In a column for Dawn, Faisal Bari argues that education turns lifeless when pupils only imitate, memorise formulas and recite for exams. In his view, they cannot apply what they learn and soon forget it. He says schools should cultivate critical thinking, argument and reflection.
Bari stresses that the problem is pedagogy more than subject matter. A physics teacher who welcomed mistakes sparked his curiosity. He warns that philosophy would fail too if taught as a list of names to recite. For freethinkers this is a reminder that questioning has to be practised in classrooms before it can be defended in public. This is the author's opinion.
