1. What is the meaning of your given name?
2. Does your name affect your personality?
3. Tell me something about your hometown.
4. What are the differences in accent between your hometown and Beijing?
5. What is the character of the people like in your hometown?
6. What is people's favourite food in the region where you live?
7. What will you do during the Spring Festival this year?
8. Are there any traditional festivals in your region?
9. Describe a typical Spring Festival for a Chinese family.
10. Tell me something about the Lantern Festival.
11. How have weddings changed in recent years?
12. Tell me something about the Qing Ming Festival.
13. Describe a traditional wedding ceremony.
14. How do Chinese usually celebrate birthdays?
15. Are there any traditions concerning the birth of a baby?
16. How do you like Beijing? Compare it to your hometown.
17. What place do you like best in Beijing?
18. What places in Beijing should a foreigner visit?
19. What places would you recommend a visitor to go to in your region/hometown?
20. If you had the choice, where would you choose to live in China?
21. Which parts of China would you recommend a foreigner to visit?
22. Tell me something about your family.
23. Which is the worst place you've been to in China?
24. Who takes the greatest responsibility for bringing up your child in your family?
25. Which is the best place you've been to in China?
26. Who does most of the household chores in your family?
27. Are the traditional sexual roles within the family changing?
28. Why is the divorce rate increasing so rapidly? Is it a problem?
29. What is your opinion of the one-child policy?
30. How do you discipline your child?
31. Is it acceptable for couples to live together without marrying?
32. If you had the choice, would you have a son or a daughter?
33. Are you going to bring your child up any differently to the way your parents did?
34. What hopes do you have for your child?
35. Do women still have too heavy a burden in their day to day life?
36. Is the increasing influence of the West largely a positive or negative thing?
37. What, according to you, has been the greatest change in recent years?
38. What, according to you, has been the most problematic change in recent years?
39. What, if you are a lecturer what changes have you seen in education over the past few years?
40. Who should bear the responsibility for payment of tuition fees?
41. What can be done to improve education in rural areas?
42. Have recent changes affected your job in any way?
43. Do you agree with private education?
44. What can be done to close the gap between urban and rural areas?
45. If you had the power, what reforms would you carry out within education?
46. Describe a typical working day for you.
47. How do you see yourself in ten years time?
48. If you had the opportunity to change your job, what would you do instead?
49. If you had one million Yuan, what would you do with it?
50. If you could start your life again, would you do anything differently?
51. Do you have any ambitions?
52. Which country/place would you most like to visit?
53. What changes do you think China will see in the next few years?
54. Will any possible future changes affect your job in any way?
55. How do you think you will cope in Britain?
56. Does anything worry you about going to the UK?
57. Are you looking forward to anything in particular in Britain?
58. What are your plans on your return to China?
59. What do you do in your spare time?
60. What will you do if you fail the IELTS?
http://www.achieverspoint.com/ielts/ielts-questions.htm
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Sample Interview Questions and Approaches
Teacher and Administrator Positions at the Middle Level
National Middle School Association surveyed middle schools to determine the questions and approaches they use when interviewing for teacher and administrator positions. We hope some of these will be helpful to you.
One school administrator refers to an article in the March 2004 Middle School Journal, "Hiring the Best Middle School Teachers with Behavior-Based Interviewing." This principal remarks, "I found that article well after I had spent time developing my own process. However, my questionnaire now includes a couple of questions from that article."
One school uses a pre-interview questionnaire to assist in initial screening of candidates:
1. Briefly describe activities you have implemented that reflect your philosophy of education as it
relates to middle school students.
2. As you design a lesson and/or unit, what are necessary elements that must be present?
3. In addition to tests, what procedures do you use for evaluating student progress?
4. What methods do you use to keep parents and students informed of progress?
5. Why do you want to be considered for a position at this school?
Teacher Interview Questions
• Background and Introduction
o Tell us about yourself. (Include information about high school, college, activities, honors,
student teaching assignment, work experience. etc.)
o What are your endorsements?
o Explain your experience as it relates to this position.
o What are your career goals (short and long term goals)?
o Why do you want to teach middle school?
o What characteristics do you have that will help you to work with colleagues or students
who are different from you?
o Why did you select [subject] as your major area of study?
o What experiences have you had, both in your teacher education program and in other
jobs or volunteer work, that have helped to prepare you to become a teacher?
• Students
o Describe some characteristics of middle level students.
o What makes you well-suited to teach middle level students?
o Describe your experience working with special education students.
o Describe your experience working with English language learners
o How do kids learn?
o What three expectations do you have of your students?
• Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment
o Give several examples of how you have instructionally designed your lessons to meet the
varying ability levels of your students (low, average, high).
o How do you organize an effective lesson (planning, sequence, support, appropriate,
engaging, etc.)?
Prepared by National Middle School Association 5/24/05
o Tell us more about your instructional style. How do you teach? What would we see in
your classroom?
o How do you teach reading in your content area?
o How do you incorporate technology into your instruction?
o How do you incorporate thinking skills into your class?
o When kids forget all the details of your subject, what are the main concepts you want
them to remember?
o How do you utilize different teaching strategies to best provide for the learning needs of
all students?
o Discuss ways you assess student learning. (How do you measure student learning
and/or check for understanding?)
o What is the purpose of homework?
o Describe a typical homework assignment.
o How do you select resources? Why would you use a textbook?
o A math teacher on your team is teaching a unit on measurement. How could you relate
this to the topic being taught in your class?
o What is the goal of your instruction?
o How do you motivate the unmotivated?
o What is unique about your approach to teaching?
• Classroom management
o Explain how you structure the 55 minutes of a class period.
o How do you begin each class?
o Discuss your classroom and/or team discipline plan.
o Tell us how you have handled a student that was repeatedly disruptive in the classroom.
• Classroom and School Community
o How do you promote acceptance, tolerance and diversity in your classroom?
o What are some ways you involve parents in your instruction?
o Whether on a team or in a special area, it is important that colleagues reflect a sense of
teamwork. Describe ways you contribute to collegial support and staff morale.
o Aside from the instructional delivery of the curriculum in the classroom, how have you
had (or how do you see yourself having) a positive influence on the lives of your
students?
• Situations
o Think of a time when a student did not understand a concept/or a student was capable of
performing well beyond the academic expectations of the class. How did you respond?
o How would you approach a parent who was upset and/or angry?
o Describe the toughest student/students you have had to deal with, and how you resolved
the situation.
o Tell me about a lesson or unit you developed for this grade or subject, and how you
implemented it.
o Describe a lesson you have taught that was particularly successful/unsuccessful. What
did you do as a result of evaluating the lesson?
• Professional identity, care and development
o What do you read to stay current in your field?
o What are your long-term professional goals?
o What did you learn this year that will make you a better teacher next year?
o What do you do to combat stress?
o Would you be interested in a high school position in your subject area should if become
available?
o Think of your best teachers. What positive characteristics do you believe these teachers
demonstrated? Which of these characteristics do you believe you have?
Prepared by National Middle School Association 5/24/05
o What three words would your students use to describe you?
o What do you feel is your greatest strength? Weakness?
o Why do you feel that you are the best candidate for the position?
Administrator Interview Questions
(principal, assistant principal, dean of students)
• Background
o Please explain experience you have had as it relates to this position.
o Tell us about yourself. (Include information about high school, college, activities, honors,
student teaching assignment, administrative experience. etc.)
o What are your endorsements?
o Why do you want to be a middle level principal/assistant principal/dean of students?
o What do you perceive as the top priority as a school administrator? For this position?
o Why do you feel that you are the best candidate for the position?
o What makes for a good middle school?
• Students
o Describe some characteristics of middle level students.
o What three expectations do you have of students?
o How do kids learn?
o How have you had a positive influence on the lives of your students as an administrator?
o What should a typical day be like for students in middle school?
• Leadership - General
o Tell us about your leadership style. How do you lead? What would we observe when
watching you work with staff?
o What role do you take in team meetings?
o What do you look for when observing teachers?
o Describe how you utilize technology to manage your building.
o What characteristics do you look for in a teacher candidate for your building?
o Describe your experience with building a master schedule.
o What three expectations do you have of your staff?
o Explain your experience in running meetings and leading groups.
o How have you worked with regular education teachers in order to better ensure the
success of integrating kids with special needs in regular education classrooms?
o What are the characteristics of a successful school for young adolescents?
o Describe your knowledge and experience in using data to inform decisions.
• Leadership - Instruction/Curriculum
o Describe a curriculum project that you have led in your building as an administrator and
your role in the process.
o Describe your experience working with special education programs/students.
o Describe your experience working with English language learners.
o Describe what you consider good assessment.
o What do you see as the Curriculum Director's role in working with your staff?
o What do you consider to be the key components of a good middle level program?
o When you walk into a classroom, how can you tell if learning is going on?
o What do you expect to see in quality lesson plans?
• Leadership – Staff development
o How do you tell someone he or she is not doing a good job?
o How do you decide what staff development is necessary?
o How do you determine what to do on staff development day?
Prepared by National Middle School Association 5/24/05
o How do you evaluate the effectiveness of staff development?
o What does staff development look like in your school?
• Situations
o How would you go about developing and implementing an advisory program in a school
where no such program exists?
o Have you had to develop a shared vision where there had been no vision or different
visions? Describe that experience.
o How do you work with a teacher that repeatedly sends students to the office?
o How do you work with a parent who is upset and/or angry with a teacher?
o Describe the toughest student(s) you have dealt with and how you resolved the situation.
o What steps would you follow if a teacher did not comply with your recommendations after
a classroom visit?
o How do you react when a parent calls and is upset with something one of your teachers
has done?
o How do you react when a parent calls and is upset with something you have done?
• School Climate and Community
o Describe ways you contribute to or facilitate collegial support and staff morale.
o When dealing with a discipline problem with a student, what is your major concern?
o How much/what type of input do you solicit from a teacher in dealing with
referrals/discipline problems with a student?
o What kind of discipline plan do you expect from the teachers working under you?
o When a teacher sends a student to you for discipline what process do you follow?
o How have you helped others develop discipline, intervention, or behavior plans?
o Tell us about a time when you had to make a difficult decision, and you knew that
whatever you decided, some people would be unhappy.
o Define "learning community," and describe what that looks like in your school.
o What does a safe, supportive, encouraging environment look like in your school?
o How do you go about creating and nurturing a safe, supportive, encouraging school
environment?
o What role do parents and adult family members have in the school?
o What do you expect of students’ parents and adult family members?
• Professional identity, care, and development
o What makes you well-suited to work with middle level students in this capacity?
o What is your greatest strength?
o Weakness?
o What three words would your staff use to describe you?
o What three words would your students use to describe you?
o What do you read to stay current in your field?
o What are your long-term professional goals?
o What do you do to combat stress?
o What kinds of things are important to you and would definitely be part of your daily
schedule?
Share your processes and questions with us by sending a message to Mary Henton, NMSA director of research and development at mhenton@nmsa.org.
Prepared by National Middle School Association 5/24/05
http://www.nmsa.org/portals/0/pdf/member/job_connection/Interview_Questions.pdf
National Middle School Association surveyed middle schools to determine the questions and approaches they use when interviewing for teacher and administrator positions. We hope some of these will be helpful to you.
One school administrator refers to an article in the March 2004 Middle School Journal, "Hiring the Best Middle School Teachers with Behavior-Based Interviewing." This principal remarks, "I found that article well after I had spent time developing my own process. However, my questionnaire now includes a couple of questions from that article."
One school uses a pre-interview questionnaire to assist in initial screening of candidates:
1. Briefly describe activities you have implemented that reflect your philosophy of education as it
relates to middle school students.
2. As you design a lesson and/or unit, what are necessary elements that must be present?
3. In addition to tests, what procedures do you use for evaluating student progress?
4. What methods do you use to keep parents and students informed of progress?
5. Why do you want to be considered for a position at this school?
Teacher Interview Questions
• Background and Introduction
o Tell us about yourself. (Include information about high school, college, activities, honors,
student teaching assignment, work experience. etc.)
o What are your endorsements?
o Explain your experience as it relates to this position.
o What are your career goals (short and long term goals)?
o Why do you want to teach middle school?
o What characteristics do you have that will help you to work with colleagues or students
who are different from you?
o Why did you select [subject] as your major area of study?
o What experiences have you had, both in your teacher education program and in other
jobs or volunteer work, that have helped to prepare you to become a teacher?
• Students
o Describe some characteristics of middle level students.
o What makes you well-suited to teach middle level students?
o Describe your experience working with special education students.
o Describe your experience working with English language learners
o How do kids learn?
o What three expectations do you have of your students?
• Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment
o Give several examples of how you have instructionally designed your lessons to meet the
varying ability levels of your students (low, average, high).
o How do you organize an effective lesson (planning, sequence, support, appropriate,
engaging, etc.)?
Prepared by National Middle School Association 5/24/05
o Tell us more about your instructional style. How do you teach? What would we see in
your classroom?
o How do you teach reading in your content area?
o How do you incorporate technology into your instruction?
o How do you incorporate thinking skills into your class?
o When kids forget all the details of your subject, what are the main concepts you want
them to remember?
o How do you utilize different teaching strategies to best provide for the learning needs of
all students?
o Discuss ways you assess student learning. (How do you measure student learning
and/or check for understanding?)
o What is the purpose of homework?
o Describe a typical homework assignment.
o How do you select resources? Why would you use a textbook?
o A math teacher on your team is teaching a unit on measurement. How could you relate
this to the topic being taught in your class?
o What is the goal of your instruction?
o How do you motivate the unmotivated?
o What is unique about your approach to teaching?
• Classroom management
o Explain how you structure the 55 minutes of a class period.
o How do you begin each class?
o Discuss your classroom and/or team discipline plan.
o Tell us how you have handled a student that was repeatedly disruptive in the classroom.
• Classroom and School Community
o How do you promote acceptance, tolerance and diversity in your classroom?
o What are some ways you involve parents in your instruction?
o Whether on a team or in a special area, it is important that colleagues reflect a sense of
teamwork. Describe ways you contribute to collegial support and staff morale.
o Aside from the instructional delivery of the curriculum in the classroom, how have you
had (or how do you see yourself having) a positive influence on the lives of your
students?
• Situations
o Think of a time when a student did not understand a concept/or a student was capable of
performing well beyond the academic expectations of the class. How did you respond?
o How would you approach a parent who was upset and/or angry?
o Describe the toughest student/students you have had to deal with, and how you resolved
the situation.
o Tell me about a lesson or unit you developed for this grade or subject, and how you
implemented it.
o Describe a lesson you have taught that was particularly successful/unsuccessful. What
did you do as a result of evaluating the lesson?
• Professional identity, care and development
o What do you read to stay current in your field?
o What are your long-term professional goals?
o What did you learn this year that will make you a better teacher next year?
o What do you do to combat stress?
o Would you be interested in a high school position in your subject area should if become
available?
o Think of your best teachers. What positive characteristics do you believe these teachers
demonstrated? Which of these characteristics do you believe you have?
Prepared by National Middle School Association 5/24/05
o What three words would your students use to describe you?
o What do you feel is your greatest strength? Weakness?
o Why do you feel that you are the best candidate for the position?
Administrator Interview Questions
(principal, assistant principal, dean of students)
• Background
o Please explain experience you have had as it relates to this position.
o Tell us about yourself. (Include information about high school, college, activities, honors,
student teaching assignment, administrative experience. etc.)
o What are your endorsements?
o Why do you want to be a middle level principal/assistant principal/dean of students?
o What do you perceive as the top priority as a school administrator? For this position?
o Why do you feel that you are the best candidate for the position?
o What makes for a good middle school?
• Students
o Describe some characteristics of middle level students.
o What three expectations do you have of students?
o How do kids learn?
o How have you had a positive influence on the lives of your students as an administrator?
o What should a typical day be like for students in middle school?
• Leadership - General
o Tell us about your leadership style. How do you lead? What would we observe when
watching you work with staff?
o What role do you take in team meetings?
o What do you look for when observing teachers?
o Describe how you utilize technology to manage your building.
o What characteristics do you look for in a teacher candidate for your building?
o Describe your experience with building a master schedule.
o What three expectations do you have of your staff?
o Explain your experience in running meetings and leading groups.
o How have you worked with regular education teachers in order to better ensure the
success of integrating kids with special needs in regular education classrooms?
o What are the characteristics of a successful school for young adolescents?
o Describe your knowledge and experience in using data to inform decisions.
• Leadership - Instruction/Curriculum
o Describe a curriculum project that you have led in your building as an administrator and
your role in the process.
o Describe your experience working with special education programs/students.
o Describe your experience working with English language learners.
o Describe what you consider good assessment.
o What do you see as the Curriculum Director's role in working with your staff?
o What do you consider to be the key components of a good middle level program?
o When you walk into a classroom, how can you tell if learning is going on?
o What do you expect to see in quality lesson plans?
• Leadership – Staff development
o How do you tell someone he or she is not doing a good job?
o How do you decide what staff development is necessary?
o How do you determine what to do on staff development day?
Prepared by National Middle School Association 5/24/05
o How do you evaluate the effectiveness of staff development?
o What does staff development look like in your school?
• Situations
o How would you go about developing and implementing an advisory program in a school
where no such program exists?
o Have you had to develop a shared vision where there had been no vision or different
visions? Describe that experience.
o How do you work with a teacher that repeatedly sends students to the office?
o How do you work with a parent who is upset and/or angry with a teacher?
o Describe the toughest student(s) you have dealt with and how you resolved the situation.
o What steps would you follow if a teacher did not comply with your recommendations after
a classroom visit?
o How do you react when a parent calls and is upset with something one of your teachers
has done?
o How do you react when a parent calls and is upset with something you have done?
• School Climate and Community
o Describe ways you contribute to or facilitate collegial support and staff morale.
o When dealing with a discipline problem with a student, what is your major concern?
o How much/what type of input do you solicit from a teacher in dealing with
referrals/discipline problems with a student?
o What kind of discipline plan do you expect from the teachers working under you?
o When a teacher sends a student to you for discipline what process do you follow?
o How have you helped others develop discipline, intervention, or behavior plans?
o Tell us about a time when you had to make a difficult decision, and you knew that
whatever you decided, some people would be unhappy.
o Define "learning community," and describe what that looks like in your school.
o What does a safe, supportive, encouraging environment look like in your school?
o How do you go about creating and nurturing a safe, supportive, encouraging school
environment?
o What role do parents and adult family members have in the school?
o What do you expect of students’ parents and adult family members?
• Professional identity, care, and development
o What makes you well-suited to work with middle level students in this capacity?
o What is your greatest strength?
o Weakness?
o What three words would your staff use to describe you?
o What three words would your students use to describe you?
o What do you read to stay current in your field?
o What are your long-term professional goals?
o What do you do to combat stress?
o What kinds of things are important to you and would definitely be part of your daily
schedule?
Share your processes and questions with us by sending a message to Mary Henton, NMSA director of research and development at mhenton@nmsa.org.
Prepared by National Middle School Association 5/24/05
http://www.nmsa.org/portals/0/pdf/member/job_connection/Interview_Questions.pdf
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Sigourney Weaver: My family values
The actor talks about her family
Elaine Lipworth
The Guardian, Saturday 1 May 2010
My mother was the English actor Elizabeth Inglis. She appeared in Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. She was in The Letter, too, with Bette Davis. She's good in it. Just a small part. She was awfully pretty – and a huge inspiration to me. I love being half English. (Yes, I drink tea!) She was at Rada with Vivien Leigh, then moved to America and left her family behind because they didn't want her to act. She always made her own way in the world and showed me, as I grew up, that it's all right to do things for yourself.
She was kind of a renegade. She was the first jogger in New York City. She used to run alongside FDR Drive in the 60s and people would slow down in their cars and say: "You all right, lady? Shall we call the police?" because they didn't know why she was running!
I dreamed of being a stage actor like my mother, doing Shakespeare. I never imagined being in movies. When I told her I wanted to act, she said: "No, dear, they will eat you alive!" I don't think she meant to be critical – I think that was just her way of making sure I didn't get an over-inflated ego. That's a very English trait. Whereas my father just used to say about acting: "It's a racket, a wonderful racket!"
My father, Pat Weaver, was the head of NBC Television in the 50s. I learned from observing him the satisfaction that comes from striving and seeing a dream fulfilled. At 14, I changed my name from Susan to Sigourney – a minor character in The Great Gatsby. It was an act of desperation, because I didn't like being called Susie. Now I'm "Siggy", so it doesn't matter.
My daughter Charlotte is absolutely the most important thing to me. My family comes first and I'm so grateful to them that they let me go off and make films. But, you know, I find it very difficult to leave them. I hate it. I have had therapy and found it helpful in dealing with the guilt I've felt about leaving them. Going to New Zealand to make Avatar when my daughter was applying to colleges almost killed me.
I would have loved to have had more children, but there are no regrets now because I feel so fortunate that I have one – I didn't get married till I was 34. I didn't want to have children right away. You get the hand you're dealt, and it took me a long time when I did want a second child, to just wake up and go: "Why aren't I enjoying the child I have?"
Years after the success of Alien, I remember a friend saying to my daughter: "Don't you know that your mom is a huge feminist icon for all women?" And she said: "That goes in the little box of things I don't need to know." In our family that's as it should be. Acting is a thing I do on the side.
I like getting older – it's interesting. I don't think it's attractive to have a taut face with a 65-year-old's body. I find that look scary. My mother was a great beauty and she never succumbed to plastic surgery. She thought it was best to grow old gracefully. I feel the same. We change ourselves by looking back and trying to stay young instead of moving forward.
Don't complain: I learned that from my mother, too, when she was struggling with the infirmity of old age. It was a real lesson – she was so stoic, she never, ever complained. I grew up feeling you were supposed to make the most of whatever you have in life. It was drummed into me: enjoy the life you have.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/01/sigourney-weaver-family-values-avatar
Elaine Lipworth
The Guardian, Saturday 1 May 2010
My mother was the English actor Elizabeth Inglis. She appeared in Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. She was in The Letter, too, with Bette Davis. She's good in it. Just a small part. She was awfully pretty – and a huge inspiration to me. I love being half English. (Yes, I drink tea!) She was at Rada with Vivien Leigh, then moved to America and left her family behind because they didn't want her to act. She always made her own way in the world and showed me, as I grew up, that it's all right to do things for yourself.
She was kind of a renegade. She was the first jogger in New York City. She used to run alongside FDR Drive in the 60s and people would slow down in their cars and say: "You all right, lady? Shall we call the police?" because they didn't know why she was running!
I dreamed of being a stage actor like my mother, doing Shakespeare. I never imagined being in movies. When I told her I wanted to act, she said: "No, dear, they will eat you alive!" I don't think she meant to be critical – I think that was just her way of making sure I didn't get an over-inflated ego. That's a very English trait. Whereas my father just used to say about acting: "It's a racket, a wonderful racket!"
My father, Pat Weaver, was the head of NBC Television in the 50s. I learned from observing him the satisfaction that comes from striving and seeing a dream fulfilled. At 14, I changed my name from Susan to Sigourney – a minor character in The Great Gatsby. It was an act of desperation, because I didn't like being called Susie. Now I'm "Siggy", so it doesn't matter.
My daughter Charlotte is absolutely the most important thing to me. My family comes first and I'm so grateful to them that they let me go off and make films. But, you know, I find it very difficult to leave them. I hate it. I have had therapy and found it helpful in dealing with the guilt I've felt about leaving them. Going to New Zealand to make Avatar when my daughter was applying to colleges almost killed me.
I would have loved to have had more children, but there are no regrets now because I feel so fortunate that I have one – I didn't get married till I was 34. I didn't want to have children right away. You get the hand you're dealt, and it took me a long time when I did want a second child, to just wake up and go: "Why aren't I enjoying the child I have?"
Years after the success of Alien, I remember a friend saying to my daughter: "Don't you know that your mom is a huge feminist icon for all women?" And she said: "That goes in the little box of things I don't need to know." In our family that's as it should be. Acting is a thing I do on the side.
I like getting older – it's interesting. I don't think it's attractive to have a taut face with a 65-year-old's body. I find that look scary. My mother was a great beauty and she never succumbed to plastic surgery. She thought it was best to grow old gracefully. I feel the same. We change ourselves by looking back and trying to stay young instead of moving forward.
Don't complain: I learned that from my mother, too, when she was struggling with the infirmity of old age. It was a real lesson – she was so stoic, she never, ever complained. I grew up feeling you were supposed to make the most of whatever you have in life. It was drummed into me: enjoy the life you have.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/01/sigourney-weaver-family-values-avatar
Searching for my lost father
In 1972, Jenny Potts had a baby by her boyfriend who had just arrived from Pakistan. After the birth he left and she never heard from him again. Now 38, her son Joseph is on a mission to track down his missing father
Sarfraz Manzoor
Saturday 1 May 2010
The first time Jenny Potts met Mohammed Rafiq was in the spring of 1971, when she was a 26-year-old art teacher and he was the manager of the Elite, a cinema on Soho Road in Birmingham that screened Indian films for the city's Asian community. Jenny was not Asian – she was a delicate-featured white woman who was at the Elite after accepting a date with an Iranian man from her evening dance class. The man had offered to take Jenny to the cinema to introduce her to some of his friends, and that was how she met the man who was to change her life.
"I wasn't very keen on the Iranian man," she recalls "but there was just something about Ahmed [the name that Rafiq used] that meant we had an instant rapport." Ahmed was newly arrived from Pakistan, a sharp dresser who worked out at the gym – and Jenny thought he was devastatingly attractive. "It was basically physical," says Jenny, who is now 66 and still lives in Birmingham. "I thought he was very nice-looking, and so when he rang to ask me on a date a few days later I said yes."
Birmingham in the early 1970s was not the multicultural city it is today, and the sight of a white woman and an Asian man walking together attracted attention. On their first date Ahmed took Jenny to the Market Hotel, and as they left the bar Ahmed grabbed Jenny's hand and they walked out on to the street holding hands. "I remember feeling that there was something unusual about us as a couple," says Jenny, "because it was rare to see mixed-race couples back then."
Ahmed and Jenny began seeing each other regularly. He talked about his parents who were still in Pakistan, and she would visit the house he rented and eat with him. "It was the first time I had ever eaten curry," she says. For three months the relationship blossomed and Jenny was happier than she had ever been. "I had been raised in a very respectable middle-class family," she says, "and during my teens I had been a loner, so meeting Ahmed was like entering a dream world. This was a new world to me."
Her parents did not voice any objections to her dating an Asian man and when they went out, far from experiencing hostility, Ahmed found himself the subject of unsolicited attention from women impressed by his dapper dress. Then Jenny became pregnant.
The news was unexpected and, for Ahmed, unwelcome. "I wanted to settle down, marry and have a domestic life," says Jenny, "but Ahmed was scared – he feared his father would kill him if he ever found out what his son had done."
Brought up in a traditional Muslim family, Ahmed was confused and torn between his faith, his feelings and his fear. "He was in over his head," says Jenny, sadly. Her parents also took the pregnancy badly. "My dad was upset that the pregnancy was outside marriage and that it was with a non-white man, and my mother would have been happier if I had had an abortion."
Ahmed and Jenny continued to see each other for the first seven months of the pregnancy but then he stopped calling and Jenny had to deal with the reality that he was not committed.
In February 1972, two months after last seeing Ahmed, Jenny gave birth to their baby, a boy she named Joseph. Afterwards, when Jenny was living at her parents' home, the absence of Ahmed began to weigh on her mind. On her bedroom wall, she had hung a Pakistani film poster he had given her. One night, when little Joseph was two months old and sleeping in his cot, she picked up a pen and wrote Ahmed a letter. "I pleaded with Ahmed to come back. I told him I needed him in my life." As she speaks, I notice Jenny's clasped hands trembling.
Some days later Ahmed rang Jenny and arranged to visit. He walked into the bedroom and saw Joseph in his cot. Ahmed picked up his son and looked tenderly into his eyes. Jenny began to believe that perhaps he had changed his mind and was intending to come back to her. A few days later he rang and they talked about plans for the future. They chatted for an hour and Jenny tried to persuade Ahmed that they should look for flats and move in together. But it was the last time Jenny would hear Ahmed's voice. "I called his home some time later and the solicitor he shared the house with told me that Ahmed had moved back to Pakistan. When I pleaded with him to give me Ahmed's address in Pakistan he refused."
So Jenny was left to raise her son alone and Joseph grew up without a father and unable to explore his Pakistani heritage. "We were living in a very white area," says Jenny. "I didn't have any Asian friends and I felt really helpless because there was a massive gap in Joseph's upbringing that I couldn't fill on my own."
Listening to her talk, sitting beside her on the sofa in his city-centre flat, is Joseph. "I knew from the time I was seven or so that my father came from Pakistan but that meant nothing at that age," he says. "I did get called 'Paki' a few times and I remember using a powder puff on my skin a few times when I was in my teens because I felt life would be easier to be pink than to be mixed."
Mostly, though, Joseph wasn't treated any differently and he spent his 20s developing and exploring his own identity – growing his hair, playing guitar and reading existential novels.
Ahmed seemed to belong to another world and age and Joseph believed that he had left his long-lost father behind. It is only in the past few years, as friends have got married and had children, that the primal desire to understand where he came from and who his father is has returned. "I grew up without a male figure in the immediate background to guide, challenge and rebel against," Joseph explains. "His absence has been his metaphysical mystery challenge. His enigma. I am having to become a father to myself, but why does he want to hide?"
In an effort to trace his father, Joseph went to Lahore in Pakistan, where he met men who claimed they had heard of a Mohammed Rafiq who once managed the Elite cinema in 1970s Birmingham. "They said he was living in London and had a son who had married someone in the Pakistani film industry," says Joseph. "So I wrote to every Rafiq in London, all 270 of them, but without success."
Joseph wants to meet his father to ask him to acknowledge his actions from 38 years ago, to show him the impact his absence has had and to demand that he face the reality that he has a son. "I would like to tell him that I missed out on him passing his culture on to me," he says. "And I would like to know why he hadn't the courage to stay and support my mother."
Jenny also has questions. "There are questions I have asked myself for 38 years, questions that only he can answer," she says. "Was I deluding myself about this man? I want to know what he really thought about me, what his real feelings were and why he never got in touch with me."
Jenny and Joseph don't know if they will ever hear from Rafiq, where he lives or even whether he is alive. But Joseph does know that there is a father-shaped hole in his life that he longs for Rafiq to fill. And Jenny knows that, even after all these years, Mohammed Rafiq is the only man she has ever truly loved.
If you have any information that could help Jenny and Joseph Potts, please email Sarfraz Manzoor at sarfraz.manzoor@guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/01/single-parent-absent-father-sarfraz
Sarfraz Manzoor
Saturday 1 May 2010
The first time Jenny Potts met Mohammed Rafiq was in the spring of 1971, when she was a 26-year-old art teacher and he was the manager of the Elite, a cinema on Soho Road in Birmingham that screened Indian films for the city's Asian community. Jenny was not Asian – she was a delicate-featured white woman who was at the Elite after accepting a date with an Iranian man from her evening dance class. The man had offered to take Jenny to the cinema to introduce her to some of his friends, and that was how she met the man who was to change her life.
"I wasn't very keen on the Iranian man," she recalls "but there was just something about Ahmed [the name that Rafiq used] that meant we had an instant rapport." Ahmed was newly arrived from Pakistan, a sharp dresser who worked out at the gym – and Jenny thought he was devastatingly attractive. "It was basically physical," says Jenny, who is now 66 and still lives in Birmingham. "I thought he was very nice-looking, and so when he rang to ask me on a date a few days later I said yes."
Birmingham in the early 1970s was not the multicultural city it is today, and the sight of a white woman and an Asian man walking together attracted attention. On their first date Ahmed took Jenny to the Market Hotel, and as they left the bar Ahmed grabbed Jenny's hand and they walked out on to the street holding hands. "I remember feeling that there was something unusual about us as a couple," says Jenny, "because it was rare to see mixed-race couples back then."
Ahmed and Jenny began seeing each other regularly. He talked about his parents who were still in Pakistan, and she would visit the house he rented and eat with him. "It was the first time I had ever eaten curry," she says. For three months the relationship blossomed and Jenny was happier than she had ever been. "I had been raised in a very respectable middle-class family," she says, "and during my teens I had been a loner, so meeting Ahmed was like entering a dream world. This was a new world to me."
Her parents did not voice any objections to her dating an Asian man and when they went out, far from experiencing hostility, Ahmed found himself the subject of unsolicited attention from women impressed by his dapper dress. Then Jenny became pregnant.
The news was unexpected and, for Ahmed, unwelcome. "I wanted to settle down, marry and have a domestic life," says Jenny, "but Ahmed was scared – he feared his father would kill him if he ever found out what his son had done."
Brought up in a traditional Muslim family, Ahmed was confused and torn between his faith, his feelings and his fear. "He was in over his head," says Jenny, sadly. Her parents also took the pregnancy badly. "My dad was upset that the pregnancy was outside marriage and that it was with a non-white man, and my mother would have been happier if I had had an abortion."
Ahmed and Jenny continued to see each other for the first seven months of the pregnancy but then he stopped calling and Jenny had to deal with the reality that he was not committed.
In February 1972, two months after last seeing Ahmed, Jenny gave birth to their baby, a boy she named Joseph. Afterwards, when Jenny was living at her parents' home, the absence of Ahmed began to weigh on her mind. On her bedroom wall, she had hung a Pakistani film poster he had given her. One night, when little Joseph was two months old and sleeping in his cot, she picked up a pen and wrote Ahmed a letter. "I pleaded with Ahmed to come back. I told him I needed him in my life." As she speaks, I notice Jenny's clasped hands trembling.
Some days later Ahmed rang Jenny and arranged to visit. He walked into the bedroom and saw Joseph in his cot. Ahmed picked up his son and looked tenderly into his eyes. Jenny began to believe that perhaps he had changed his mind and was intending to come back to her. A few days later he rang and they talked about plans for the future. They chatted for an hour and Jenny tried to persuade Ahmed that they should look for flats and move in together. But it was the last time Jenny would hear Ahmed's voice. "I called his home some time later and the solicitor he shared the house with told me that Ahmed had moved back to Pakistan. When I pleaded with him to give me Ahmed's address in Pakistan he refused."
So Jenny was left to raise her son alone and Joseph grew up without a father and unable to explore his Pakistani heritage. "We were living in a very white area," says Jenny. "I didn't have any Asian friends and I felt really helpless because there was a massive gap in Joseph's upbringing that I couldn't fill on my own."
Listening to her talk, sitting beside her on the sofa in his city-centre flat, is Joseph. "I knew from the time I was seven or so that my father came from Pakistan but that meant nothing at that age," he says. "I did get called 'Paki' a few times and I remember using a powder puff on my skin a few times when I was in my teens because I felt life would be easier to be pink than to be mixed."
Mostly, though, Joseph wasn't treated any differently and he spent his 20s developing and exploring his own identity – growing his hair, playing guitar and reading existential novels.
Ahmed seemed to belong to another world and age and Joseph believed that he had left his long-lost father behind. It is only in the past few years, as friends have got married and had children, that the primal desire to understand where he came from and who his father is has returned. "I grew up without a male figure in the immediate background to guide, challenge and rebel against," Joseph explains. "His absence has been his metaphysical mystery challenge. His enigma. I am having to become a father to myself, but why does he want to hide?"
In an effort to trace his father, Joseph went to Lahore in Pakistan, where he met men who claimed they had heard of a Mohammed Rafiq who once managed the Elite cinema in 1970s Birmingham. "They said he was living in London and had a son who had married someone in the Pakistani film industry," says Joseph. "So I wrote to every Rafiq in London, all 270 of them, but without success."
Joseph wants to meet his father to ask him to acknowledge his actions from 38 years ago, to show him the impact his absence has had and to demand that he face the reality that he has a son. "I would like to tell him that I missed out on him passing his culture on to me," he says. "And I would like to know why he hadn't the courage to stay and support my mother."
Jenny also has questions. "There are questions I have asked myself for 38 years, questions that only he can answer," she says. "Was I deluding myself about this man? I want to know what he really thought about me, what his real feelings were and why he never got in touch with me."
Jenny and Joseph don't know if they will ever hear from Rafiq, where he lives or even whether he is alive. But Joseph does know that there is a father-shaped hole in his life that he longs for Rafiq to fill. And Jenny knows that, even after all these years, Mohammed Rafiq is the only man she has ever truly loved.
If you have any information that could help Jenny and Joseph Potts, please email Sarfraz Manzoor at sarfraz.manzoor@guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/01/single-parent-absent-father-sarfraz
Bridging the gap
By Sher Alam Shinwari
Guidance is like the skeleton while counselling is the flesh. A guidance and counselling unit or centre is the most important component of the academic system at every level in the advanced countries.Not only does it look into the emotional, psychological and social problems of the students, it also serves the purpose of bringing about a healthy relationship between the teacher and the student, and the parents and school administration. And all this is for the comprehensive development of a growing child, enabling him to absorb the emerging changes and challenges lying ahead.
Some of the better educational institutions in the private sector have set up a separate unit for interaction between the teachers’ students and parents which is seen as something quite out of the ordinary in the public sector.
But the provincial education department in the frontier had in the early ’80s launched guidance and counselling units throughout the province. Some 72 trained officials were appointed for the sole purpose of guiding and counselling for producing effective academic results in frontier schools. These officials were supposed to address only non-academic problems pertaining to the physiological, sociological and physychlogical aspects of the learners that could help administration evaluate overall academic excellence and also foresee its impact on the education process. But the process was discontinued and now we stand at a point where the teachers seem to be in more need of guidance and counselling than their students.
This scribe, with the help of a sample test distributed among 25 senior teachers of the topmost five educational institutions in Peshawar, found that they had only joined the teaching profession in absence of other lucrative jobs.
Many were of the view that their job was only to teach their respective subjects and they were not supposed to peep into the students’ personal problems.“Our school administration takes strict notice of a teacher’s relationship with his or her students other than academics. Therefore, we dare not ask what’s troubling them even if they misbehave,” said a teacher.
The widening gap between the teachers and the students sometimes leads to misunderstandings and even hatred. Similarly the relationship between the troika of parents, school administration and the students is a must for the smooth functioning of the education system. It produces quality results.
According to the experts, effective guidance and counselling can be carried out in 10 different stages where the process itself should be based on mutual confidentiality, respect and a complete background study of the case in point. Although guidance and counselling is taught to teachers during various courses including BEd and MEd, it is used by only a few as an effective tool to improve the academic atmosphere.
A few years ago, we started a guidance and counselling programme at our school during which I was able to gain unique experience. One day, a student came up to me with a strange story. He revealed that his family had been forcing him to marry a girl. He was indecisive and his future was at stake too as he could not concentrate on his studies with the intermediate examinations on his head. Another, wrongly accused of stealing Rs30,000, approached us in the nick of time as he was contemplating suicide.
Then a teacher came to our office to seek advice on whether or not to reciprocate a parent found using abusive language. We dealt with several such serious cases and resolved them amicably by involving parents, elders and even a local psychiatrist’s services.
Choosing a profession is one of the most widespread problems that almost every student encounters at least once or twice during his academic life. Guidance and counselling can help students choose a better path.
Prof Dr Wazeem Khan, who holds a PhD in guidance and counselling from Sussex University, presently teaches the subject at the Institute of Education and Research (IER), University of Peshawar. When contacted for his input on the topic of discussion, he said: “The institute had initially launched a diploma course in guidance and counselling years ago while suggesting to the education department to induct officials for the purpose of purely extending guidance and counselling at all levels but the project was scrapped later on. Still we offer guidance and counselling as an optional subject. I have asked 90 per cent trainee teachers as to why they opted for teaching and have found them to be quite unaware of its real motive.”
He went on to explain: “See 70 per cent of our qualified doctors and engineers go into civil services. This is simply because of a lack or absence of guidance and counselling units here. Educational institutions in particular and other departments in general are required to have guidance and counselling units for carrying out an effective academic process and administrative work. This will ultimately result in good governance, a smooth administrative setup with a positive impact on overall social behaviour.”
Dr Wazeem added that the teachers here are preoccupied with correcting students’ behaviour but it is also a reality that they themselves are in need of more guidance than their students. Same is the case with the institution heads. Then some parents infringe the teachers’ rights to begin telling them how to do their job thus spoiling the interactive process.
“We need proper guidance and counselling before adopting any profession. That way we are in a better position to know about social interaction, the depth and purpose of the profession in order to attain a certain level of commitment to the job that we were awarded a degree for,” informed the professor while recalling that a doctor here once supervised the road construction department while a secretary, who was in fact an engineer, headed the frontier health department.
“Today, we unfortunately have a large number of youngsters going astray. They can easily fall prey to drug addiction, extremism, militancy to become social outcasts in the absence of proper guidance and counselling centres at schools. The trend is higher among boys than girls because female students are forced to observe social values while male wards are given a free hand,” observed Prof Shameem Akhtar Khan, a serving career guidance expert at a local girls’ college in Peshawar.
The task of counselling can be assigned to some of its senior and well-trained teachers by every educational institution.“Most young students approach me to seek advice on how to deal with fearsome teachers as they feel they cannot discuss any problem with them. Some even fail to discuss personal issues with their parents while others develop various phobias. And the problem is increasing day by day. Guidance and counselling units can bridge the widening gap between students, teachers, parents and educational institutions,” suggested Dr Hanif, a psychiatrist.
The writer is lecturer in English at Peshawar Public School and College
Source: http://www.dawn.com/weekly/education/archive/090208/education3.htm
Guidance is like the skeleton while counselling is the flesh. A guidance and counselling unit or centre is the most important component of the academic system at every level in the advanced countries.Not only does it look into the emotional, psychological and social problems of the students, it also serves the purpose of bringing about a healthy relationship between the teacher and the student, and the parents and school administration. And all this is for the comprehensive development of a growing child, enabling him to absorb the emerging changes and challenges lying ahead.
Some of the better educational institutions in the private sector have set up a separate unit for interaction between the teachers’ students and parents which is seen as something quite out of the ordinary in the public sector.
But the provincial education department in the frontier had in the early ’80s launched guidance and counselling units throughout the province. Some 72 trained officials were appointed for the sole purpose of guiding and counselling for producing effective academic results in frontier schools. These officials were supposed to address only non-academic problems pertaining to the physiological, sociological and physychlogical aspects of the learners that could help administration evaluate overall academic excellence and also foresee its impact on the education process. But the process was discontinued and now we stand at a point where the teachers seem to be in more need of guidance and counselling than their students.
This scribe, with the help of a sample test distributed among 25 senior teachers of the topmost five educational institutions in Peshawar, found that they had only joined the teaching profession in absence of other lucrative jobs.
Many were of the view that their job was only to teach their respective subjects and they were not supposed to peep into the students’ personal problems.“Our school administration takes strict notice of a teacher’s relationship with his or her students other than academics. Therefore, we dare not ask what’s troubling them even if they misbehave,” said a teacher.
The widening gap between the teachers and the students sometimes leads to misunderstandings and even hatred. Similarly the relationship between the troika of parents, school administration and the students is a must for the smooth functioning of the education system. It produces quality results.
According to the experts, effective guidance and counselling can be carried out in 10 different stages where the process itself should be based on mutual confidentiality, respect and a complete background study of the case in point. Although guidance and counselling is taught to teachers during various courses including BEd and MEd, it is used by only a few as an effective tool to improve the academic atmosphere.
A few years ago, we started a guidance and counselling programme at our school during which I was able to gain unique experience. One day, a student came up to me with a strange story. He revealed that his family had been forcing him to marry a girl. He was indecisive and his future was at stake too as he could not concentrate on his studies with the intermediate examinations on his head. Another, wrongly accused of stealing Rs30,000, approached us in the nick of time as he was contemplating suicide.
Then a teacher came to our office to seek advice on whether or not to reciprocate a parent found using abusive language. We dealt with several such serious cases and resolved them amicably by involving parents, elders and even a local psychiatrist’s services.
Choosing a profession is one of the most widespread problems that almost every student encounters at least once or twice during his academic life. Guidance and counselling can help students choose a better path.
Prof Dr Wazeem Khan, who holds a PhD in guidance and counselling from Sussex University, presently teaches the subject at the Institute of Education and Research (IER), University of Peshawar. When contacted for his input on the topic of discussion, he said: “The institute had initially launched a diploma course in guidance and counselling years ago while suggesting to the education department to induct officials for the purpose of purely extending guidance and counselling at all levels but the project was scrapped later on. Still we offer guidance and counselling as an optional subject. I have asked 90 per cent trainee teachers as to why they opted for teaching and have found them to be quite unaware of its real motive.”
He went on to explain: “See 70 per cent of our qualified doctors and engineers go into civil services. This is simply because of a lack or absence of guidance and counselling units here. Educational institutions in particular and other departments in general are required to have guidance and counselling units for carrying out an effective academic process and administrative work. This will ultimately result in good governance, a smooth administrative setup with a positive impact on overall social behaviour.”
Dr Wazeem added that the teachers here are preoccupied with correcting students’ behaviour but it is also a reality that they themselves are in need of more guidance than their students. Same is the case with the institution heads. Then some parents infringe the teachers’ rights to begin telling them how to do their job thus spoiling the interactive process.
“We need proper guidance and counselling before adopting any profession. That way we are in a better position to know about social interaction, the depth and purpose of the profession in order to attain a certain level of commitment to the job that we were awarded a degree for,” informed the professor while recalling that a doctor here once supervised the road construction department while a secretary, who was in fact an engineer, headed the frontier health department.
“Today, we unfortunately have a large number of youngsters going astray. They can easily fall prey to drug addiction, extremism, militancy to become social outcasts in the absence of proper guidance and counselling centres at schools. The trend is higher among boys than girls because female students are forced to observe social values while male wards are given a free hand,” observed Prof Shameem Akhtar Khan, a serving career guidance expert at a local girls’ college in Peshawar.
The task of counselling can be assigned to some of its senior and well-trained teachers by every educational institution.“Most young students approach me to seek advice on how to deal with fearsome teachers as they feel they cannot discuss any problem with them. Some even fail to discuss personal issues with their parents while others develop various phobias. And the problem is increasing day by day. Guidance and counselling units can bridge the widening gap between students, teachers, parents and educational institutions,” suggested Dr Hanif, a psychiatrist.
The writer is lecturer in English at Peshawar Public School and College
Source: http://www.dawn.com/weekly/education/archive/090208/education3.htm
What about the govt schools?
By Sajid Ali
It is painful to observe how the government education system is managed in our country. Many government schools in Karachi which were quite effective only a decade ago have enormously declined in standard.
The school I attended until 1990 was a government school, quite reputable in those times. Many of the children coming from middleclass homes attended it and we stood fairly in comparison to known private-school children, which were also not so many in those days. Unfortunately, the same school now presents a very sorry picture.
I visited my school a few years back and was stunned to see the dismal its building and even the teachers and students were in. If this government school, located in the central part of Karachi, has decayed to this extent, imagine the state of government schools in the suburbs and rural areas throughout Pakistan.
As part of my research responsibilities, I have visited government schools in Karachi’s suburbs, rural Sindh and the rural Northern Areas too. Many government high schools have huge buildings, which are most often used to a minimum. One school that I visited in Karachi’s suburb occupied a huge piece of land, a big ground in the middle and rows of rooms all around it. On talking to the teachers I realised that this school which looked like a single building actually houses as many as four or five schools at a given time under some weird government arrangements — bad governance indeed.
It is worth pondering on the causes of the continued downfall of our government education system. It can be traced back to the inefficient governance, faulty recruitment system, lack of professional development opportunities, corruption and politicisation of the system, poor material and resources, etc.
The problems are numerous and some prominent educationists like Dr Shahid Siddiqui and Dr Tariq Rahman have highlighted them quite amicably in their books and articles. So instead of exploring the causes, I want to ponder upon the following questions: Can government schools and our public schooling system be improved? And more importantly, why should we attempt to restore government schools rather than popularising private provision?
Why not just do away with the government schools, after all the recent education census showed that around 33 per cent of our education provision is in the hands of private institutions. First and foremost, it is because the private system works on market principles and only moves to places where profits can be made — a “corporate model” of education according to Dr Shahid Siddiqui.
My critique of private schools is directed only towards the private-for-profit sector here and not towards the private-not-for-profit. NGOs can lend a helping hand to poor segments that cannot afford private education. However, it would be unwise to believe that they can compensate for a very large population below or near the poverty line, mostly in the rural areas.
To measure the enormity of the task, according to the official statistics available at the Ministry of Education’s website, there were 137,751 primary, 14,982 middle and 9,110 high schools in the public sector of Pakistan in 2005-2006, majority of them in rural areas. Governed by market rules, the private provision can not be an equitable system. An increase in private provision would worsen the already existing “educational apartheid” as demonstrated by Dr Tariq Rahman in his book Denizens of Alien Worlds.
It is the constitutional responsibility of our government to provide equitable education to all members of society and we should hold our government accountable for it. Rabea Malik in a recent research report prepared under a DFID project estimates that we need Rs426,092 million to fulfil Education for All targets. Given that it is an investment in the future of the country, is it too much to ask?
In his article in this newspaper on (Nov 30, 2008) Shehzad Roy vividly pointed out the fact that the state alone has the means to provide education to all its citizens, what it lacks is the political will. He rightly noticed that despite their commendable efforts, NGOs and not-for-profit-private provisions cannot compensate for state provision. It would be prudent if they try and harness their efforts alongside the government system, support it and also make the state accountable for its basic constitutional responsibilities. Private provisions should only be available as a matter of choice, not compulsion. The declining quality of government schools are leaving parents with no option but to turn to private provisions.
I believe that the government education system can be improved with some honest leadership. We need to revitalise our political commitment towards education that was abundant at the time of independence. The first education conference occurring within three months after independence despite myriad settlement challenges shows leadership commitment. The conference, addressed by the Quaid, showed the political will at the highest level. The first education minister Fazlur Rahman was also very keen on developing our education system on strong footings. We need a renewed commitment from the top leadership as was shown by our founders. I have come across brilliant government teachers with high hopes, carrying out marvellous efforts but getting frustrated on the way. So all is not bad but they need encouragement and continuous support before it gets too late.
Our government can hold all-party conferences when it comes to foreign threats. We pass joint resolutions in the parliament against foreign aggression. Why can’t we have a collective parliamentary decision to improve our education system and refrain from political interference within the education sector? Depoliticisation of the education system is also one of the important recommendations in the recently-issued White Paper by the Ministry of Education. The 1998 education policy had the same recommendations. I suspect our elite rulers are not bothered to improve the situation of mass education perhaps because bad government schools do not affect them directly.
The middle classes also do not seem passionate about this issue as they can still acquire better education through private schooling. Amidst this scenario, the poor segments of our society see no opportunity for improving their future which can come through quality education. Our poorly managed education system is one of the major causes of our society’s radicalisation. The elite cannot stay inside their castles with such prevalent injustices. Equitable educational provision for all is good for the whole society at large.
Is there any cure? Apart from the government, what should be done by NGOs to make it happen? NGOs should not only limit their efforts for educational provision but also hold the state accountable for its commitment to provide reasonable education for all. There have been laudable efforts by NGOs in the shape of the Pakistan Coalition for Education and Campaign for Quality Education. The need is to activate it and to keep it going.
In addition, and most importantly, there is a role for each one of us in this connection. For example the alumni of government schools owe a payback to their alma mater. Upon my return from the UK, I intend to gather the alumni of the school that I came from and try for its improvement in whatever way that I can. So could many others who have good memories of their schools.
The writer is a doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
sajjidali@gmail.com
Source: http://www.dawn.com/weekly/education/archive/090201/education2.htm
It is painful to observe how the government education system is managed in our country. Many government schools in Karachi which were quite effective only a decade ago have enormously declined in standard.
The school I attended until 1990 was a government school, quite reputable in those times. Many of the children coming from middleclass homes attended it and we stood fairly in comparison to known private-school children, which were also not so many in those days. Unfortunately, the same school now presents a very sorry picture.
I visited my school a few years back and was stunned to see the dismal its building and even the teachers and students were in. If this government school, located in the central part of Karachi, has decayed to this extent, imagine the state of government schools in the suburbs and rural areas throughout Pakistan.
As part of my research responsibilities, I have visited government schools in Karachi’s suburbs, rural Sindh and the rural Northern Areas too. Many government high schools have huge buildings, which are most often used to a minimum. One school that I visited in Karachi’s suburb occupied a huge piece of land, a big ground in the middle and rows of rooms all around it. On talking to the teachers I realised that this school which looked like a single building actually houses as many as four or five schools at a given time under some weird government arrangements — bad governance indeed.
It is worth pondering on the causes of the continued downfall of our government education system. It can be traced back to the inefficient governance, faulty recruitment system, lack of professional development opportunities, corruption and politicisation of the system, poor material and resources, etc.
The problems are numerous and some prominent educationists like Dr Shahid Siddiqui and Dr Tariq Rahman have highlighted them quite amicably in their books and articles. So instead of exploring the causes, I want to ponder upon the following questions: Can government schools and our public schooling system be improved? And more importantly, why should we attempt to restore government schools rather than popularising private provision?
Why not just do away with the government schools, after all the recent education census showed that around 33 per cent of our education provision is in the hands of private institutions. First and foremost, it is because the private system works on market principles and only moves to places where profits can be made — a “corporate model” of education according to Dr Shahid Siddiqui.
My critique of private schools is directed only towards the private-for-profit sector here and not towards the private-not-for-profit. NGOs can lend a helping hand to poor segments that cannot afford private education. However, it would be unwise to believe that they can compensate for a very large population below or near the poverty line, mostly in the rural areas.
To measure the enormity of the task, according to the official statistics available at the Ministry of Education’s website, there were 137,751 primary, 14,982 middle and 9,110 high schools in the public sector of Pakistan in 2005-2006, majority of them in rural areas. Governed by market rules, the private provision can not be an equitable system. An increase in private provision would worsen the already existing “educational apartheid” as demonstrated by Dr Tariq Rahman in his book Denizens of Alien Worlds.
It is the constitutional responsibility of our government to provide equitable education to all members of society and we should hold our government accountable for it. Rabea Malik in a recent research report prepared under a DFID project estimates that we need Rs426,092 million to fulfil Education for All targets. Given that it is an investment in the future of the country, is it too much to ask?
In his article in this newspaper on (Nov 30, 2008) Shehzad Roy vividly pointed out the fact that the state alone has the means to provide education to all its citizens, what it lacks is the political will. He rightly noticed that despite their commendable efforts, NGOs and not-for-profit-private provisions cannot compensate for state provision. It would be prudent if they try and harness their efforts alongside the government system, support it and also make the state accountable for its basic constitutional responsibilities. Private provisions should only be available as a matter of choice, not compulsion. The declining quality of government schools are leaving parents with no option but to turn to private provisions.
I believe that the government education system can be improved with some honest leadership. We need to revitalise our political commitment towards education that was abundant at the time of independence. The first education conference occurring within three months after independence despite myriad settlement challenges shows leadership commitment. The conference, addressed by the Quaid, showed the political will at the highest level. The first education minister Fazlur Rahman was also very keen on developing our education system on strong footings. We need a renewed commitment from the top leadership as was shown by our founders. I have come across brilliant government teachers with high hopes, carrying out marvellous efforts but getting frustrated on the way. So all is not bad but they need encouragement and continuous support before it gets too late.
Our government can hold all-party conferences when it comes to foreign threats. We pass joint resolutions in the parliament against foreign aggression. Why can’t we have a collective parliamentary decision to improve our education system and refrain from political interference within the education sector? Depoliticisation of the education system is also one of the important recommendations in the recently-issued White Paper by the Ministry of Education. The 1998 education policy had the same recommendations. I suspect our elite rulers are not bothered to improve the situation of mass education perhaps because bad government schools do not affect them directly.
The middle classes also do not seem passionate about this issue as they can still acquire better education through private schooling. Amidst this scenario, the poor segments of our society see no opportunity for improving their future which can come through quality education. Our poorly managed education system is one of the major causes of our society’s radicalisation. The elite cannot stay inside their castles with such prevalent injustices. Equitable educational provision for all is good for the whole society at large.
Is there any cure? Apart from the government, what should be done by NGOs to make it happen? NGOs should not only limit their efforts for educational provision but also hold the state accountable for its commitment to provide reasonable education for all. There have been laudable efforts by NGOs in the shape of the Pakistan Coalition for Education and Campaign for Quality Education. The need is to activate it and to keep it going.
In addition, and most importantly, there is a role for each one of us in this connection. For example the alumni of government schools owe a payback to their alma mater. Upon my return from the UK, I intend to gather the alumni of the school that I came from and try for its improvement in whatever way that I can. So could many others who have good memories of their schools.
The writer is a doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
sajjidali@gmail.com
Source: http://www.dawn.com/weekly/education/archive/090201/education2.htm
Becoming a Better English Student
Last year my ability to write was above the average of my English class. At the time I thought that reading and writing were the only things to English. This year I was handed a light to show me that reading and writing are only the outlines of English. When handed this light I started seeing the interior: the texture, the color, and a lot more about the high lights of English.
The texture of English is the thought evolved with it. This past year I have learned how to look at things in different perspectives, and then how to change that into words. We used this “different perspective” when we wrote observational writings. In observational writings we had to write about something that we had observed, but we weren’t allowed say that we were there in any way. This type of writing enhanced our ability to keep our thoughts and ourselves completely out of our writings.
When people write English they can’t only write in the observational writing type. So they use the other types, or colors of English. When colors are thought of, people usually think of something such as the rainbow. But when I think of colors, I think of them as something that gives character, and difference. At the beginning of this year I didn’t have a clue about the colors of English, but now I have used my light to see more that just black and white. This year I have come to see that a few of the colors of English are analogies, sonnets, memoirs, and problem solution papers. I have also been able to learn the difference between certain colors. Last year I not only didn’t see that memoirs and biographies are colors, but I also didn’t know the difference that I know now.
The textures and the colors of English create a picture, but it’s not a perfect picture until you add some highlights. These highlights would be the depth of English. In the ninth grade I thought that any piece of English that had depth, or meaning, had to be this drawn out one hundred-page article. But after reading some of the most simple sentences, such as this one from the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, “From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me.” I have been able to realize that there are the small sentences that hold so much, so little meaning that makes the perfect picture.
This past school year I walked into another world of English. In the ninth grade world of English I was taught how English looked in the shadows. I wasn’t able to touch it, feel it, or understand it completely. But this year, in the tenth grade world of English, I was allowed the opportunity to gain an understanding of English. I was able to become a better English student by learning the thought, the characteristics, and the depth of English. Maybe my punctuation or spelling didn’t achieve a higher height than last year, but my understanding of English did. Because of that I feel that I am a better English student than I have ever been.
Source: http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=32152
The texture of English is the thought evolved with it. This past year I have learned how to look at things in different perspectives, and then how to change that into words. We used this “different perspective” when we wrote observational writings. In observational writings we had to write about something that we had observed, but we weren’t allowed say that we were there in any way. This type of writing enhanced our ability to keep our thoughts and ourselves completely out of our writings.
When people write English they can’t only write in the observational writing type. So they use the other types, or colors of English. When colors are thought of, people usually think of something such as the rainbow. But when I think of colors, I think of them as something that gives character, and difference. At the beginning of this year I didn’t have a clue about the colors of English, but now I have used my light to see more that just black and white. This year I have come to see that a few of the colors of English are analogies, sonnets, memoirs, and problem solution papers. I have also been able to learn the difference between certain colors. Last year I not only didn’t see that memoirs and biographies are colors, but I also didn’t know the difference that I know now.
The textures and the colors of English create a picture, but it’s not a perfect picture until you add some highlights. These highlights would be the depth of English. In the ninth grade I thought that any piece of English that had depth, or meaning, had to be this drawn out one hundred-page article. But after reading some of the most simple sentences, such as this one from the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, “From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me.” I have been able to realize that there are the small sentences that hold so much, so little meaning that makes the perfect picture.
This past school year I walked into another world of English. In the ninth grade world of English I was taught how English looked in the shadows. I wasn’t able to touch it, feel it, or understand it completely. But this year, in the tenth grade world of English, I was allowed the opportunity to gain an understanding of English. I was able to become a better English student by learning the thought, the characteristics, and the depth of English. Maybe my punctuation or spelling didn’t achieve a higher height than last year, but my understanding of English did. Because of that I feel that I am a better English student than I have ever been.
Source: http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=32152
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