Neoliberalism has changed the meaning and value of everything. The purpose of modern education has been reduced to merely offering good careers and jobs. This is inevitable in a market-driven world, as one cannot dare to think about education without a career prospect.
Yet, in these toughest times, when market rationality has colonised all rationalities, we still cannot cease to imagine the moral and social value of education. Scientific and material progress is crucial for the growth of civilisation, but this is not an end in itself, as the real foundation of civilisation lies in growth in arts, poetry, aesthetics, morality, and the collective wellbeing of humanity.
Plato, one of the greatest Greek philosophers, sees education as a means of progress in arts, morality, ethics, and justice. The purpose of education is to expose students to wisdom, cultivate morality, and promote harmony, eventually leading to the collective good of society.
Education is the promotion of what Jean-Jacques Rousseau calls the general will (Volonté générale), which is not the total sum of individual desires but an idea of collective wellbeing. It provides a moral compass that moves beyond personal interests towards the collective good.
This, of course, is not possible without cultivating a sense of collective good and raising critical questions about where we are moving as a human society. In the modern world, material and instrumental rationality are deeply pervasive, treating everything as a commodity. Therefore, the need for subjects in the social sciences and humanities becomes even more urgent and pertinent in these chaotic times.
With emerging socio-political challenges, the social sciences and humanities will no longer remain side subjects. They will potentially open career opportunities in an emerging global economy led by artificial intelligence and the challenges it is unfolding.
The complex interplay between capitalism and artificial intelligence will pose significant challenges to humanity. Solutions to these problems will require new paradigms and philosophies, which are not possible without the social sciences and humanities.
Things have changed significantly, and critical thinking, creativity, and cooperation—the essential components of what we call emotional quotient (EQ)—are becoming more relevant than ever before. Modern life is different, and so are its demands and how we deal with them.
This is exactly the case with collective life. The changing dynamics of the world, economy, and society will make these subjects more relevant and more crucial.
Pakistan has already fallen behind in education and the knowledge economy. The social sciences remained even more marginalised, primarily because of people’s growing preference for sciences and technical subjects due to career prospects.
These courses should potentially counter extremist narratives and contribute to a more peaceful, inclusive, and tolerant society
As a result, the social sciences largely remained at the margins in Pakistan. Here, I mainly intend to focus on the social sciences and humanities, particularly with reference to the courses offered to non-social science undergraduate students, as I deeply believe that these subjects are equally important for them.
Earlier, students of science, information technology, engineering, and business had very limited opportunities to study subjects in the social sciences and humanities. These were largely restricted to Pakistan Studies, the English language, and very few social science electives.
Even at the undergraduate level, these courses were not given due importance and largely remained peripheral. However, the Higher Education Commission’s 2023 undergraduate policy is a ray of hope in an otherwise fragile social sciences apparatus in Pakistan.
The policy introduced a set of mandatory courses such as Pakistan Studies, Ideology and Constitution, and Civics and Community Engagement, along with language and communication skills courses. These courses have become a mandatory part of all undergraduate degree programmes.
In addition, universities now offer a variety of elective courses such as History, Politics, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Critical Thinking, and International Relations to business, science, engineering, and information technology students.
This may mark the beginning of a new era for the social sciences and humanities in Pakistan, allowing them to emerge at the centre of education and degree programmes. This can potentially change the existing mindset of treating these subjects merely as degree requirements or as tools to enhance grades.
Instead, their role should be upgraded to equip students with critical thinking, creativity, and better civic responsibility. This may also help students see beyond laboratories, robotics, machines, and technical aspects.
Such exposure enables students to think globally, politically, more humanely, and intellectually. These courses should potentially counter extremist narratives and contribute to a more peaceful, inclusive, and tolerant society.
A society that is more accommodating of diverse opinions and cultures would make students more dynamic, robust, up-to-date, and diverse. It would help them reflect, connect, and genuinely engage in highly polarised societies.
In this way, tolerance, social harmony, and inclusivity become possible. These courses should also serve as tools to decolonise our memories and build national confidence among young people.
This discussion also reminds me of the letters exchanged between two great minds of the last century, Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud. Their correspondence reflected deeply on issues of global politics, war, and the possibilities of a more peaceful world.
It is quite enlightening to read these letters and see how deeply sensitised and well-equipped these thinkers were to engage with the challenges their world faced. One can hope that our students, especially those in the sciences, will be equally equipped to reflect on the issues humanity faces today.
This reflection should go hand in hand with expertise in their respective disciplines. Such an approach will also enhance job opportunities for social science graduates—opportunities that have shrunk over the past few years.
It presents a new chance for them to demonstrate that these courses are equally important. However, this is only possible with passionate teaching, critical pedagogy, and the ability to engage students from science, business, and engineering backgrounds.
This requires passion, commitment, and the right temperament. Teachers of these courses must demonstrate an ability to engage with contrary ideas with grace and respect, allowing young minds to share their views, perspectives, and questions.
It is now up to social science teachers to take this opportunity to the pinnacle of excellence. Aspiring teachers may also benefit from reading two valuable books: How Children Fail by John Holt and Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire.
By introducing these new courses across all undergraduate degree programmes, their importance has been formally acknowledged. It is now up to universities, teachers, and students to translate this recognition into a better and healthier society and polity.
One can rightly hope that the impact of these courses will become visible in the coming years in the form of democratic culture, peace, inclusivity, tolerance, and an intellectually sound society.