An Ethnographic Account of Educational Landscape in Pakistan: Myths, Trends, and Commitments

Abstract

Education in Pakistan is no longer a matter of indifference to the rest of the world. Typically, concern is focused on the role played by the madrasah (Islamic religious school; plural madaaris) as the dominant provider of education. The rise in the number of English-medium education institutions countrywide does not enter such accounts. This ethnographic study relates this topic to the pedagogic aspirations of Pakistanis asking, What is the role of English-medium schools in Pakistan and is it even the case that the majority of Pakistanis are markedly in favor of a predominantly religious education for their children? The study suggests that formal English-medium education is most parents’ real-world priority, fluency in English being a prerequisite for higher paying jobs in Pakistan.