http://pakteahouse.net/2015/07/16/which-school-should-my-child-go-to/
Which Should My Child Go to School?
By Nilofer Qazi
Met a friend the other day, while Discussing how to choose a play school for one's 2 year old, the conversation turned out to be quite existential in nature.
Which school should put one of those little ones is a very big deal; All parents will tell you this. What are some of the issues he considers to? The quality of the teachers is definitely a consideration, given that most teachers here are not professionally trained, meaning are not education degree professionals, that are primarily 'experienced' in managing children having Gained them are working knowledge over time 'on the job (s) '. Yes this is scary when one thinks about it, leaving it most precious, with untrained people who will shape the ideas and develop them to the foundations of their interests ... for life. Another consideration is the proximity to the more mundane no doubt that one's work is home for pick and drop of your child.
What I never imagined my friend but what I did was to admit feeling little one in Al Huda. Yes Farhat Hashmi's Al Hud. Can this be an Appropriate place for any child? Should not our children be taught freely and without prejudice & fear? Should their children develop solid foundations to begin the journey of life? Should it be focused on children at age 2 and religion prayer and ritual as the lens through which they view the wonder of the world. I did not realize I would know people who would even CONSIDER this as an option. I must admit I was aghast, perfectly well heeled, educated professional parents are putting their most precious in the hands of Farhat Hashmi.
Made me think. Given the environment we live in Pakistan, even the most religious would agree that we live in a highly intolerant and unsafe environment. Why would anyone (with a choice) to enroll their children in an environment where prejudice, ritual and gender inequality are innate to them the WorldView?
My one and only experience of Farhat Hashmi was in the late 90s where I saw all pre-adolescent girls bring to tears because they were not wearing hijab. My God Rehman and frankly no one would focus on such matters as the primary Rahim. Ethics are critical and essential in any society; ethics and values of love, respect hard work not self-righteousness and clothing!
Farhat Hashmi is a controversial religious figure that has been in the press for all the wrong reasons, fraud in Canada and in North America with a very strict interpretation of Wahhabi Islam. Each focus has been to target the upper middle classes of Pakistan and the diaspora, and has now quite far and Widely spread all teaching throughout Pakistan. If we were to expect the next generation to be tolerant and inclusive of different people, views and religion she would not be the educationist to turn to.
I did not think any of "my kind of people's every establishment would even remotely consider them as an option to shape the child's worldview. But then some of the arguments my friend made: I did not want to feel the child to be brought up with upper middle class values and did not want to feel the child to have materialistic values he consider 'boys' as friends as "normal. Of course to each is their own value system. But since when is Farhat Hashmi middle class, in fact I understand each target audience is upper middle class (income wise); there is never an emphasis on giving back to the community or encouragement for charity work to improve health education in civic sense with the Al Hud groups. If we look just to the Gulf, follows the example Farhat Hashmi & apes, and their focus on materialism is unparralel.
Furthermor to, in my humble opinion I find the convoluted attitudes Enhances segregation between the Genders and does not 'protect' it girls or boys from deviant behavior. Making something 'unnatural' instills in deviant behavior. There is enough evidence all around. Why are he Malls trying to 'ban' the boys from entering certaine and stop making a nuisance of Themselves? Why do they make nuisances of Themselves? What kind of exposure do they have to different kinds of people and the opposite sex that makes them so socially deviant? Society can not impose unnatural behavioral patterns. The ethics taught at home is what guides us in our interaction at school, society and privately. Hijab does not make it to the pious far from it.
These conversations made me think hard, what are well heeled parents making choices for their little ones so early in life and how they will impact on their lives forever.
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