ONCE I had a discussion with a former chairman of the Balochistan Public Service Commission. After arguments over the wherewithal of those who prepare competitive examinations papers, I asked him whether they could distinguish between history and chronology. His reply was in the negative .
Recently, I asked a friend about the interview he had taken for the post of a lecturer of history at the University of Balochistan. I was shocked when he told me he was asked to tell the panel the lengths of Hira cave and Noah`s boat. Is he supposed to teach his students the questions of Kaun Banega Crorepati if he qualifies? He said the students he had interviewed so far were incompetent to the extent that none of them knew what hemp is a question he had asked a civil engineer.
Once Einstein was asked, `How many feet are there in a mile?` He said: `Why should I fill my brain with facts that I can find in two minutes in my reference book! Recently, I appeared in an examination for the post of a lecturer for history conducted by the Balochistan Public Service Commission. I was amazed to see the question: `Define Islamic culture in the light of Hadith and Quranic verses.
For a moment, I felt as if I was mistakenly attempting a paper of Islamic Studies.
An examination is aimed at testing students` intellectual endowment. Our academia should know the difference between history and chronology.
