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11
Q. Many of our students go to foreign universities to get a degree and then a high-paying job
there, but barely anyone ends up returning to their home country to set up their own
companies to lead the way to innovation. How do you think Aitchison will help establish
this thirst for leadership and innovation among its students?
A. I think a big role of education is to inculcate a sense of curiosity, for, something which is
almost synonymous to learning is the element of curiosity. Unfortunately, traditional
conservative learning kills curiosity. You ask a question and your teacher does not
encourage you to. You ask a question which is challenging the norms and you are not
encouraged. I’m not just talking about Aitchison but about Pakistan in general. Any type of
a question is a valid question, for you cannot have a wrong question. So, the point is that
educational systems, even from the rudimentary level, should encourage a sense of
curiosity, or a thirst for knowledge, because when you’re young, you ask very fundamental
questions which are very interesting questions too, like why is the sky blue, why’s the grass
green, etcetera. But normally, we say that that’s a very stupid question. No question is a
stupid question as long as it encourages inquisition and a thirst for real learning. Hence, it
starts from teachers to encourage students to think critically. What happens is that our
education system, the way it is, it kills curiosity and that is why we become followers, we do
not become innovators. So, being a leader is someone who challenges, comes up with
innovative ideas, goes against the herd, and thinks different. So, that needs to be inculcated
in educational institutions by encouraging a passion for research and inquisitiveness.