Awoke at 9:00am (and did not sleep much). Interviews this morning with the USEFP staff and then off to the airport. The staff were terrific and friendly and made me a wonderful cup of chai tea. The office is run by an American woman from Seattle who has been living in Pakistan for 20 years. We discussed the educational system in Pakistan and the country’s desire to westernize its universities. Traditionally, students attend school until the American version of grade 10, and then complete two years of “intermediate” studies before continuing on to university. Many institutions are single-sex at the intermediate level. There are roughly 70 colleges and universities in Pakistan and in the last five years the government has been funneling money into higher education.
The quirk of the system is that students need to “track” themselves in grade 9 for their university plans. If a student hopes to study engineering at university, then he or she must take a series of courses in grade 9 that will prepare him or her for intermediate studies in the correct field of engineering – or no university will offer and acceptance. This places tremendous pressure on students at a young age and, in general, allows parents to make the decision for them about a future career. There is a tremendous lack of social scientists in the country, too. They are in need of more faculty willing to focus on social sciences and humanities.
I get the sense that higher education is a dream of many in this country and, although very inexpensive by American standards (e.g., 28,000 PKR for a semester or $329 for tuition and fees and about $50/month in living expenses), it is beyond the reach of many young Pakistani students. The desire to travel to the United States for college is intense, and the competition is fierce for scholarships. For those who are unable to attend college, there are fewer options than in the United States. There are really no “community colleges” or polytechnics for job training as there are in other countries. The USEFP staff explained that many students who do not attend “intermediate” or university end up following a life of crime as the “forgotten” population.
I saw some of these forgotten youngsters on the way to the Islamabad airport. At an intersection, a young (and beautiful) mother with a baby approached the car begging for money. My driver and USEFP host instructed me not to roll down the window or give any money. They yelled something in Urdu, but the young woman persevered. It was such a heart-drowning experience to see her and her baby, clearly hungry, but unable to help (for fear that opening the car door or window would result in violence since there were other beggars at the intersection as well). I was most struck by her eyes – amazingly beautiful brownish/green eyes and a beautiful face. I thought for a moment that the only thing separating her from poverty and working as a wealthy fashion model was a bit of luck….
I made it to the airport and had to make it to the gate on my own. Unless you are a ticketed passenger, you cannot enter the airport at all – even to the ticket purchasing area. There was an armed guard at the door (and the “armed” part was a machine gun). I received my ticket (courtesy of the USEFP Office) and made it to the gate – having to go through two more security check points and a full bad search. In Islamabad, they tag all bags (even your carry-on) and you cannot board the plane without showing the tag for each and every bag you are carrying. Wild, but thorough.
Once I got to the gate, I was on my own in a sense – none of the announcements are in English. I found a nice woman who helped me to the correct gate and plane and boarded the prop plane for the 50-minute (bumpy) flight to Lahore. My USEFP colleague told me that “you have not lived until you have visited Lahore,” which is considered the social and arts center of Pakistan.
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