Courageous education reformers in Pakistan meet at the Buxton Initiative

February 24, 2010

“We live in a dangerous world, and I think that the center of a lot of this danger is Pakistan,” said retired General Claude M. Kicklighter yesterday at a Buxton Initiative dinner that hosted a delegation of seven courageous Pakistani religious teachers and school administrators. These leaders have been working to reform education and curriculum for children and adults all around Pakistan in order to combat the dangers at the source: a lack of education. The delegation came through the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD), who has been working with these leaders in Pakistan for the past four years.

The dinner was both to showcase their inspiring work in Pakistan and to build new relationships across boundaries of faith, nations, and languages. Aided by Urdu-English translators, Doug Johnston, President of ICRD, spoke about the magnitude of importance this reform project has in Pakistan. Poor children rarely have access to good schools or teachers in Pakistani cities and villages, though their eagerness to learn and grow is strong and clear. Furthermore, the crisis has been exacerbated by the rising number of anti-modernization clerics who are hostile to developing their curriculum to incorporate mathematics, science, vocational training, and other essential subjects. Click here to read more…

In this delegation were teachers and school administrators from all around Pakistan, from Karachi in the southern end of Pakistan to the villages Northwest Frontier Province. One delegation member, Dr. Mohammad Uzair Albazi, director of a vocational training institute called the al Qalam Institute of Islamic Economics, spoke about the dire need for reforming curriculum to balance both religious and secular learning, not only to be more effective professionals but to be better practicing Muslims. One challenge to this, he said, is developing the teachers to teach these subjects.

Qazi Abdul Qadeer Khamoush, another delegate, also detailed different challenges of their work: persuading conservative clerics of the benefits of these reforms. Khamoush, however, is a respected leader who has the credibility and trust within circles of traditional religious scholars.

Closing off the dinner were remarks by Secretary John Dalton, General Claude M. Kicklighter, and Senator Bill Brock who expressed their support and admiration for the outstanding work of ICRD and the educators.