Tom Friedman’s miseducation, by Mosharraf Zaidi / The News International Pakistan
This past weekend, two of The New York Times’ finest columnists wrote about the excellent work of philanthropists and social entrepreneurs in helping Pakistan respond to the challenges of building a better society. Dr Shershah Syed’s work in maternal and women’s healthcare (which Nicholas Kristof wrote glowingly about) and “Three Cups of Tea” author Greg Mortenson’s building of rural schools (which was highlighted in Thomas Friedman’s column), are both excellent examples of the kinds of innovation and enterprise being deployed by ordinary people of extraordinary commitment.
Let’s be clear. The philanthropy, social enterprise, intellect and integrity of folks that do their bit for humanity is something that should inspire and instruct all our lives. So when Greg Mortenson drinks his third cup of tea and becomes a part of the communities he learnt to love, and establishes fifty or one hundred schools, or several hundred more, in Pakistan—Pakistanis should salute him. Of course, Pakistani arms would get tired, very rightly, for having to salute several hundred standout philanthropists and social entrepreneurs for their work in education. There is a long list of accomplished individual and collective efforts to educate Pakistan. Those efforts come in all shapes, sizes and colours—secular, non-profit, faith-based, or for-profit.
Parsi schools have churned out the finest (in all senses of the word) young ladies of Karachi for decades. Catholic schools have produced some of Pakistan’s most talented citizens (with a well-deserved shout out reserved for the holy trinity of Pakistani Catholic schools—St Joeseph’s and St Patrick’s in Karachi, and Rawalpindi’s St Mary’s).
As with everything else in Pakistan, the landscape is incomplete without the mention of Muslim philanthropy. In that regard, one needs to mention the Ismaili community’s contributions to education, starting from the very top, by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan and his family — and no better an institution than Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi.
Read at The News International
http://www.mosharrafzaidi.com/
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