Oars sliced through the water near Karachi’s main
port. The rowers worked in unison, pushing
their shells toward construction cranes that towered over the mangroves. I sat on
the Karachi Boat Club’s pier watching my host’s children and their friends
practice competitive rowing. Most of them attend the same private school. I stared towards the Arabian Sea, reminded of
a different group of high school students. They’re also located near the sea. But,
their school places them at a disadvantage.
This summer, I interned with the Population and Community
Development Association. I visited their
10th grade Mechai Bamboo School (MBS) for disadvantaged children. It
was part of an idyllic resort in Pattaya.
My responsibilities also took me to the school’s main campus
in Buriram. While there, I learned how the organization promotes the school.
They claim it is a great improvement from similar government institutions. It's described as a center of "lifelong
learning" that imparts English ability and micro-business skills. The Bamboo School boosts of its well rounded
curriculum, developed by teachers and students.
I didn’t have much opportunity to talk with the students in
Buriram. That was not the case in Karachi. My host’s daughter was class
president at Karachi’s private Center for Advanced Studies. The school exhibits
a marked improvement over government educational centers. Students are schooled
in English and Urdu. The curriculum prepares students for acceptance to international
universities while teaching them respect for local culture and religion. Students,
with faculty oversight, manage discipline among themselves.
At first glance, the schools’ methods seem similar. Except
for one major thing. The Thai school
provides meaningful education to the needy. The Pakistani school reserves it
for those who can pay.
Teaching students to not rely on hand-outs? |
But MBS does require a form of pay. It’s just not the kind
that can fund its operating costs. Students’ families must plant trees in order
to pay the school’s “tuition.” The organization
promotes that children perform one hour of community service in the School
Lunch Garden to receive a meal. This is ostensibly so students will learn to value
work instead of relying on hand-outs. After all,
there’s no such thing as a free lunch at the bamboo school, right?
Wrong.
Anyone who visits the school for more than a short time
notices the deficit between promotional literature and reality. A donation box
for the students’ lunch sits at the entrance where parents pick up their students. The
students receive some level of “free” lunch through donations. The Bamboo School
advertises that it closes during “rice planting season.” In fact, the school
only closes for two days with little rice planting involved.
The landscaped entrance to MBS |
I saw students in
class exactly once during my entire two-month internship. Assemblies in honor
of visiting sponsors seemed much more common. When I inquired as to the
students’ course load, PDA employees discreetly told me that donor visits
necessitate a sparse class schedule. According
to an English Teacher, the pupils’ English levels are actually no higher than in
average government schools. Contrary to what is claimed in the brochures, student
participation in curriculum development is non-existent.
Back in Karachi, the Center for Advanced Studies seemed to
deliver on its promises. It’s easy to see why: CAS requires monetary tuition. This frees it from
the need to put sponsors first. Most Pakistani families cannot afford the price
of attendance. However, the value of granting some few a quality education
benefits a country far more than professing to provide it to many.
Still, those who cannot pay have few options. Government
schools are often sub-standard, especially in the developing world. Pakistanis,
who place a high value on community service, have started NGOs of their own to
provide alternative schools for the poor. But, they also require donations from
sponsors.
Organized religion
sometimes offers a solution. My Pakistani host is a successful businessman. He
was educated in a Catholic school. In
Lahore I met some students from a local mosque. They were quite friendly and seemed
knowledgeable about local history. The
students’ English was far better than any I’d encountered from their older MBS
counterparts in Thailand.
Radical mosque near Jinnah's Tomb |
Rowing at the boat club was over. Our driver navigated
Karachi’s gridlock; we arrived safely home. It occurred to me that the value of
any service is equal to its outcome. A high quality education affords its
recipient an opportunity. But, it is up to that person to take advantage. It
makes no economic sense to expect something from nothing. Charity isn’t always
the answer.
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