They neither have time nor will to check the academic progress of their children. If they have excess of money, they might hire a tutor as well. But in absence of parental attention, it hardly works.

The students in private schools are usually overburdened. They carry huge, heavy bags with numerous books and copies. An excessive knowledge, too many subjects and exam-oriented studies mostly suppress their natural potential and aptitudes.

They have become increasingly lazy and careless too. A large majority of private schools’ students represent the over-pampered lost class that considers teachers their paid employees who can be fired in response to a phone call or complaint by their parents. The sincerity and devotion, respect and love which were once the essence of the student-teacher relationship are missing nowadays.

The commercial aspect and money matters have overshadowed all other values in the educational world. Merit is no more a criterion of success. If you have money, you can get admission in any school, college and university; you can pass the exam and be promoted in next grade regardless of your performance. You can buy even a degree.

 Almost all private schools are working on commercial basis and for them students are the customers who have to be pleased at any cost. They increase fees every year on the pretext of inflation and to justify it, money is spent lavishly on countless useless activities and programmes rather than on real education of children.

Unfortunately, intellect and talent are not sold in any market. So the loopholes of the existing educational system become more obvious when the product of these schools enters into practical field and faces actual competition.

It’s high time for parents, teachers, educationalists and authorities to accept their responsibilities and decide on the type of education they want for their children.

Do they want to produce a money conscious and confused generation with plenty of knowledge, less intellect and reasoning? Or they wish to generate an intelligent race with a clear sense of direction, human values and sheer understanding of the modern world. Accordingly, there is a need for substantial steps to set and implement uniform standards and medium of education all over the country and replace the money making private and pathetic government schools with better educational institutions. The authorities and educated class must take initiatives before education will become a luxury for the common man and the dual educational set up of the country will ultimately collapse. 

  According to an important official in the department of higher secondary private schools the Ordinance of 1962 and Act of 1974, which are applied to private educational institutions, have to be revised and updated. The laws are too weak and vague. There is no legal limitation on the amount of fees.

Any school with more than fifty students has to be officially registered. However, thousands of private schools, including some of the reputable ones, are working in Karachi without any approval . The authorities said that legally they can seal such unofficial schools. But they have neither enough money nor contacts to fight against the private school owners – the big fishes.

In 1989, the directorate took an action against a well-known private school regarding its high fees. The administration was asked to set up a board of directors including the representation of parents and authorities. However, the school took the stay order and ultimately won the case.Today, that  school has one of the biggest set up, running more than 30 branches with around 25,000 students only in Karachi. Such schools that are not even officially registered have their turn over in millions (approx. more than 50 million per month).

The officials agree that the contribution and importance of private schools can’t be denied. They fill the gap created due to the nationalization of many schools in the seventies and the resultant decline in their standard under government sector. They do spend a little money on its students, follow the foreign books and pay good salaries to their teachers.However, due to absence of proper check and balance, many private schools exploit the situation. They are looting millions of rupees in the name of English medium and Cambridge system.

A veteran teacher expresses that a better alternative can be provided to the middle class by preserving and denationalizing some of the good schools of the past. There are schools such as Khatoon-e-Pakistan, Delhi School, Junior Model, Frare Road to name a few., which were once considered the model institutions. They have been completely ruined with the nationalization and free education fever. Now, they attract only children of labourers,  thalay wallas and lower working class. The good teachers of the past have either be retired or lost their interest due to the rotten set up.  And the better educated youth rather prefer private schools due to attractive salaries and environment.

So the gulf between private and government schools is increasing day by day, making attainment of standard education almost impossible for the salaried middle class. There is a grave need for complete educational institutions, which aims at imparting knowledge rather than making money.

137 days ago Short URL 3 Comments

education

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28

May

Consumer Protection ___ a dream or a reality ?

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In Belgium, some school students got ill after drinking Coke. A case was filed on the basis of parents’ complaints and the Coca Cola Company had to destroy litres of beverage, produced during the period. In England, a man, standing on a sloppy footpath, was hit by a fox wagon parked behind him. He admitted a lawsuit against the Fox Wagon Company, claiming that the break shoe lining used in the car was defective. He won the case and the company had to pay him two millions dollars for his broken leg. Besides, it had to change the shoe break lining of its automobiles.

In the West, it is believed that a customer is always right. If you are an American or European consumer and find your new shoes uncomfortable after wearing them once or twice, or your new clothing has shrunk after a wash, you can easily exchange them. A friend of mine who is recently settled in England told me that her school going son damaged his new bag, she visited the shop to get it repair but the shopkeeper exchanged it without any argument.

For Pakistani consumers, such examples are hard to believe. We are living in a society where consumer rights and protection are strange slogans, restricted to the Text Books. Practically, a consumer is considered a target prey, deserved to be deceived and looted.

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) of Helpline Trust appeared in the local scene in 1994, with a different approach. It maintains that Pakistani consumers, like others in the world, have rights to safety, correct information, choice, good quality, reasonable price, complaint and accountability on the part of the vendor. It insists that the ordinary citizens should receive value for the money that they pay for goods and services. In other words, they want that a common man should not be sold death in medicines, diseases in food and darkness via electricity meters.

But the message of CPC is still limited like its work. With little staff, small funds and gigantic plans such as public awareness and resistance programmes against inflation, rising prices, black marketing, adulteration etc., it hardly achieves much. However, the council can’t be called a complete failure. As a part of its consumer awareness programme, it organised public forums, distributed pamphlets, displayed banners and bring out a monthly newsletter “The Citizen.” All these efforts are aimed to highlight local consumers’ problems.

The CPC also started a door to door `Be Pakistani, Buy Pakistani’ movement and conducted a public survey relating to consumers’ awareness about their rights. Out of one hundred thousand questionnaires, distributed in weekly bazaars, it received less than 200 replies that indicates lack of public interest in their own rights. . Not a single respondent knew where to complain officially, if the item bought is substandard. Mr. Shamsuz Zaman, the Chief Coordinator of the CPC says “It seems people have resigned to their fate. They neither have awareness of their rights, nor do they have will to fight against economic injustice. The national press is also not very supportive, thus, we are unable to get remarkable results towards our cause.”

At legal front, the CPC is actively lobbying and pursuing for enactment of Consumer Protection Act. It believes that without legal protection, Consumer rights can’t be safeguarded. But despite promises by the previous two governors, the bill can not be presented in the Sindh Assembly. The members of the CPC have been included in the government’s price fixation committee as people’s representatives. They punctually attend its quarterly meetings to evaluate supply and prices of essential commodities in the markets. They also monitor Weekly Bazaars and fair Price Shops to ensure that the official price list is strictly followed and displayed at the stalls and take immediate actions on public complaints. Though, presently CPC monitors only three weekly bazaars in Defence and Clifton on regular basis, its member’s claim that they frequently visit the rest and are planning to extend its field of activity.

With the support of doctors and scientists, it has initiated full fledge campaigns against adulterated cooking oil, pan masala, sweet supari and use of harmful chemicals in other food products that can cause cancer, chest and lung infections and other serious diseases. It also demanded the Health Ministry to ban the production and sale of such hazardous items. Apart from its legal committee, the CPC has a consumer product committee which is supposed to control quality of both packaged and unbranded products, weights and measures, packaging, marketing and prices, but when asked for any practical achievement, it fails to give any. It has a pharmaceutical committee too, which is there to monitor the availability of essential and quality drugs at a fair price and stop the sales of internationally banned medicines, but a common man can hardly find any proof of its existence in reality.

However, it’s KESC, KW&SB, PTCL Committee, which is overseeing the working of these departments, is able to pursue some individual and collective complaints and get them solved. But at the same time, the CPC administration is not willing to gather the entire city in its office, so it doesn’t propagate its achievements in the area.

Regarding the public interest litigation, the Consumer Protection Council had challenged the levy of TV, VCR and dish antenna fee by PTV in the Sindh High Court. The petitions maintained that since PTV is a commercial channel, supported through ads, it shouldn’t charge license fee. Besides it has no role in providing dish and VCR services, thus it can’t collect taxes from the citizens without returning anything in value.

Presently, no concept of standards and accountability is prevalent in our economic scenario and the innocent consumers are often mislead by glossy advertisements and false promises. Many of us are completely ignorant of our legal rights and power we enjoy as consumers For e.g. how many of us know that every packaged commodity has to bear the maximum retail price inclusive of all taxes and a shopkeeper can not charge more for such items. Or a taxi or rickshaw driver can’t refuse to accept a passenger and can be prosecuted and fined on a passenger’s complaint to the concerned district magistrate. Or that the Electricity Act, 1910 provides legal protection to the consumers against excessive billing and illegal disconnection and there is a penalty of one thousand rupees per complaint on KESC in case of interrupted supply of electricity.

The consumer protection movement can’t be successful in our country unless the citizens themselves are willing to fight for their rights and shoulder their civic responsibilities. Generally it is assumed that there is no use protesting in our country as nothing comes out of it. Besides who has time to indulge in such fights? And then what an individual can do when the entire system is faulty? In fact all these are lame excuses to find an escape from our social responsibilities. It is an accepted fact that fair protest against highhandedness always helps. Even if it doesn’t solve your problem, it will save many others like you in the future. And when people have will, they can always find time to fight for their own rights. Once a consumer begins a fight, other add their voice and it turns into an effective campaign.

Besides, the legal courts no more remain the only place for social battles Nowadays, consumers can register their complaint and get justice in several ways. They can convince a vendor by a genuine argument and frank discussion across the counter if they are well aware of their rights. They can protest through a written compliant which mostly makes an impact as it shows to the concerned authorities that people keep an eye over their activities and can take action against them. Then, the press also plays an active role to redress public grievances. One factual article or letter to editor can bring out protest from the other affected consumers and can put pressure on the people in power to resolve the issue.

In short, the time of consumer movement has come in Pakistan and the establishment of Consumer Protection Council is a realisation of the fact. But such organizations can’t achieve their goals without active public support. In short, Pakistani consumers are needed to fight their battle at every front for improvement of their own life and also for the uplift of the overall national economy.

1 day ago Short URL Comments

Life & Inspire/social issues

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19

May

LIVE FOR A CAUSE

The idea of volunteering one’s energies or time for welfare and development work is quite unusual in Pakistan. Most of us live for ourselves. We come to this world without our will and live without any cause. We acquire the best education to get a good job and use maximum talent and skills to earn money. All our efforts are aimed to live a comfortable life and fulfill the wishes of our family and children.
Social work is popularly considered a pastime activity of Begmats and celebrities in our society. Its main purpose is to get coverage in newspapers and earn public and political recognition. According to a news report, thousands of registered NGOs exist in the country, which raise funds in the name of poor masses and achieve their own selfish interests. Hardly a few of them actually work for the people .
But do we have any right to criticise these NGOs? Being an aware member of a developing society, we generally follow the policy of doing nothing, criticising everything. We criticse our country and leadership, its set up and system, institutions and authorities but do any one of us ever taking any practical steps to improve the situation at our own level?

Many social sectors need individuals’ attention and are suffering due to public negligence. Throughout the world, public and private sectors play a pivotal role in the fields of health and education, child and woman development, training and welfare of mentally and physically handicapped, juvenile delinquent and socially abandoned people. But in our country, people free themselves from all responsibilities by blaming government and state for everything.

A solution to this problem is that an active participation in the social work should be made compulsory for all students as a part of their education. It will help in two ways. Firstly, it will make young generation more aware of real world and, secondly, it will solve many social problems by directing their immense energies to a constructive cause.
Currently, the situation is that some people, mostly middle aged women, who are inclined to welfare work due to their background. personal experience or internal urge are working with different organizations and individuals in the social sector. Most of them enter this field by chance, the rest by will.

But perhaps there are many spirited souls around us which lack nothing but proper guidance. So whether you are a student waiting for your results, or a professional, getting bored with monotonous office routine, or a housewife with a zeal to devote a part of your life for a cause, following enlightening examples will help you choose the righteous path.

Ms. Daulat Asif is a founder member of the Karachi Vocational Training Centre – an institute for the mentally handicapped adults. Her younger brother is mentally retarded and suffered like many others due to absence of any rehabilitation centre for special adults. It was his plight that motivated her to establish KVTC for training and job placement of special people with the support of like- minded philanthropist. She is in the field for about ten years and has got special training in rehabilitation of disable people from America. She has devoted her life to make special people useful and independent members of the society. She believes that we should return whatever we get in this world, since nothing is lasting except good deeds.

Yasmeen is working in Dewa Academy for five years. It’s the largest institution for the deaf children in Pakistan. She is one of the 52 trained teachers in the complex and is paid for her services. But her work is completely different from other teachers. She told me that she opted for the field of special children education because it’s more challenging. “Anyone can teach normal people. But I really enjoy teaching these children. They are very loving, innocent and intelligent too and with little effort, one can develop harmony with them.” The best part of Yasmeen’s job is that it gives her a lot of satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment.

Naeema Aftab is a social worker for more than ten years. It was her husband who encouraged her to work for the deprived people. Initially, she gave religious education to female prisoners in Lahore. Later, she attached to the SOS children’s village first in Lahore, then in Karachi. It is the home of the orphan and abandoned children, where they are given a warm family environment, training and education for their better future. Naeema says that I always have a nagging feeling that a lot of people suffer around us and we are made responsible by God to help them, while bestowed with so many blessings.

Shaista Saeed is working as a family counselor. She has been attached to Pakistan Women Legal Association on volunteer basis for two years, where every day a number of women came with serious marital and domestic problems for legal advice. Being a counselor, she first listens to their problems and tries to save their relationship by resolving disputes between the concerned parties through discussion. She is also running a child counseling centre `Parwarish’ at her residence. Her work involves immense patience, time and an understanding of human psyche. She said, ”A number of women contact me only to tell their stories since it reduces half of their pain.” Her work gives her a lot of inspiration for her writings and more that self satisfaction.

A banker by profession, Akbar Abdul Aziz, spends a few hours with the SOS teenage boys twice a week. He teaches them, plays with them and counsels them as a brother and a friend. He first visited the SOS Karachi village to deliver a donation check and was so moved by the way it worked for the orphans that he decided to volunteer his services to the centre.
Having a background of teaching ethics classes, he tries to give these abandoned children a sense of direction in life and develop their personalities. Akbar said, “After working in material world of banking, interaction with these pure, loving souls give him a kind of pleasure and peace which is impossible to describe in words.”

Amber and Aisha are the two young friends, who are volunteering as teachers in Kashana-e-Atfal (an orphanage for girls). They say, “It’s a little contribution we can make along with our professional and personal involvement, but it matters if it helps these children in anyway.”

There are many other unsung warriors like Rehman Baba, who has been driving an Edhi ambulance for more than 20 years. Salima and Nasreen, two volunteers in Edhi Centre, who are mothering new-born children, left by people in jholas. Bari Amma, a source of inspiration in her little community where she gives education of the Holy Quran and home economics to little girls and also counsel the women in neighbourhood regarding domestic affairs.
Aunty Anees who brings tailoring and embroidery orders for the poor women of a slum in Karachi and assures that they are paid well for their labour.
A group of university students who give free education to the children of a kacchi abadi near Gulshan under a tent.

Balam Baji, a qualified homeopath, who attend poor women free of cost and educate them about health problems in her home clinic And Master Sahib who has formed a mohalla committee, which is consisting of young boys to keep their locality clean and free from drugs.

Many such examples are present around us and, of course, they are the people who save our society from complete destruction, make us believe in humanity and give us a reason to live and hope for a better future. Small or big, their contributions/efforts are important because they aim at bringing positive changes in the lives of the deprived sections of the society.
And above all, they are working without any desire for acknowledgment or reward.

What is needed is to channalise such individual efforts to turn it into a strong social force against the problems which have become increasingly complicated in the modern world. Through a network of centrally organised NGOS and welfare organizations, clear in their aims and fields of activity, more and more individuals can be attracted to welfare work. Perhaps this is the only way to solve the basic problems of our community and gives meaning to our lives as individuals and as a society.

11 days ago Short URL 2 Comments

Life & Inspire/social issues

21

Apr

An Extract from a Teacher’s Diary

teachers are the spiritual parents...anymore!

 

Margaret Fishback Powers said, “One hundred years from now on, it will not matter what kind of car you drove, what kind of house you lived in, how much you had in your bank account or what your clothes looked like, but the world may be a little better because you were important in the life of a child. “ Assess the worth of a person who plays a vital role in the lives of a number of children. Of course it’s none other than a teacher.

Teachers are the role models who inspire us, guide us and lead us through the paths of life. Behind every success and failure of ours, there’s a mentor or a leader. When I questioned myself why do I want to be a teacher despite multiple inhibitions about the profession, I found that it’s only because of the great teachers I had in my life. Whether it’s my junior class petite and polite instructors Ms Tabassum, Ms Naheed and Ms Aforze or secondary school exemplary educators Ms Qaiser, Ms Naseem, Ms Safia, Ms Siddiqui & Ms Yahya, they remain a source of inspiration and enlightenment through the thick and thin of my life.

They role model for their students, discover their potentials and polish their personalities in every way apart from routine classes. I luckily found great facilitators in college and university too. Ms Mehta’s style, Ms Shafqat’s charm. Ms Baig’s poise, Medam Gulzar’s concern and Ms Sahida’s radical thoughts opened new vistas to many of us and we blossomed into confident young ladies from perplexed teenagers. I always wonder if I could ever be as valuable to my students as my teachers were.

 An excellent teacher is more like a performer whose sincerity and passion make you believe what he says and does. They never preach or teach rather startle and stimulate to think, question and discover. While a good teacher is a blessing, an incompetent one can easily turn a student’s life into a hell. Students specifically lose their belief in goodness of human nature especially when teachers exhibit attitude problems, prejudiced and negative approach.

Unfortunately, education also suffered from the ongoing commercialization fever that has reduced teachers into paid tutors dealing with clients rather than students. This transformation has changed everything about education and teacher-student relationship. Leaving exceptions, most private schools, colleges and universities are selling education at high rates. Teaching there is just a mean to produce labeled degree holders that can grab attractive jobs.

Parents also seek for the result-oriented education that leads their children to be wealthy and resourceful within no time. In such an environment, teachers are to drill numerous syllabus topics into students mind, assess them to achieve high grades and arrange an extravagant activity to justify their product’s cost to customers. The concept of truly devoted teachers with a genuine interest in students’ character building is thus extinct. The selfless dedication of instructors and unconditional devotion of students are long- lost. Reciprocally most teachers are losing their status and charisma at the cost of declining education standards despite better packages and increasing ventures at numerous educational institutions.

I got a chance to teach at different levels; primary, high school, bachelors and even masters. Each experience was highly diversified subject to students’ level, background and institution culture. Be it Hamdard or Bahria’s University’s BBA/ BS Batch, or AES School’s O’ level students, they reminded me my student’s days and revived the spiritual bond I had with my teachers.

However, my experiences with the City’s well-known school and a Business Varsity in the xity’s opsh area were devastating. The institutions offer attractive packages to hire qualified teachers yet earn manifolds from students. The filthy rich parents send away their spoilt brats in these renowned institutions for a reputed degree. It’s, therefore, teachers (better read sellers) foremost duty to please their customers anyway. Teachers are answerable and assessed for all their deeds and misdeeds. They can’t touch their students. Any kind of punishment, penalty and even scolding might lead to explanation call from administration.

Some students used to chew gums, whistle and buzz to irritate their teachers. Derogatory remarks, obscene language and symbolic gestures were a common threat to female teachers. I found a number of excellent subject teachers who were often humiliated by these deviants as a cost of their mild nature. Mostly students target subject teachers with weak spoken English. I remember a male Math teacher in his 40s, who was almost in tears due to misconduct of his students.

Since students are considered paid clients and  have a say at administrative level and teachers are hired and fired at their preference, most teachers submit to their will and assess them leniently to get students’ acceptance. It’s true that teacher is the decisive element in the classroom. It’s his/her approach that creates the climate, makes a child’s life miserable or joyous. One who can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. But teachers are not working in isolation. Students nowadays enjoy an equal position to make or break a teacher.

Teachers who teach subjects like Language, Literature, Sociology, Psychology, Ethics, Philosophy Religion etc., often face students’ concern as they often regard these disciplines irrelevant and worthless. They are mostly interested in subjects like Commerce, Accounts, Marketing, Advertising, Management or Sciences that lead them to a recognized degree and reputable job. Thus they don’t want to comprehend, question and even participate in other subject classes and condemn even the good institutions.

Institutions and society are equally responsible to reinforce the due status of teachers as well as the essence of education. Appreciation for Art, Philosophy, Literature, Ethics and Religion and Social sciences must be developed, as these are the spirit of human existence and self-realization.. Moreover the old but gold principle is needed to be revived that “Without respecting educators and education, you will remain poor and illiterate.

teachers & mentors have the future of the world in their hands

39 days ago Short URL Comments

education/Life & Inspire

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15

Apr

Advertising — The world of lust & lights

“I wrote this article 15 years back in the beginning of my career in media industry. Just wondering if it is still relevant to the budding professionals from the world of Advertising”  

When I did my Masters in Mass Communication, I had a lot of plans and a host of dreams. The field is vast and options are unlimited. Besides colourful, glossy hard-cover magazines that offer multi-interest chat and thought provoking features, what always inspired me was the word ADVERTISING. Like every other youngster, I believed that Advertising is a dream world, full of glamour, fun and above all creativity. But only after six months I joined an advertising agency, I had to change my perception.

The experience of working as a concept writer in the creative department of a recognized advertising agency (sounds quite impressive!) proved to be nerve-wracking rather than interesting. Despite having no experience in the realm of dream making, I was warmly welcomed by the agency due to my journalistic background and perhaps due to the fact that the administration was keenly looking for people with bilingual writing skills. Young and friendly colleagues, impressively intellectual boss and a reasonable pay scale were enough incentives to attract me to the job.

Anyway, the reality of “All that glitters is not gold” dawned on me more quickly than ever in this case. In an advertising agency anything can be ideal for a worker except the unpredictable nature of the jobs and odd working hours. To work as a junior in the creative department of an agency, one needs iron nerves and immense patience. Because every intelligent idea of yours, which you think can bring a revolution in the world of marketing, can be rejected outright on one pretext or the other.

More than often, I witnessed that brilliantly creative ideas were rejected in favour of the clients’ foolish inclinations and schemes. He is that Anokha Ladla who pays hefty amounts and demands to play with the moon (it can be the name of an emerging model). And being a service provider, you have to respect clients’ wishes. To my surprise, I also found that some senior creative and client service personnel who were enjoying clients’ blind faith easily made them a fool. They took the rejected ideas of their juniors, brought cosmetic changes in them with flowery language and got it approved on their credit. No doubt, advertising rather salesmanship is an art!

The best thing advertising world taught me is to cope with a strangely interesting variety of people. ‘Say yes’ with fully encouraging smile to a mobile company executive, who considered himself Bill Gate of the Third World and listened to his unrelated, disgusting speech patiently in wrong English for hours. Decipher and correct the otherwise ‘impossible to understand’ manuscript sent by a client dealing with famous beauty products. Some clients had an utterly immature attitude. They followed the practice of ‘reject first, accept later’ persistently.

There was a lady executive who always asked for at least two options of every ad, made a poor mixture of the two quite intelligently and returned it with such brainy captions like `No Non-sense Cream’ And the most you can do is to say “Maam! It can be made a little better.” Worked for hours to make it a little better and then waited to receive a big bold rejection with more stupid ideas on their way. It is unfair to say that all clients were that insensible. Some were quiet understanding and clear-headed, thus sound information and clear brief always helped in producing creatively and commercially successful campaigns.

Generally an advertising agency comprises of three departments:

Creative that includes Copy (you can take it in its literal meaning) and Art Department which is generally called Studio and Audio-Visual Section. They are responsible for making the words sing; pictures speak, and develop ideas bigger than life to sell a product or a service.

Client Service is there to bring and deal with the clients, get briefs and instructions from the companies and convey it to the creative people. Besides they also do budgeting and ensure that dates and jobs are on line (if the agency doesn’t have a separate Traffic Dept. for that purpose). These people should be masters in pushing, pulling, manipulating, delaying, lying, blaming and any other qualities you may think required for a lawyer or a politician.

Media Dept. is there to buy space and air time for their clientele and ensure proper and timely appearance of ads in media. Above all, there is Management to look after all the profit and non-profit matters. Ideally all these departments of an ad agency are to work with mutual coordination and support. But practically things are not much different here from any other work field in the country.

Everyone has his/her interests other than the agency, some writing as free-lancers, and others as artists and graphic designers for the companies that hired them privately and rest in private productions. Senior people in the creative department openly cheated and delayed the work for which they drew high salaries. Often they put all burden on juniors and blamed them for mishaps and delays. So if you want to work in an ad agency, prepare yourself for professional politics, seniors’ ragra and quite often disgusted and demoralizing attitude that can easily dishearten any new comer. However, the smaller the set up of an agency, the more chance you get to prove yourself. Your test is to pass through this initial trying period and then your talent will speak of itself if you have potential.

It will be an exaggeration to say that working in an ad agency is all work and no play affair. During immense work load, we were able to fetch some fun time to celebrate birthdays, arranged combined lunches, free chats on fashion, show-biz and of-course gossips. But quite often, we had to miss our meals and even prayers to complete the task at time. Uncertainty in the flow of work is always disturbing for a disciplined person as you can’t schedule your jobs. Sometimes you have nothing to do while at other times you can’t even breathe for a second. The worst aspect of an advertising job is its odd timings (in fact no timings at all).You can’t avoid late stays in an ad agency because mostly there are deadlines to meet.

On the basis of the short exposure to the advertising world in Pakistan, I can certainly say that it has no clear direction. Sometimes we were following Indian TV commercial, sometimes copying lines and captions from the ads appeared in foreign magazines and newspapers. Stealing concepts and taking entire images and layouts has become a routine. Even some very senior and known copy writers and art directors don’t hesitate in lifting foreign ideas and are unable to differentiate between inspiration and cheating.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Pakistani ads lack both originality and creativity, though not the sole one. One major factor is that advertising industry is largely dominated by business-minded people who are only interested in selling their products through hard sale approach and cheap old tactics. They want to spend least, get most in minimum time and have hardly any concern or sense of good advertising. So they, as clients and as owners of ad agencies never give their writers and artists that freedom and confidence which is indispensable for creative brilliance.

Advertising is effectively used in modern and even in some of the third world countries for development purposes alongside the commercial motives. But in my six months advertising career, I hardly see one such campaign for a welfare health organization which was constantly delayed for one reason or the other since it didn’t have any account. The aching feeling of emptiness and discontentment that rose from doing something purposeless haunted me every night as I went to bed. It was the core reason that made me leave the glamorous world of advertising which had no glamour for me  anymore.

But it doesn’t mean that you will have the same experience. If you are a good writer, competent artist, graphic designer, computer personnel, visualiser or a public relation person, try your luck here. You may find it glamorous as it is one of the highly paid profession in the country, however, more suitable for the money-minded people. People looking for creative satisfaction and inner contentment can hardly enjoy the lust and lights of the advertising world for long.

44 days ago Short URL 9 Comments

Life & Inspire/social issues

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10

Apr

Substance of Change

Arish is a young boy… full of ideas and energy.
“I want to be a lawyer; I wanna change the world!”
“Really!” he is often laughed at by his family and friends.
“First go and change your clothes”, said Amir, his elder brother.

As he grew older and wiser, he rationalized.“Alright! I want to be a journalist; I can at least change my country by exposing the corrupt social system.”
”Why don’t you focus on your studies to change your grades either?” his father commented ironically.

As Arish entered the professional world and became a part of the rat race, he often wondered if he could change anything… anything about his own mundane life”
“He hated his workplace, his job, even his self; it’s really dull and purposeless without any sense of engagement and accomplishment.”
Arish made several desperate attempts to change the laid back culture at his office, his staff’s behavior and family members’ attitude, but all in vain.
As the time passed by, he turned into a cynic; constantly criticizing everything and anything around him.

It was the end of the year. His car was in the workshop, the route bus dropped him at the main gate from where he had to walk for at least fifteen minutes to reach his office for an important meeting which was about to begin.Cursing his fate, he started walking… as fast as he could. He saw many familiar faces on his way; the peon, the sweeper, the tea boy and some junior staff members. All were in hurry to reach the office. He remembered how he scolded them for reaching late, refused to provide office transport for the small distance and lectured them about time management repeatedly.

As he walked along them, he realized what he needed to change…
Exactly after a year, his team won the award for punctuality and within five years, he was titled “the chief change-agent” in his company. His friends and family trusted and adored him more than ever.

What mantra Arish did find during the fifteen minutes walk that changed his life…
He shared at the annual award ceremony, “I stopped trying to change others, dictating my staff and colleagues. Rather, I began to change myself and listened to my friends and coworkers with understanding, led the most challenging tasks myself and earnestly practiced change before I preached it to others. Believe me it sounds simple but it’s not.”

Gradually, Arish was able to emerge as a role model who enabled to inspire people around him for positive change… change that promises to improve their lives, fulfills their dreams and brings hope and excitement which they yearned for as an adult.

50 days ago Short URL 1 Comment

Life & Inspire/social issues

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05

Apr

NO PAIN, NO PROGRESS

are u progressing, regressing or rather stagnant...

I am not making progress!

I feel stagnant and burnt out :(

I want to switch my job!

How should I progress in my life and career?

You might have experienced such feelings at one or the other stage in your life.

Every one of us aspires to be famous, rich and accomplished…

but only some of us really conscious of our progress and clear what we really want to achieve in life. I remember I used to be ambitious about securing top positions in exams throughout my student life, spent hours with books to digest volumes of knowledge. I attained what I wanted and then started chasing promising career, quality living, enviable spouse, new car, bulging bank balance, another career boost, foreign visits, awards, medals and recognition.

The chase is endless… now my progress is subject to my children’s achievement, their exam grades, career moves and social status.

Am I really progressing? I still have this question in front of me.

Yes I am getting old… doing fine in my personal and professional life. In future I might be able to build valuable assets, enjoy occasional vacations at my favorite resorts. Perhaps I will opt doing social work, donating in charity and delivering lectures to guide others.

People asked me the secret of my progress and I quoted the founder of philosophical Taoism, Lao Tzuthe,

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” So what if that first step is a little painful?

If you want to accomplish something, you might encounter two kinds of pain… the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Whenever you take that first step toward a goal, you often experience the pain of discipline i.e. you are to work hard and sacrifice your comfortable routine as you single-mindedly pursue your dream.
On the other hand, if you don’t go after your dreams, you might experience an even greater pain: the pain of staying stuck, which eventually turns into the pain of regret.

Sydney J. Harris once wrote, “Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. The risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”, said writer Anaiis Nin

The great thing about discipline is if you discipline yourself on a daily basis, eventually something “magical” will happen, almost without your realizing it-one day, the discipline will turn into desire.
A runner who “makes” himself run on a daily basis, one day gets up “wanting” to run. The same holds true for writing, public speaking, starting a new project or anything else.

So let’s start that project, make that important call, do what you need to do to begin today. Here’s a guarantee that If you work through a little pain, you’ll see a sure progress.

                                                                                                                                              Inspired by Sunita Singhi <www.google.com> 

55 days ago Short URL Comments

Life & Inspire

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31

Mar

One from the Heart; How Striking Politics Affects Us

Karachi during strike

Have you ever seen any nation perpetually in a holiday mood? Well, we as a nation are becoming adept at staying in the holiday mood. Frequent rather regular strikes, protests, mourning, black days, white days and special holidays have become part and parcel of Pakistani culture. No matter what the cause is behind the strike, who is arranging the protest, why holidays are announced, we are always ready to welcome the day off. Those who dare step out, do so with fear of anonymous terrorists gunning them down. Our attitude is rather blasé. There are those who turn up for work no matter what and there are others who sit back to watch a movie, chat on net, condemn and criticize or simply take rest. Those who keep working even in these circumstance should be appreciated as they look fate in the eye everyday and have little fear of death.

After steady practice, Karachiites have become rather experts in the preparation for being under siege or on enforced holiday. The better prepare citizens always keep their refrigerators filled with eatables to handle any emergency. Most even gear up to celebrate the occasion. Meat for the home-cooked kababs, grocery, fruits, vegetables and bakery and dairy products are usually picked up a day prior to the strike call, so that all at home can sit back in comfort.

Residents of relatively posh and peaceful area such as Clifton and Defence are rarely affected by these routine strikes. They carry on with their regular routines by going about their business as usual. Their offices remain open, and even though their children are not at school, public places like hospitals and shopping centers often remain open unlike other areas of the city even on such days. The poor people who suffer in this political noora kushtimostly belong to the lower and middle class localities. The daily wages earners are the ones who are really hit hard by these maddening strike and shut down calls.    

Suffering silent majority

  

To find out how public take strikes, I interviewed  people from different segments of society:

Political activist of a leading party said that the whole nation should be thankful to our party and its leadership who provides the golden opportunity to shopkeepers to sell their products at double rates, to vegi-fruit vendors selling out rotten trash on the excuse that everything else is out, to government and private employees, teachers and students taking frequent breaks and to laborers  delaying their projects, charge overtime and demand for extra payments.

The students’ community whom I discussed the issue frankly shared that they get so much accustomed to these strikes that they actually miss them  and yearn for breaks badly if a week passes without any such call. These interruptions always give them ready-made excuse to miss classes, delay assignment and even exams.  

A vacant classroom on a typical strike day

A heart-throb opposition leader advised that it is high time the people in power should accept strikes as basic human right. No one should oppose it since it is a matter of the public’s will. He threatened that the pseudo-intellectuals, human right activists, civil society advocates and opinion leaders should stop criticizing politics of protests and strikes; else they might give a strike call tomorrow in protest.    

In fact, the government and opposition’s battle lines drawn in the country are nothing unusual. It is a matter of their interests at the cost of all the rest.  But this makes it impossible for common people like us to lead a normal life. Once the city of peace and unity, Karachi is now divided… divided into mera tera no go area;  Mohajir, Haqiqi, ANP, PPP centers on the basis of ethnic and racial differences. It’s is a war of interests and power  to get the maximum share of Bhatta, ghunda tax, vote bank rather than anything for the sake of public. So each party seizes its native localities as its conquered kingdom irrespective of the plight of the Karachiites.  

We hold the opposition responsible for Karachi’s destruction, as it follows the politics of protests and behave like roothai sajna while we level charges against the government for its incapability to provide protection to life, property and honor of its citizens. The saddest aspect of the issue is that no one including government, opposition and pubic gives a hoot against the trend.

If we don’t change our attitude now, our loss will be greater than anticipated. After all, we are responsible for the destruction of Karachi and only we can save it.

act, react or suffer

60 days ago Short URL 1 Comment

Life & Inspire/social issues

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27

Mar

The Striking Politics in Karachi… No to enforced shutdown, Yes to life!

When I left home in the morning yesterday, I had many plans… plans to attend office, get today’s assignment done, take a class, write a blog, share refreshment and lunch with colleagues and visit my tailor and market on my way back before finally reaching home in the evening…

However, by afternoon I was sitting at home just wondering how to utilize the day to its fullest… thanks to the fear and terror that surrounded the city of Karachi after killings and mourning call that led to arson, target killings and forceful shut down. This is not a new experience for any Karachiite, we get used to this uncertainty and sectarian killings and whenever it happens, we rushed back to  our shelters for the sake of our lives and property and bear another forceful day off imposed on us by the Custodians of the City.

Apart from financial and economical lose the city and the country suffers because of these strikes and protest calls, what turns it rather more painful is the silence, fear, sense of helplessness, darkness and gloom that prevail on the streets and in localities and cause depression and frustration in public.

My daughter, 3 asked me yesterday why parks and shops were closed and why couldn’t she go out to have rides and buy a balloon. I found it really difficult to  explain the situation without threaten her that there’re bad/angry people outside who are beating anyone going out. My elder son, 9 was rather worried about his next paper and kept asking if the schools were closed or opened… again uncertainty and delayed rather dubious announcements about educational institutions and offices bother everyone concerned.

I often think about emergencies especially how people manage to take their patients to hospitals, deceased to graveyard and travelers to destinations on such black days. And then the agony of those who schedule their weddings, engagements and other parties and plan them for months with hefty expenses and wide involvement.   

I often feel sick finding myself switching TV channels relentlessly to satiate my curiosity with aggressive discussions and debates, visuals of agony, terror and vandalism and breaking news that aim to break viewers nerves if not the news at such occasions . These aimless talk shows and news bulletins contribute a great deal to urge me to migrate anywhere from Pakistan, The fighting politicians, angry hosts, sensationalized news and dramatized coverage snatched my last hope and belief in my homeland and its future.

I might cook Biryani, watch a movie, finish the half-read novel or rather opt to arange my scattered cupboards and do the household chores in absence of maids, however, such long, sad and empty days never cherish me or anyone sensible around. I feel like a house arrest in a city under riots that seize the humdrum of life in the metropolitan like Karachi. Often wonder, how the daily wedges earners dare such days in this inflation.

You might consider it the problem of the people in power and politicians,  might be able to get momentary escape through a movie, book, sport, daily chore or pastime, but the fact of the matter is that it spoils the peace of mind and pace of work completely and it usually takes a day or two to come back to normal life.

There is no doubt that protest against atrocities, target killings and terrorism should be registered at every level irrespective of caste, class and racial difference but taking revenge from the city by shutting it down completely after any such incident is neither fair to Karachi nor to its residents. So let’s register your protest if you are against these wheel jams, shutter-downs and violent strikes. On the other hand, if you are in favour of it,  share your logic to make us understand…

63 days ago Short URL Comments

Life & Inspire/social issues

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23

Mar

You Poor Silent Majority! Suffer what you Deserve…

I visited Passport office yesterday at Awami Markaz, Karachi and had one of the worst experiences of my life . I had to make and renew my and my family members’ passports so we reached the office at 8:30 am at the advice of well wishers. To my surprise i discovered that the relevant bank branch where we had to submit the passport challan wouldn’t open before 10 am so we had to wait and till then face intimidating approaches of various agents roaming around freely at the premises, offering their services for swift processing to all and sundry. One just wonders when we will be able to get rid of this candid culture of commission rather corruption even for legal and routine tasks such as passport and NIC issuance or transfer of property etc., without hassle.

We, like many others, who refused to hire agents for shortcut and opted to go through proper channel, had to suffer the tedious process of collecting and submitting challan fee in long queues, moving up and down with children and aged family members to complete the multiple rounds of processing. Our actual trial began in passport office. It was a congested over-crowded place with rude staff and indifferent officials who turned deaf ear to the plight of public. Both men and women, ranging from all age-groups, class and localities tried maintain their sanity while juggling around small cabins and counters to be photographed, interrogated for data entry and gone through bio-metrics before finally registered and issued receipts for passport collection a month later in routine course.

What is most disturbing was the cruel attitude of the office staff and consistent mishandling. The person on the data-entry counter seemed to be looking for an excuse to raise an objection and refute people’s applications on one pretext or the other after 5 and 6 hours wait. It could be anything from your expired father’s name, NOC from office, Old manual ID card, husband’s name, nikahnama or any other major or minor details that provided him this excuse.

There was no system or sequence since people were called out randomly irrespective of their serial or token numbers. One can obviously notice the racket that allowed swift entry and clearance of applicants entered through commission agents or on personal contacts and links. On applicants’ protest for random processing  and slow functioning, one officer who had scolded numerous people irrespective of their age, gender and status, ironically commented “we have a new software that processes senior citizens earlier than others? Do you mind! ”  He even threatened some candidates to stay quiet otherwise he would not entertain them.

What is extremely painful was the cage like congested office with crowded counters and limited seating capacity in the humid summer day where men and women of all age and groups were flocked like animals and children especially little ones were crying non-stop due to congestion, humid and crowd. People suffered silently and with mild complaints due to the fear that any open protest or criticism might trigger the furious staff and deprive them to get their passport in time. I noticed it’s the same fear that turns most of us into s silent (deaf & dumb)  majority and keeps us suffering with a wish that a mesiha would come one day to change this corrupt system while the rest of us yearn for a blue passport and green card to fly abroad and live a peaceful and fair life away from corrupt Pakistan.

I just hope that we realise our strength as public, voters, citizens, consumers, clients, students, parents, buyers, employees and teachers…  we must realise that we can’t  get respect in a golden platter with this indifferent attitude… we need to earn it through collective approach, honest intention, fair action and one voice… a voice for fair, just and honest Pakistan BUT the question is that who is ready to take first step, raise first voice and register first protest even if it costs us a reaction… Isn’t it worthy to live one day bravely than suffer throughout? Besides when there is collective demand for social justice, fair play and basic rights then will the corrupt, dishonest and opportunists have courage to suppress it… I doubt! azmaish shart hai,  kiya khayal hai …!!!   

67 days ago Short URL Comments

Life & Inspire/social issues

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19

Mar

LAWN MANIA

A typical view from one of the lawn exhibitions

Are you one of the victims to the Lawn Mania or more appropriately Lawn Exhibitions Craze…?

Do you annoyingly get distracted by the popped up weekend lawn exhibition announcements, attractive models glanced from the glossy magazines cover? Did a familiar model and famous actor capture your glance on roads while driving through king size billboards sprawling all over the city and perhaps country since the last breeze of winters… if yes, believe me you are not the only victim that is lured by morning shows, TV commercials, print ads, digital announcements, roadside banners and billboards to name a few.

I don’t mind seeing the native lawn industry flourishing flirtatiously but I do mind the cut throat prices that transform lawn into an elite class fabric with some additional embellishments, embroidery and bits & pieces in the name of sleeves, back, front, ribbons and accessories.

You just wonder what to buy when you get an ordinary lawn suit at the cost of Rs. 1500 to 2000, a weekly income of a clerk and daily wedge earner … the same lawn suit that used to cost around Rs. 350 to 500 only two years back.

Go for a better brand, print, material or even an outlet and you need to double your budget to do some purchase.

If you are a working woman, you count before you spend … at least the time, tears and sweat you shed in earning the thousands bucks which can buy you a few comfortable dresses to dare the summer heat while looking trendy at the same time. And even if you are spending the lawn shopping allowance you get from your hubby, parents or friend, you might wonder if you need another series of argument and emotional blackmailing to spend summer in style.

Change, Revolution, Social Justice, Welfare State, Roti, Kapra aur Makan … all seem slogans to the shrinking middle class stepping down to merge into the swelling lower class that fights to survive everyday…. Everything from daily commodities, eatables, utilities, education, health, transportation, housing and clothing become unaffordable to the people of Pakistan.

The new fashion fad of designers’ lawn, branded accessories and foreign franchise might make crème de la crème of the society look and feel better but it neither increases the purchase power nor the income of the common people of Pakistan. What it simply promotes is the class difference, complexes and frustrations between the haves and have-nots.

So ladies you like it or not… say no to the lawn phobia, stop getting mad after each brand exhibition call and strive hard to be a part of the crowd… Rather count your budget, spend wisely and make intelligent choices. You still have some options… thanks to Classics, Rawaj, Mausummery and other less expensive brands. At least, I’ve made a promise to myself… no lavish shopping spree to condemn the trend at my level. After all these lawn suits will wash in the same laundry and look-alike after a few wash so no to commercialism, no to consumerism and yes to mental peace…

No to lawn mania...!

72 days ago Short URL 2 Comments

Life & Inspire/social issues

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