Adil Najam
Thanks to the magic of internet search, our last ATP quiz was not difficult to decipher. Yes, it is Government College Lahore. The photograph was taken in December 1947 by LIFE magazine famous photographer Margaret Bourke-White, and is of freshmen students in a physics class. What made the picture interesting to me was that it was taken in 1947.
There is a whole series of photographs by Margaret Bourke-White of education in Pakistan, as witnessed by her camera lens in December 1947. The one of the left (above) is of the same class at Government College Lahore. The one on the right is of first graders in a school at Faizpur, near Lahore. They represent two faces of Pakistan’s “Class of 1947.”
In introducing the Quiz, I had hoped that we might get more detail on some of the people in the photograph or commentary on the fact that this was taken in 1947 itself. I hope we might get some of that discussion now. To aid this process, we present more photograph’s from Margaret Bourke-White’s collection on education in Pakistan.
All these photographs were taken in 1947. The ones in the block above include (L to R):
- Sind Moslem College, Karachi. Freshman English class. Note that this is co-educational, with girls sitting behind a partition (purdah) separating them from the boys.
- Village Elementary School, Fairpur, near Lahore. FIrst grade students studying under the open sky.
- Village Middle School, Burj Attari, near Lahore. Fifth and Sixth grade students studying in a joint class. Note the metal boxes in front of them.
- Home School, Burj Attari, near Lahore. Teachers tending First through Fourth grade girl students in a home school.
- Pakistani Women’s Education Conference, Karachi. A November 1947 educational conference on women’s education. Khadeeja Feroze Ud-din (2L), Deputy Directress of Public Instruction of West Punjab, in purdah.
In looking at all these different faces of Pakistan’s “Class of 1947”, what can we say about the Class of 1947? What was expected of it? What was delivered? What has changed? What has not? What was achieved? What lost?
I think Javed Ali has a very good point.
The class of 1947 failed Pakistan quite miserably. I hope the class of 2008 will do better.
Fascinating pictures.
I am not so sure that the “Class of 1947” was that great. Remember, these guys in Government College came into power and govt around the 1950s and by 1970s and 1980s they were in charge.
I think they were given a great gift by the generation before them and they messed it up.
The Class of 1947 was people like Zia, even Bhutto, and even Musharraf. They have been the cause of our problems.
These are some great pictures.
Styles and fashions have certainly changed. I love those hats that some of the boys are wearing.
Burqa styles have changed from year to year as well. Someone should do a pictorial essay on that.
A school my mother went to had those curtain partitions to separate girls from boys.
Village schools have probably not changed.
Educated population ratio has probably declined since 1947.
Expectations from the early classes were high. Jinnah expected miracles from them.
I think that they delivered on them for some time while the artistic, scientific, religious air of the 60s and the 70s was liberal and progressive.
Then the unenlightened few took over.
Religious freedoms of minorities within and without muslims were curbed.
Multiculturalism and most of its values were lost with Dhaka.
Today’s corrupt politicians and soldiers who run our affairs are the children of the 1947 class.
Today’s revolutionaries, educationists, human rights activists, artists are also from the same class or their children.
p.s. Some information on Helen Keller’s visits to Pakistani schools in 1955 would be nice to share on this forum.
NOT PAKISTANI ARE ENTIRELY CORRUPT NOR PAKISTAN IT SELF IS CORRUPT,PAKISTAN IS A GIFT OF ALMIGHTY ALLAH AFTER WE GAVE UNPRECEDENTAL SACRIFICES.PAKISTAN DEMANDED BASED ON IDEOLOGY.THERE SOME ERRORS COMMITED BY OUR PEOPLE WHO WERE AT GOVERNANCE,.EVERYWHERE IN WORLD, UK, USA, SCANDLES TRACED.IN INDIA A ARMY OFFICER WAS INDULGED IN SAMJHOTA SCANDLE.WE PAKISTAI STRICTLY BELIEVE THAT OUR EVERY DEED IS WATCHED BY ALLAH AND WE HAVE TO ACOUNT FOR OUR DEEDS IN THIS WORLD ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT.
Lot of change in every field,also we are ATOMIC POWER.In education uncountable numbers of education institutions opened.Highly educated people are seen in uncountable numbers.Although what is being taught are not according to our envirenment and need.The reason is uncapable people controlling education.Education system should not be commercialised or politiciians should not make policies but technocrate of the field should be addigned this.Also there should be strict dicipline should be maintained very strictly without any interfrence or pressure.