IN his letter (Dec 3), Prof Abdul Qayum Mangi alludes to an important issue for the future of Pakistan: lack of critical thinking in this country.
Being a university student, and having interacted with other students from all over Pakistan, I have realised that as a people we are not open to critical thinking.
We are afraid to question things.
Our education system is geared towards rote learning andreproduction of material without the student`s input or analysis.
A student is not taught to think for him and is in fact punished if he asks any questions. In addition, most parents are not open to letting their children pursue the social sciences or humanities at the university level.
This has contributed greatly to lack of critical thinking, and in a way the dearth of good leaders in Pakistan.Furthermore, because very few people pursue these subjects, there are very few universities that cater to social sciences.
An important step forward as a society or a nation would be to study social sciences and encourage critical thinking. Unfortunately, with the current state of affairs the future looks bleak.
