Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre at LUMS

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Educational Conundrums Of Pakistan by Faisal Bari

Dr. Faisal Bari is the Associate Professor of Economics at CNM Department of Economics, LUMS and the CEO and Senior Research Fellow at IDEAS. He has served as the Interim Dean of the Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education (SoE) at LUMS. He is also an Associate Professor at SoE and the Economics Department. He has previously served as Head of the Economics Department from 2006-2008. Dr. Bari is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS). He is a former Executive Director and current research fellow at the Mahbubul Haq Research Centre (MHRC). His current teaching interests are in the areas of philosophy of education, inclusion, economics of education, game theory, microeconomics and industrial organization. Dr. Bari has over twenty years of research experience in the fields of industrial economics, development economics and education economics. Previously, he has worked as Deputy Country Director for Pakistan in the Central Eurasia Project and as an education economist for South Asia at the Open Society Foundation. He was a visiting faculty member at Yale University in 2000-2001. He has also consulted for various multilateral and bi-lateral agencies including the World Bank, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Department of International Development (DFID) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He writes a fortnightly column for the English Daily The Dawn.

The Book ‘Conundrums of Education' is one of its kind in bringing together a myriad of educational issues, highlighted by the author's response to the urgency of the given moment. The book covers a wide spectrum of educational issues at macro, meso and micro levels across educational strata. At the meso level, of concern is the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms and the poor standards of assessments. At the micro level it is the impact of educational policies and structures on individuals, especially those from socioeconomically marginalized communities. The latter made all the more alive and relatable by capturing moving personal anecdotes. The appeal is made not only to the mind but also to the heart and that is the beauty of the work. Throughout the chapters, one can see the arguments kneaded through by a sensitive intellectual mind that is committed to raising our consciousness and nudging us out of apathy and neoliberal individualistic thought patterns, towards a collective concern with education for all. Even if the critics would argue for the time boundedness of the collective articles, the work provides a valuable historical vantage point to assess the progress we have made towards education, keeping true to our pledge in Article 25- A of our constitution. These concerns, whether about the poor quality of local standardized tests, large-scale failures in exams, the hollowness of grades or lack of second chances, stem from a genuine commitment and belief in the right to education for all. The book underscores the need for soul searching and questions the subtle boundaries that are drawn to define who comprises the "all" in Education for All. The simple language and the analytical depth that come from the rich experience of the author of around 30 years of university teaching and research give the book the power to speak persuasively to everyone.

Date:

October 10, 2024