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The textbook wall

By December 13, 201021 Comments3 min read9,992 views

The textbook wall by Ambreen

Have you ever felt a wall of textbooks around you, obstructing your vision and thinking, rather than widening your horizon? That’s how one of my research participants, let’s call him Basil, described his educational experience to me. He felt that he was positioned as an empty vessel by the writers of these textbook, as if he were a brainless creature. When Basil became a teacher himself, he looked back at all those years and wondered why there had been no sources of knowledge other than the single government-approved textbook for each subject.

In Pakistan, textbook production, dissemination and reception has always been highly regulated and structured. School textbooks erect a regulated and guarded wall, purposefully painted with a single color and single texture to hide diversity under its surface; it is manipulated by an elite which decides which ideas, history, socio-cultural values and norms are being walled in and which ones are being walled out.

As a teacher Basil realized that school textbooks in Pakistan neither nurture inquisitiveness among the learners nor do they enhance the intellectual competence of the learners. Rather, they seem to be produced and taught to manufacture consent and produce unthinking beings. They position learners as blank slates devoid of any consciousness, intentions, individual or collective agency, and they act as instruments for casting learners in an identical form and deprive the learner of formats, texts, images, questions, exercises that trigger thinking and give space to the views, interpretations and responses of learners and teachers. In classroom discursive practices, they do not help teachers engage their learners in developing their own identity and confidence in their individual as well as social consciousness. As a result, pupils largely remain dependent on what is published in textbooks and are largely the passive recipients of views, ideas and interpretations which they take for granted to be accurate.

Basil even argued that much of Pakistan’s woes from suicide bombs to sectarian violence are built in these textbooks which each child is made to learn by heart. While Basil’s views may be controversial, they are not uncommon and have now entered mainstream educational institutions in Pakistan. For instance, the Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKUEB) has recently taken the initiative to diversify educational media in Pakistan. AKUEB was established in 2002 to move beyond the single-textbook approach to teaching and testing.

AKUEB has been the subject of harsh critique and and propaganda. Despite these attacks AKUEB works to promote students learning outcomes (SLO) within the approved curriculum rather than single-textbooks, and promotes the use of alternative educational media in its affiliated schools. Though AKUEB-associated schools were and still are legally bound to use the government approved single-textbook, they have been successful in diminishing the authority of the single textbook by providing multiple sources of knowledge. The introduction of alternative educational media has brought multiple discourses into the classroom. Being exposed to multiple interpretations, views and perspectives, young learners begin to see such media as legitimate sources of knowledge and develop an appreciation of complexities, dichotomies, paradoxes, and diversity.

When I asked another group of my research participants, Grade 8 students, to use a metaphor to describe the subject History, their responses included “history is a sermon,” “history is poison which spreads in the whole body and mind,”  “history is an elephant,” and “history is water in a pond.” I think these metaphors provide evidence that education in Pakistan has moved on since Basil’s time and they can be considered as evidence of the emergence of a critical stance in young learners. These young students are developing the habits of thinking, researching, analyzing and above all questioning and bit by bit the wall is being torn down.

Muhammad Ali Khan

Author Muhammad Ali Khan

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Join the discussion 21 Comments

  • Dear Ali,

    It was refreshing
    However, I wonder that commenters agreed to what has been discussed in the article. Nevertheless, one should reflect that why such situation is still prevailing in our education system. Teachers have been committing the similar mistake as they are ill-informed or belong to old system of education, but learners who suffered the pain and cannot distinguish the pros and cons of such system should bring forth their novel ideas in teaching language through enrich curricula.

    How many teachers are aware of ‘democratic pedagogies’ are trying to incorporate such notion into the teaching learning process? Why can’t one have participatory approach in teaching language or other subjects… it is extremely easy to criticize others’ effort that such and such thing is not happening but hardly one tries to bring and ‘lead the change’.

    I invite all the readers of this article not to undermine their role and lead the change from within.

    Rozina Jumani

  • Alifar says:

    I reminded of the famous verse from the all time classic Pink Floyd number:

    We don’t need no education
    We don’t need no thought control
    No dark sarcasm in the classroom
    Teachers leave them kids alone
    Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
    All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
    All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.

  • HKhoja (AKUSON, PBScN Yr 1) says:

    Now the time has come to change the system and CHANGE anywhere is a toughest part however, it is not impossible. Someone in the system has to take a step ahead and take an initiative.

    Thanks

  • Fahed abu sada says:

    Dear Khan Thanks for sharing insightful experiences with textbook in Pakistan.
    it is very helpful information what you shared it is really touching to problem directly you was right when you mentioned that we have to look after the needs of the learner rather than follow the policies.
    we also sticking with the same problem in Syria i m so happy that you shared such important topic
    Regards

    Fahed abu sada

    Syria

  • Farheen shama says:

    Dear Khan,
    I read your post with interest.The issues which you have reflected upon are so important for us which we as teachers do feel but dont get enough freedom to apply alternative media in class rooms.
    Teachers are fully occupied with the administrative dictations to use only one book.I do agree with your statement Pupils largely remain dependent on what is published in text books and are largely the passive recipents of views, ideas and interpretations which they take for granted to be accurate.
    I myself know loads and load of students who go different schools,colleges which turn them rote learners of text books to pass their exams and get positions without having any conceptual understanding.They do achieve their goals but what do we find in the end? Someone who is socially successsful but incapable of contributing to society.Dumb and deaf Pakistani doctors,engineers,teachers politicians etc are the gift of Pakistans armys influenced ideology of Islam and Pakistan.

  • saeed says:

    Dear Khan
    Thanks for sharing insightful experiences with textbook in Pakistan. It was quite perfect, You touched the main issue of the student every were even In Syria, it is same. Students are struggling always regarding this topic. Now a days in Syria there is big changing to update all the teaching process, so that I hop it will bring benefits in short time.
    For the relationship between teacher and student, I want to say that it is a method were both of them are learning from each another.
    I appreciate your post, really nice.
    Regards
    Saeed
    Syria

  • Roshni says:

    Dear Ali,
    I can’t agree more on this. This is a true representation of the situation, really! When I think of our textbooks, I am reminded of “blinders” that are used for the horses. I am glad you have shared your thoughts on the topic. I will be forwarding this to another of my colleagues, who is very interested in the topic

  • Nasreen.Sadruddin (PBScN Yr 1 Akuson) says:

    It is really very good to see that someone has raised the issue and has brought the attention towars it.It is the need of the time that we should see that learning is not only through the textbooks but through the experiences and environment also.I think the learners at their early ages should be exposed to the new method of learning rather than conventional one to enhance their cognitive abilities.

  • Dear Ali – VERY REFRESHING!

    I enjoyed it thoroughly!! I think we would have performed very well without these text books.

    A related thought – it is more or less like a group of patients having the same medicine irrespective of their conditions and needs.

  • shahzad kanji says:

    dear sir, it was realy a thought provoking and intresting article, I agreed with your statements and i just want to add one thing that the concern problem so called TEXT WALL or Single-book teaching is a problem of most of underdevelop and developing countries like pakistan. and we know that learner’s mind is like a Parachute its only fly when it open.

    once again sir i would like to say Marvellous Job !!

    shahzad kanji
    Post RN Year I
    Aga Khan University

  • HKhoja (AKUSON, PBScN Yr 1) says:

    Very true and a nice post. It has been an extreme need to be addressed to and the concern is increasing day by day. Other than the main focus which is textbooks, the focus light has to be brought to the quality of teachers and the criteria of selection of them. They are driving the young students or in other words the future of students are in their hands somehow or the other as whatever they will instill in their student’s minds, it will be remain there with them.
    The time is changed and the teaching styles and methods have to be modified accordingly. Textbooks, different theories, taxonomies, models are obstructing student’s own thoughts. Free mind can think even more better than that and those models and taxonomies were also provided by someone therefore, we also have a capacity to redefine it or may be modulate or form a new theory.

    Thanks

  • Parveen says:

    Hello Khan,
    Thanks for directing our gaze to an issue, which is not presently getting the full amount of attention that it deserves. Textbook serves as a backbone for classroom instructions particularly in our mainstream schools in Pakistan. However, the quality and effectiveness of the textbooks prescribed for our classrooms are questionable, be it the level of knowledge, the representation of different segments of our society, or the distorted history presented in these textbooks.
    If students are using metaphors such as ” “history is a sermon,” “history is poison”, etc. it may not be their representation of history but is it how we have presented history to them via our text and other pedagogic means. It is high time to address these representations.

    Keep up the good work!

    Parveen

  • Piar says:

    Highly commendable scholarly thinking on inequality and injustice of a single text-book dictation in Pakistan which has been directing and molding thoughts and souls of the nation to incompetency and ineptness for the last so many years. I speak from the context of Gilgit Baltistan which was known to the world for its unique culture and indigenous knowledge and Punjab text book in schools has been transforming the state of this unique place into a place where people don’t know what they need and know a lot what they don’t need. The text book dictation has given birth to nepotism, extremism and fanaticism. Efforts from corners to develop critical thinking and creativity have always been criticised by the “opportunist forces” and “elites”. I appreciate you thoughts khan. Good Luck

    Piar
    Gilgit

  • surraya shahab says:

    Dear sir,
    Feel great to know that you are focusing on student perception about things they want to learn in their own style. As every individual is unique we cant narrow down their thoughts by making them stick to text book only though there are multiple other sources I should say BETTER sources. I myself was educated in the same way (bound to text books) but I really wish the upcoming generation to get rid of THE TEXT BOOK WALL.
    Gud luck
    Surraya
    BScN Yr 1 student (AKUSON)

  • Mansoor A. Faruqi says:

    It is indeed a sad state of affairs at present, with a silver lining being the response from the students who are bright enough to understand the limitations of what is being taught to them in the textbooks, or rather what is not being taught. Someone informed me that History of our region, as being taught through the textbooks, is said to have originated in the Arabian Peninsula. I studied history in Pakistan from only my textbooks in Urdu in a subject called Mashrati Uloom. These taught me history starting from the Dravidian culture, to the Aryan invasion, to Budha, to Asoka, to the invasion of Sindh by bin Qasim, to the Sultans of Delhi, to the Mughals, to the British Raj, to the independence struggle and the partition of the Subcontinent. I feel it is criminal to rob the young minds such rich heritage for any reason whatsoever. In the end, I would like to add that we also need research on the textbooks being taught in madrasas which are outside the purview of the government,

  • seema.salim says:

    sir,
    it was really an interesting article as u had also mentioned in one of our english class that history is a poison which spreads in the whole body and mind, and that’s so true we as a students really scared of it.
    your article is really catching the thought that study and learning is not bounded to text books its something more of it which we really wants….

    regards
    seema salim.

  • navita says:

    gud txt new generation is really v critical thinker……..

  • abeer says:

    Dear Sir ,

    Perfect post , you had focused in main problem which fazed most of the students .but it will not fased only who in grade 8 .beacuse it will affect on who in all grade and university .
    The textbook not only in Pakistan ,it also in .through my experiences as a student in different countries (Jordan,Syria and now Pakistan ) . also , through my experience as a teacher ,I can observe and know how the students and teachers feeling and their behaviour about traditional text-books. Because they will feel like a machine, which will start to save and memorize the information ,when you turn it on .
    Forthat , the students will use what wrote and published in texbook , and no chance to share their ides or view .
    I would give you a nice imagine :the students like flowers , if you smiled their thoughts , they will give you a nice smile, but if you smiled only your thoughts or textbooks ideas ,so …………………..you need to think and guess what you will smile?

  • noreen khan says:

    Dear Sir,
    Its an excellent post that has actually a mind blowing approach towards teaching to the young learners and a great punch for the traditional text-books.

    Regards,
    Noreen Khan

  • vahid says:

    Really interesting post, Khan!
    You are right! Students are often critical of how they are treated by their instructors.
    Once an EFL learner in a private language institute told me: “my teacher is like a van driver”!
    And by this he meant: “my teacher has the full authority in the classroom. He goes wherever ‘he’ wants”!
    Students are always critical…They are like sensitive barometers.

    best,
    vahid

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