Formal educational credentials

 

“Formal educational credentials should be the most important factor in hiring employees.”

 

Formal educational credentials are the main source of knowing about a person background. It depicts that how good person was in terms of consistency, learning and the growth. Based on this record one can deduce how good will be the candidate.

But this aspect completely ignores the social aspect and endeavors. It might be possible that candidate is excellent in some area that could not be captured by the educational credentials e.g. one is very good at the teaching and training but one's this aspect may not be part of the formal educational credentials. Employer would be interested in the practical knowledge or the present abilities of a candidate. He would be more concerned about What candidate would be able to do for him rather than past record.

So from this we can say Formal educational credentials do provide a good insight of the candidate background but it lacks information about the the practical knowledge. Not only this, It also lacks the social aspect of a candidate as company/institution is a kind of small social group.

Year 2009; Obama, President of United States of America,stated that, "dropping out from high school is not at all the option for America. If they drop out they not only fail them self but they fail for the country also". Thus he recommended that ever Americans should have the formal educations for the progress not only on the personal level but also for there own country. Thus I strongly believe in the statement of president Obama as agree that, formal education is must for every individual for better job prospectus.

Imaging a professional like a doctor, pharmacist or layer without the formal education are practicing?? Then, what a devastating out come would it be!! Thus to ever job there should be some formal education criteria in selection so that the person employed should have the proficiency to exhibit the required task. Without initial education there the task giving to the hired employed cant be effective as required. Thus it will lead to late submissions and will leads to deterioration of the organization name.

Other than the education background other skill should also be testified at the same time. For eg. in today's organizations the employer expect the employee to have skill of leadership, problem solving attitude, inclination towards team work etc. Thus, these skills also should be taken in to consideration at the same time with the educational criteria. In some organizations if the person is lacking in these skill but is profound with his education qualification then the organization spend some time and money for the employee to acquire those skills. But this is simply possible when the a good base is formed that is with formal education.

When its comes to the higher level position like managers then the work experience should also be taken in to consideration. The experience he had in the past can help the organization to climb the ladder of success. But one have to note that the experience the employee have received with the base of formal education itself.

Thus I want to conclude by saying that education plays the most important criteria in the process of hiring the employees. But education hand in hand when it is collaborated with so soft skills and experience makes an ultimate employee.

A regretful day of a CA student

'Where's this sweet sound coming from?' He thinks while being disturbed from a sweet dream. Half dreaming and half awake he starts looking for his cell phone like some blind man searching for a lost coin in the dark. He switches the alarm off as soon as he finds it and goes back to the world he was just forced out from. A short while passes and the disturbing sound starts again and as soon as his mind starts coming back to the real world, he thinks 'DAMN ! It was the second alarm which means its 6:00 am. Oh no ! its too late already. I had BCBS scheduled at 5:00.'

And then he jumps out of his bed, washes his face like he's having a war with that running water, gets his stuff and starts 'trying' to study. He's just done reading a single page when he realizes that its 7:00 am already.'DAMN ! I had a class at 8:00 today and I'm late already', He thinks. He changes his outfits if he manages to steal a bit of time, packs his books and stuff in that bag with the 'Academy Logo' on it and runs all the way to the bus stop. Waiting for the bus at the bus stop he utilizes his time planning his day and normally plans to cover a substantial part of his course in a span of 12 hours.

In the mean time the bus arrives and just like forever, its full. He somehow reaches his academy and gets to the class. The hardest thing for him to do in the class is to keep his eyes open and his senses working. Last 20-25 minutes of the class take forever to end and 'NOTHING MAKES HIM HAPPIER' than the moment the class ends. But good times are normally for just a short span. He tries to refresh himself in the time till the next class starts and the same thing goes on in the next class as well.

Just when he gets free from those classes filled with enchanted air which can make anyone sleepy, he heads towards the library with the intention of studying all what's left to study. He goes to the library and very much enthusiastically opens his books. Just when he's done with a couple of pages the enchanted air starts attacking his senses once again but he's reminded by the fear of ICAP that he's not allowed to have this luxury at all. He's not even studied 10% of what he actually planned when he finds out that the only resource he needed i.e. TIME is over !

On his way back home he regrets for all the things he shouldn't have traded his time for. 'Bloody Hell ! I didn't even complete the questions I was given as assignment', that's what he thinks while having his dinner. He takes out his books once again but everything seems so blurred this time, he tries his best to decipher what's written but all of a sudden it feels like he's got the worst kind of Dyslexia.When there's no other way left, he finally puts up the uncovered stuff for the next morning. That's how another regretful day ends but his mind keeps thinking, thinking and thinking....

Problems With Education

Everyone recognizes there is a problem with education. It is one of the few topics actually discussed at college. There is the government (meaning how to make it a bigger welfare state), how to protect the environment, why people suck (which includes racism, prejudice, selfishness, all that stuff), and why education sucks. Unfortunately, no one really has the slightest clue why education is poor. They just point to statistics of drop out rates, graduation rates, SAT scores and say, "See, they are low; therefore, education in this country is poor." Of course, they always follow up with the statistics from Europe and Asia and say, "See, education there is great." However, these individuals do not realize that the statistics really have nothing to do with whether the education in one particular place or another is good or bad. The real mark of good education is if it ignites the desire to learn. This means that the students must actually want to learn, voluntarily educate themselves, and are learning what they want to learn. 

Therefore, while others say education is poor because of lackluster statistics, I say education is poor because it is boring and supported by violence. Simply look at all education prior to college. However, do not count pre-school or kindergarten. I do not remember those periods very well, but the little parts are do remember are distinctly different from the other periods. In those two periods I remember sitting on the floor with toys or coloring. From first grade to twelfth grade, however, I remember sitting in rows with thirty other students, all facing the same way, staring at someone talk to me for about fifty minutes. After fifty minutes I and all other other students would get up, go to another room, and repeat the process roughly six times a day, five days a week. This is utterly boring. The emotions I associate with my school years are a feeling of physical sickness (like I actually wanted to vomit all the time), incredibly tired, really freaking warm (like unbearably warm like I was cooking), anger, hatred, self-loathing. As far as I recall, first grade to twelfth grade was infinitely worse than college. 

The best example that captures how awful that period of education is comes from an experience in my seventh grade geography class.  On an unrelated tangent my teacher stated something like, "These are the best years of your life. You are having the most fun now." I then turned to the student sitting to my left and said something to the effect of, "That is the most retarded thing I ever heard." The student then replied with something like, "Yeah, if that's true, I am just going to kill myself right now." 

Education is not fun, it is boring and horrible, even though it should be fun. The fact is, education,  meaning learning new things, is incredibly enjoyable. When I learn something new it is like the sunlight hits me in the face. I have those incredible ah-ha moments. However, I experienced this very rarely in my formal education. Furthermore, I actually went to a private school, which is supposed to be better than public school. If that is true, public school must be awful. 

I think the two biggest reasons why education is so boring is because the students do not actually get to do anything, and because students are learning about topics they do not care about. 

Another problem with education is that the majority of it is public. Therefore, the state sets the curriculum. If the state has no idea how to run a business and has no authority to run a business, the same applies to education. It is a business like anything else. Better learning environments are created, when schools can compete against one another in the free market. Furthermore, since the state controls the schools, the state puts an emphasis on math, science, and conformity. Through schools the state tries to create students who will serve the interests of the states. The goal is not to provide the best place for customers to learn. The goal is to create future leaders and future civil servants. It should not be that much of a stretch to understand, since those exact lines, "future leaders" "future community leaders" "future civil servants", are actually used. 

The worst problem with education, however, is how it is presented. Teachers argue that high school prepares one for college, and college prepares one for a life and a career. Therefore, high school must be somewhat related to life and careers. As education stands now, this is completely false. However, this is how it is presented, and this is what students assume. Thus, students also assume that since high school is horrible, their lives and careers will also be horrible.

Unfortunately, college essentially follows the same blue print as high school. The only differences are there are fewer classes, few assignments, more time, and more independence. Yet, classes are still forced upon individuals, and they use the same boring standard.

There is only one defense for any of this. There is the defense for general education requirements. Allegedly they make someone a well rounded person, which is allegedly good. I do not buy it. If someone does not want to learn something, there is no reason for him to learn it. Well rounded individuals are no better than others, especially if they are unhappy. Furthermore, well rounded individuals know only a little about several topics. While a skilled individual knows much about one topic. From a practical perspective the skilled individual seems more equipped then the well rounded one.

Proud to be a Pakistani

“Pakistan is facing such an identity crisis right now, that it is essential for our generation to understand why this country was built, what happened in its early years and what happened to derail it from its tracks to make it the country it is today?” says a vehement Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, President Citizens Archive of Pakistan.  She is committed to “preserve, record, archive and make available the rich history of the country for future generations in a wide variety of new media”. At the end of the road in 2010 she sees the Living History Museum of Pakistan based in Karachi, a one of its kind, which will serve both as an interactive museum as well as a research facility for students and academia alike or anybody and everybody who is interested in knowing about the past of the country.

Passionately involved in making her dream come true, Chinoy is not a lone rider. She is backed by a ten member team which includes Altaf Qureishi,(International corporate and financial barrister), Durriya Kazi (Head Visual Studies Dept.), Sabeen Mahmud (Director PeaceNiche), Amean J. (Photographer), Minal Rahimtoola, Omar Rahim ( Dance-Chorographer), Sarah Taher (CEO FM91), Fahad Asadullah, Shazieh Gorji (Ceramic Artist). All of them are young entrepreneurs who have opted to come back to Pakistan to pursue their careers inspite of a volatile situation at home.

Working under the umbrella of the Citizens Archive of Pakistan, a non-profit, tax-exempted society, The Oral History Project, trains young interns volunteering to learn and be part of recording personal stories revolving around independence of a generation which is slowly fading and will not be amongst us in a few more years. “We already feel that it is a bit late and we have lost quite a few people who made a mark on the history of the country,” says Chinoy. The urgency in Chinoy’s voice demands attention. However, funds required for the sophisticated audio and editing equipment, logistics and enormous costs of documenting and preserving on digital media are extremely hard to find. “Who wants to give money for history?” questions Chinoy. Pakistan may be a country of philanthropists but the past does not seem to be something anybody seems to loosen his purse strings for. Nonetheless, this has not deterred The Oral History Project team, a group of enthusiastic energetic souls who know that they are making history by bringing forward the voices and images of a generation that put everything on stake for their motherland.

 “I’ve worked in other NGOs but here these people are doing inspirational work.  We are contributing to the history of Pakistan,” says intern Nimra Asi. “Each time I come back after interviewing someone, it just makes me appreciate how much history we have.” Asi’s enthusiasm is simply contagious. Although she will be leaving in a few days for Lahore to pursue her education, she feels it has been “one of the best experiences in life where one can actually see people getting all choked up and emotional when they talk of the Quaid.” The interns work hard handling various responsibilities. Some conduct interviews or document old photographs; others transcribe or make audio clippings of the 6,500 pictures that are currently with the organization. A few weeks back, Intern Fawaz Motiwala had stepped into the office with mixed thoughts about the project. However, now as he handles the audio recordings during the interviews, he feels “privileged to listen to the stories of the older generation”. “The presentation is so amazing, that each interview is like a story and definitely does not resemble a lesson from a Pakistan Studies text book,” Motiwala adds.    

The emotional impact of the project cannot be ignored. All those who are involved have had their moments of discovery. Each intern has one day or the other walked back into the office feeling emotionally moved. Probing into the lives of these great people, the interns and rest of the staff feel a sense of great achievement as they continue to add stories and contribute the larger cause of preservation. It takes three sets of interviews to make a story. “The first interview is biographical. This is followed by a standard interview which is conducted to assess if the person has not forgotten anything or made wrong statements due to a slack in memory because of old age. The third and final interview is a detailed one which deals with the interviewee being part of an important event related to partition”, explains Chinoy. Listening to first person accounts and saving them for future generations is no mean task. “Now one just has to put the headphone to one’s ears and listen to the voices of these great people. Isn’t this an extraordinary experience?” says Chinoy.

Great discoveries have been made by the team on their walk to enlightenment. That in the 1950s riffle training was given to the Women’s National Gaurds, a force of women trained to defend Pakistan, says so much about the role of women in the past. At another interview a man admitted that he was part of a mob that killed Hindus and Sikhs. The recollection of the feeling of sadness that filled the air at Jinnah’s funeral as well as the controversies that erupted after Liaquat Ali Khan’s assassination are no small stories.         

On the other hand, it is also a very rewarding exercise for the interviewees. Mariam Bilgrami, Project Coordinator gives her side of the story. “As I introduce the project to the person, I can always feel the enthusiasm with which the interviewees receive the news. They are elated to hear someone actually interested in listening to their experiences and preserving them for the future generations of Pakistan.”

As a test to assess whether there was “an appetite in the general public for events catered around history”, The Citizens Archive of Pakistan held a four day long Shanaakht Festival in 2007. “The response was phenomenal”, recounts Chinoy. A record 4000 people from all strata and all walks of life walked in. The Karachi Arts Council saw granddads holding hands of their grandchildren, walking past the 4 by 16 feel murals, painted by cinema billboard artist S.Iqbal, each depicting important events of the decade. The organization had run free buses to various localities of the city and there was no entrance fee to an event. A photography exhibition exhibiting memories of partition and also those exploring the identity of the country was curated by Amean J. Another Art Exhibition titled Sohni Dharti was also put up. Over the course of four days, a number of international documentary films focusing on identity and freedom were screened at the indoor auditorium of the Arts Council. A very interesting informal story telling program was held each evening in which old residents of Karachi rekindled stories of early days of Pakistan, and their experiences of partition. Some of the people who spoke at the sittings included Aziz Fatima (Granddaughter of Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar), Retd. Admiral Hasnain(one of the Founding Fathers of Pakistan Navy), Lutfullah Sahab, (who owns the largest collection of Paksitan’s Oral Archive). Apart from these, an interactive evening was held by Anwar Maqsod and Moin Akhtar discussing the country’s past, present and future in their unique style. Sheema Kirmani presented “Jinnay Lahore Nahin Vakhya”, a play set in 1947 about a family who is allotted a haveli in Lahore but when it arrives there finds an old Hindu lady still occupying the residence. Taking its dialogue from poet Nasir Kazmi’s letters and writings, the play was based on a real life incident.

The Shanaakht festival also had Audio-Visual boots where interested visitors could just walk in and record their personal experiences about partition. As part of the festival Ayesha Tammy Khan had also brought six Karachities on stage to talk of their years after independence and the early struggles of the country. For those of us who somehow missed the festival, the good news is that Shanaakht 2008 is being planned for the 23^rd of March next year. The programs will include a host of activities like photo and art exhibits and various oral based presentations. The aim is to facilitate the history and culture of Pakistan by bringing it to life through interactive exhibits in varied genres. At present, the enthusiasm and amount of work geared towards creating The Living History Museum speaks volumes of the team.

“I envision an institution where families come for a day out and go back educated, a place where lectures are held of people who know the real Pakistan, its culture its true identity. I envision a place where academics, young and old, have a field day discovering the past,” says Chinoy.  As Chinoy and her team continue to work towards a dream project, the clock is ticking fast. However at the end of the day, each little effort reinforces the idea that “this is important because we must see the Pakistan of those people who sacrificed their lives, families, everything they had to give us a homeland that we can call our own”. 

 

The importance of education in Pakistan

This old saying of ‘invest in rubies so that you earn profit in diamonds ‘might be one very correct formula for our Pakistani government to think about investing in education so that we see a substantial future.

Education in Pakistan could be seen as the foremost factor deciphering the fate of 160 million people in our country. Yet we are victims to the lowest literacy rate, lower education standards and lower growth that our country has witnessed during the last 60 years .The society as a whole is suffering due to lack of education .Narrow mindedness and intolerance prevails on a large scale. Our society has deteriorated its values, norms and culture just due to lack of awareness on many issues and areas; the main reason being lack of education.At the grass root level we even see that many menaces of the society are inborn due to lack of education ; one such problem is that of child labor which prevails widely  and children which need to be going to school end up earning livelihood for their family at a very early age.

In order for Pakistan to survive in the coming years it should be highly projected that education needs to come on the top agenda of Pakistani  government and its people. It is  time, where there needs to be mental reconcile amongst the masses and the government that they need to focus on the education sector. It should be considered the pivotal point of balance for things to turn favorable.

It would be hence essential to lay a spotlight on the way education works in our country .There are three distinct patterns of education systems which allow individual to be a part of it. Firstly we have the privately operated madressahs, secondly we have the government schools and the third system is a privately operated network of schools which are primarily English medium as well. What seems to be the dilemma is that we lack one single system which is fully integrated with all fields of education including religious studies. This dilemma of having three different streams of education opens a wide gap of levels that one can achieve during his/her career. A graduate from a government school might not be able to get through to a higher place of hierarchy in an organization as compared to one who passed out a foreign exam of studies. Many of these privately operated schools offer American and British exams which include the O/A ‘levels and international baccalaureate as well To have a look back in history of our country we would be able to identify that we have a very low growth and development process .The key factor which leads to this is education. The masses cannot certainly afford private schools for their children .This usually creates a lesser standard of studies for them.

However, there could be some key steps which the government can take in order that the situation improves. The government should aim at introducing a standardization of curricula and also licensing and certification of teacher’s .The government could introduce a board or an authority to achieve this. In order to make education a universal one in Pakistan two things can be done to eliminate these distinct variants of studies .The prime issue is to make one language of instruction. For example if English is the medium of instruction then all schools in Pakistan should have studies carried out in English. Secondly religious studies should be incorporated in the main stream education. For this purpose Arabic could be introduced as a second language in schools as well.

Looking at different people from different social-income groups and walks of life  around me , I certainly do acknowledge the fact that most individuals carry a desire to study leading to credentials  as well.Many such people might be very successful people in everyday life  yet they lack education which they ought to attain .The reasons why they are still convinced that education is beneficial for all is that it would make an individual a better person and also be able to utilize his skills better in life as to any profession that they have opted . Better education gives a  hope for our nation in the times to come. This is the time for our institutions to act and make rectifications in the chaotic system of education which exists till now.