DENIZENS OF ALIEN WORLDS

23
The commission, however, agreed that the government does spend more money
on cadet colleges than on ordinary government schools and even that this contradicts the
constitutional assurance that discrimination among citizens is not justified. It clearly said
that the ‗idea of superior and inferior schools does not fit in with our socio-economic
pattern and the principles of equality and social justice as enunciated by Islam‘ (GOP
1966: 18). However, in the last analysis, the privileged schools were saved by suggesting
that they should recruit students on ‗merit‘ alone and that ‗mere poverty should not be a
ground for exclusion‘ (ibid 18). The fact that these schools are English-medium
institutions and their entry tests would be biased against poor children who study in Urdu
schools was not considered. Moreover, the fact that government itself subsidized and
patronized elitist schooling---no matter on what ground---could not be explained away.
And, indeed, because they were allowed to exist, they kept doing business as usual and
even now cater for the elite of power and wealth in Pakistan as will be brought out in
detail later.
On the whole, and ironically enough, although this report was written in response
to students‘ agitation, it made no substantial concessions to them except that the B.A
remained for two years---as it was. The faculty of universities, at least, was subjected to
increased bureaucratization. The report suggested:
We notice that the commission on National Educational suggested that
confidential files of teachers should be maintained by the universities. We do not
know if this recommendation has been implemented. If not, we strongly
recommend that it should be done immediately in the manner suggested by the
commission (GOP 1966: 83).
As for governance in the universities the University Ordinances had already
whittled away the power of the academics. As the report said: ‗The system of nomination
has been accepted in preference to election‘ in the governing bodies of the university.
Moreover, ‗very wide and extraordinary powers have been vested in the vice-chancellors
including the power in some cases, as at Dacca and Rajshahi, to withhold implementation
of the resolution of any body or authority of the university with which the vice-chancellor
does not agree pending the decision of the chancellor‘ (GOP 1966: 146).