Punjab announces Urdu as medium of instruction at schools from next year

[VCheng]

I agree just when you think it cant be worse; it somehow gets worse!

I see the further enlightenment of realism headed your way!

Such periodic disruptions keep the foundation of an effective education system from forming properly. How can this not be intentionally malicious?

 

[Dubious]

I see the further enlightenment of realism headed your way!

Such periodic disruptions keep the foundation of an effective education system from forming properly. How can this not be intentionally malicious?

I am not sure about being intentional but def stupid and myopic by default!

 

[VCheng]

I am not sure about being intentional but def stupid and myopic by default!

And doubly disappointing, given that this is supposed to be the naya Pakistan!

Recall my requests for PMIK to start out with setting the education sector right before doing anything else, but may be he has been distracted with the economic crisis more than I realized.

 

[war&peace]

It's nuts. I grew up in the UK and at the point I started school I knew very little English. My parents were both Pakistani, mum did not speak it, dad was at work. My school was in a minority area so i picked it up very quickly - to a point where today its my preferred language for communication and education. I did well at school, went to uni, got a degree etc.

I'm from a big family, my younger siblings they learnt English from us older ones before they started school. They had a clear head start. They've achieved much more academically. It wasn't just the early years knowledge of English, but the fact they had access to elder siblings who could help explain the homework - help review and critique assignments.

Now think about Pakistani kids and parents. Urdu might not be everyone's mother tongue, but most will understand it (at least in punjab). Thier parents will also understand the books, help explain the content. It will benefit students immensely.

I would go as far as to say if your class speaks another language, the teacher should also explain the content in thier mother tongue to help people understand.

The book should be in Urdu but if the majority of students speak Punjabi or Pashto, the teacher can explain it in that dialect / language. But until we study sciences and do official work in Urdu i.e. all the laws and official documents written in Urdu, we cannot become a self-respecting developed nation. Look at China, got independence in 1949 but all their education right up to the university level is in Chinese (Mandarin). They did not fall for lame excuses that all the research has been done in English or computers use English or when our students will go abroad how will they communicate. Any Chinese student who wants to go abroad learns English and there are millions of Chinese students in western universities and they are doing great because they have a solid foundation. And here we are saying that English will taught as a language so they don't need a separate coach.

Here people do not understand that a normal student is never able to grasp the concepts in English, he or she crams it but it never becomes a part of his/her understanding. Look at China today, they are competing with West in science & technology. I remember getting some documentation from China about a defence equipment...all the documentation was in Chinese. Ask the PAF team that worked on JF17 project in Chengdu.
And China has a lot more interaction with the outside world due to trade, tourism, education, military & defence, science & technology.

They don't do a foundation course.... they do an intensive foundation year to get the hang of English and I think that will mostly be proficiency to read and write. Spoken is a totally different matter. These students spend a year of their best time to just learn a language which could easily be avoided if they are taught during the time they are already putting in school.


Also I do not get how you compared intelligence with language proficiency. NUML offers courses on engineering and being an engineer myself I know that around the world no engineering course requires students to write long essays or do critical analysis of Shakespeare.

Dear that one year intensive course is better because they have their concepts about fundamentals very clear and assimilated in their body of knowledge. And their results speak for it.

 

[Verve]

My school education was Urdu medium to 7rh Class, before the move.

My older brothers studied Urdu medium throughout to college. King Edward MC graduates and their command of English is excellent. They are heavy readers.

My dad finished his metric in Pakistan during early 60s - all Urdu! Went to UK, did the O then A then BSc and then MSc. Lectured in British University for a year before moving back.

Urdu medium is not a problem at all for those eager to learn.

English medium schooling is not a prerequisite for a progressive nation.

 

[B.K.N]

And doubly disappointing, given that this is supposed to be the naya Pakistan!

I don't know what is medium of education in Amreeka but in Punjab Pakistan don't know about other provinces medium of education is Urdu since British era
English is taught as a compulsory subject and all other subjects are in Urdu
Few years back government tried to make few schools English medium but it didn't worked
Government issued English medium books but students instead bought their own Urdu medium books

The book should be in Urdu but if the majority of students speak Punjabi or Pashto

Those who are saying Punjabi should be made medium of education don't know that for an average Punjabi student understanding Urdu is easier than Punjabi of some other area

 

[war&peace]

Those who are saying Punjabi should be made medium of education don't know that for an average Punjabi student understanding Urdu is easier than Punjabi of some other area

What I want to say is that if students do not understand in Urdu or better understand in the local dialect then the teacher can do that.

 

[Crusher]

Those are murky grounds why should a Murree wala learn dialect of Lahore?

Especially when he and his last 5 generations have used "Urdu" text books to get educated in the last 159 years. It is like asking someone to "reinvent the wheel".

I don't know what is medium of education in Amreeka but in Punjab Pakistan don't know about other provinces medium of education is Urdu since British era
English is taught as a compulsory subject and all other subjects are in Urdu
Few years back government tried to make few schools English medium but it didn't worked
Government issued English medium books but students instead bought their own Urdu medium books



Those who are saying Punjabi should be made medium of education don't know that for an average Punjabi student understanding Urdu is easier than Punjabi of some other area

Contrary to the propaganda of some neo-kanjars from Pakistan and particularly from India who think that "Urdu" became medium of education/textbooks only after 1947, the reality is that "Urdu" was made medium of education/textbooks by the British governor of Punjab back in 1860, that is 159 years ago precisely. My grandfather got all his school education in 1930s in rural Gujranwala and all his textbooks were in Urdu language, English was taught starting from 6th class just as a "separate" subject.

Allama Iqbal of Sialkot also didn't become poet of "Urdu" out of no where in Punjab, he like everyone else in 1880s, 1890s also got his education in Urdu language textbooks, so Urdu wasn't a "surprise" language for him that he suddenly discovered/learned just to write poetry in that language in latter part of his life.

 

[B.K.N]

Contrary to the propaganda of neo-kanjars of Pakistan who think that "Urdu" became medium of education/textbooks only after 1947,

Everyone knows this government colleges and universities were established in late 1800 or early 1900 and in those days these colleges certainly weren't teaching in English or Punjabi

English was taught starting from 6th class just as a "separate" subject.

They used to learn ABC in class 6th

 

[Crusher]

Everyone knows this government colleges and universities were established in late 1800 or early 1900 and in those days these colleges certainly weren't teaching in English or Punjabi


They used to learn ABC in class 6th

But believe me many people on internet "believe" that Urdu language was first introduced as medium of education/text books only in 1947 through "imposition" of Urdu language by migrants coming from UP india. Which is really ridiculous as everyone in Punjab knows that the introduction of Urdu language as medium of education/textbooks is a "British legacy" and not any kind of "muslim legacy". In fact before the British the medium of Education/Textbooks for muslims was either Persian or Arabic depending on the kind of knowledge a person was aspiring to obtain. But even back then also people of Punjab were able to understand "hindi/urdu" language due to the visible similarities between Punjabi and hindi/urdu/hindustani.

 

[Proudpakistaniguy]

Exactly...A poorly attempt to copy something without understanding .....


It is nothing to do with self respect and please mind the language.

German and swede have had their education system in their language for a very long time with even French having established new words for scientific words and each has invented things and have active scribes who translated discoveries into their languages....This is an established system...which makes it work...dumping kids from Urdu to English and back and forth isn't helping our already lacking inventors of a nation.

Plus it serves absolutely no purpose since he it Urdu or English....The system is still rote learning....fixing that should have been the key focus.

It is practically impossible to replace English with Urdu in higher education unless we become more developed and advance than western countries in every field(Science, humanities, law, education, social work, social sciences and economics etc) that we start writing our work in native languag where there is not much scientific literature available right now ..even primary science book written( rather translated from others languages )in Urdu have very poor standards.

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan highlighted the importance of English over 100 years ago. English should be the medium of instruction for children from all socio-economic strata and not just for middle or upper class kids from urban areas. Regional or national language should be introduced in schools as a separate compulsory subject from first standard itself. We complain of social injustice and disparity all the time. We never think twice before comparing the lives of children going to elite schools and children studying in government schools. We also have a lot to say about the ‘lack of opportunities’ for the children of less privileged sections. But we never talk about providing equal opportunities for them.

I was excellent in URDU but still i was struggling to read science subjects in URDU .. Look at these exam paper of Bio, Maths and chemistry and you do see English scientific terms are just being translated into difficult roman Urdu.

 

[Dubious]

It is practically impossible to replace English with Urdu in higher education unless we become more developed and advance than western countries in every field(Science, humanities, law, education, social work, social sciences and economics etc) that we start writing our work in native languag where there is not much scientific literature available right now ..even primary science book written( rather translated from others languages )in Urdu have very poor standards.

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan highlighted the importance of English over 100 years ago. English should be the medium of instruction for children from all socio-economic strata and not just for middle or upper class kids from urban areas. Regional or national language should be introduced in schools as a separate compulsory subject from first standard itself. We complain of social injustice and disparity all the time. We never think twice before comparing the lives of children going to elite schools and children studying in government schools. We also have a lot to say about the ‘lack of opportunities’ for the children of less privileged sections. But we never talk about providing equal opportunities for them.

I was excellent in URDU but still i was struggling to read science subjects in URDU .. Look at these exam paper of Bio, Maths and chemistry and you do see English scientific terms are just being translated into difficult roman Urdu.

Well...I dont really care in which language we have it...but keep it that way and establish a system so that people get acquainted to it! Rote system in any language will still produce factory working sheep! So the problem isnt really the language but more the system!!

However, to better understand, English is the way to go as all the latest discoveries are in English and to Publish in Nature (1 of the highest ranking journals) you still need to do it in English...Not Swedish, not German and not even Chinese!

It is practically impossible to replace English with Urdu in higher education unless we become more developed and advance than western countries in every field(Science, humanities, law, education, social work, social sciences and economics etc) that we start writing our work in native languag where there is not much scientific literature available right now ..even primary science book written( rather translated from others languages )in Urdu have very poor standards.

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan highlighted the importance of English over 100 years ago. English should be the medium of instruction for children from all socio-economic strata and not just for middle or upper class kids from urban areas. Regional or national language should be introduced in schools as a separate compulsory subject from first standard itself. We complain of social injustice and disparity all the time. We never think twice before comparing the lives of children going to elite schools and children studying in government schools. We also have a lot to say about the ‘lack of opportunities’ for the children of less privileged sections. But we never talk about providing equal opportunities for them.

I was excellent in URDU but still i was struggling to read science subjects in URDU .. Look at these exam paper of Bio, Maths and chemistry and you do see English scientific terms are just being translated into difficult roman Urdu.

Maths and Science is supposed to be a universal language you cant translate that no matter what language your paper is!

 

[Naman Mathur]

A very stupid decision. English is global language. If you are to interact with anyone today english is the best way. You competition isnt just from students in pakistan but student around the world. I dont think any intellectual would support such a decision.

 

[jamal18]

A very stupid decision. English is global language. If you are to interact with anyone today english is the best way. You competition isnt just from students in pakistan but student around the world. I dont think any intellectual would support such a decision.

Tell that to every country in Europe and South America. And to the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans.

 

[Proudpakistaniguy]

Tell that to every country in Europe and South America. And to the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans.

Urdu was developed in 12th century unlike others languages which has got long history. What is the literacy rate of countries you mentioned above? How many percentage of people speak same common national language over there as compare to Pakistan where we have different regional languages and few percentage speak national language ?

What progress and development you have made in URDU language as compare to them? Your expert will struggle to even translate Darwin theory in Urdu let alone writing their own books in Urdu. You will see many well known scientist from Dutch, French, Swedish, Russian etc but there is none URDU speaker in the list so dont compare yourself with those countries who are more advance in knowledge so you need to have knowledge and expertise first before you write it down in whatever languages

Who said Chinese and European are not learning English? UK/USA/Austrlia/Canada Universities accommodate more international students from Chinese and European countries than anywhere else and they have to pass IELTS test before studying undergraduate and postgraduate courses