Helping Teenagers Think in an Age of Polarisation

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Why schools must teach thinking, not just information, in a world of global uncertainty

Teenagers today are growing up in a world that feels more connected than ever, yet more divided than ever. A student scrolling through social media in Karachi, Gilgit, Lahore, or Hunza can instantly encounter intense debates about wars, political conflicts, cultural identity, religion, or global injustice. News travels fast, but so do opinions. Within minutes, a teenager can be exposed to strong emotional narratives that demand loyalty, outrage, or immediate judgment.

Yet many young people are navigating this information-heavy world without the tools to process it critically.

The challenge facing education today is not only about what students learn. Increasingly, it is about how students learn to think about the world around them.

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Homework in the Age of AI: Does It Still Make Sense?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Reflective classroom perspective + practical ways forward

In recent classroom visits and conversations with teachers I mentor, a pattern keeps emerging. Students in secondary classes are handing in homework that looks complete and correct. Yet when teachers try to discuss that homework in class the next day, many students struggle to explain what they actually understand.

At first glance, it seems like homework is working; notebooks look good, and assignments are done on time. But the deeper question is: Are students really learning?

Many students now admit that homework, which once took an hour, can be finished in minutes using AI tools on their phones. This pressure to “get work done fast” is creating a new classroom reality. Teachers are unsure how to respond. Parents are relieved homework is done, but can’t tell whether real learning is happening.

This situation has made me reflect deeply:
➡ If homework is getting completed but understanding is not growing, does traditional homework still serve its purpose in today’s secondary classrooms?

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Why Do Some Lessons Stay with Us and Others Disappear After Exams?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Rethinking Learning in our classrooms through Made to Stick

Recently, I revisited Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, and one idea hit close to home for our classrooms in Pakistan, the Curse of Knowledge.

Once we know something, we forget what it felt like not to know it. And that’s where communication often breaks down.

In many of our classrooms, teachers explain concepts from an expert’s perspective, while students are still trying to understand the basics. The result? Students memorise, pass exams, and then forget everything.

The book reminds us that ideas stick when they are:

  • Simple
  • Unexpected
  • Concrete
  • Credible
  • Emotional
  • Story-driven

And when we look honestly at our classrooms, we must ask: How many of our lessons are actually designed to stick?

Because if learning disappears after exams, then something in the system needs to be rethought.

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AI Is Already in Our Classrooms. Are Our Learning Practices Ready?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Reflections on Generative AI, Learning, and What the Pakistan Education System Must Rethink

Artificial intelligence did not wait for policy approvals, curriculum updates, or teacher training workshops. It entered classrooms quietly through homework help, essay drafts, exam preparation, and late-night study sessions. Long before schools decided what to do about it, students had already figured out how to use it.

In Pakistan, this reality feels especially sharp. Our education system has always rewarded correct answers more than deep understanding. In such a context, generative AI can easily become a powerful shortcut, producing fluent responses without necessarily strengthening learning. The risk is not that students are using AI. The risk lies in how they use it and in what our systems encourage them to value.

This is why the OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026: Exploring Effective Uses of Generative AI in Education deserves careful attention. Rather than celebrating AI as a solution or warning against it as a threat, the report offers a more uncomfortable insight: improved performance does not automatically mean improved learning. In some cases, it may even hide learning loss.

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Beyond Rote: Teaching Skills that Matter in a Test-Driven World

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

I’ve spent years moving between classrooms, teacher-training sessions, and mentoring conversations with school leaders. No matter where I go, a private school in Karachi, a public school workshop in South Punjab, or an online teacher circle, the same concern keeps surfacing: our children can memorise, but can they think critically?

This reflection grows out of that discomfort. It is not an attack on exam marks that matter in Pakistan, and families are right to care about them. But it is a question about balance. How do we keep exam success while also preparing students for a world that demands critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and adaptability?

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Not ‘Mazaaq’: Bullying & Cyberbullying in Pakistan, How It Hurts Our Students and What Schools Can Do Better

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

There’s a moment many teachers recognise. A student who used to raise their hand is now sitting quietly. A confident child begins asking, ‘May I go to the washroom?’ as soon as group work starts. Someone’s attendance slips from Monday to Wednesday, then a full week. When you finally ask, softly, ‘Kya masla hai?’ you often get the same answer: ‘Nothing, miss/sir. Bas… aise hi.’

In our schools across Pakistan, bullying rarely arrives as a clear headline. It shows up like a fog: small comments, private jokes, class WhatsApp groups, a nickname that becomes a label, a photo edited and shared, a voice note forwarded ‘for fun.’ The child keeps going to school, but something inside them stops feeling safe.

And that’s the real issue: bullying isn’t only about a bad moment. It’s about a student’s sense of safety, belonging, and izzat.

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Young Lives, Heavy Pressure: Listening to What Our Students Are Carrying

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Trigger warning: this post discusses suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services or a mental health helpline immediately. In Pakistan, national helplines and crisis support services are available to offer confidential support.

In recent months, we have seen a painful pattern repeating itself across Punjab: university students, bright, young people who should be building futures, are taking desperate steps or attempting to take their lives. These are not isolated tragedies; they are a mirror reflecting pressures that many families do not see clearly until it is too late. Recent reporting from Lahore and elsewhere has linked some of these incidents to academic pressure, failed relationships, and family conflicts, and universities and families alike are asking hard questions about what went wrong. (The Express Tribune, AAJ TV)

As a parent, it is natural to react with shock and guilt: ‘Kiya mein jaan sakta tha? Kiya mein pehlay qadam utha sakta tha? (Could I have known? Could I have acted sooner?) Those are painful but familiar questions. We also need to step back and look more critically at the systems surrounding our children, at what we ask of them, what schools expect, and how families respond when a child shows signs of pain. This is not about assigning blame to any single person. It’s about noticing patterns and changing them.

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Mental Health Is Not “Drama”: Why Does Even “Strong Bachay” Need Support

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Understanding Stress, Anxiety & Burnout in Our Pakistani Children: A Quiet Moment, Many Parents Will Recognise

In many Pakistani homes, the value of strength is instilled from an early age.

Rona nahin – Don’t Cry
Strong bano – Be Strong
Sab theek ho jata hai – Everything will be fine

These words are usually said with love. Parents want their children to thrive in a challenging world. But sometimes, without realising it, these same words send another message: Your feelings are not important.

When a child says, I’m tired, and we reply, Yeh koi baat hoti hai?

When a teenager says, Mujh se aur nahin ho raha, and we say, Drama band karo.

That is where the silence begins.

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Career Confusion: Science, Commerce, Arts or “Bas jo mile”

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Why teens feel lost about subject choices, fear disappointing parents, and struggle to see value beyond “doctor, engineer, CSS.”

Choosing subjects after middle school is one of those small crossroads that feels enormous when you’re living it, both for the child and the parents. In Pakistan, that crossroad often looks like a short menu: Science (pre-med/pre-engineering), Commerce (business/accounting), Arts (humanities/social sciences), or “Bas jo mile”, take whatever seat opens up. Why does a 14- or 15-year-old face such pressure and confusion? Let’s unpack the feelings behind the choices and offer a kind, practical way forward for parents and families.

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Why Do Teens Leave School? A Simple Reflection on Gender, Culture & Education in Pakistan

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Every child deserves to learn with confidence, feel safe while travelling to school, and dream about a bright future. But for many teenagers in Pakistan, especially girls living in rural areas, staying in school becomes more challenging as they grow older. When a girl drops out, her education doesn’t just pause; her opportunities, independence, and future possibilities shrink with it.

In this reflective piece, I aim to explore why many adolescent girls drop out of school and how parents, teachers, and communities can collaborate to support their continued learning.

What the numbers show and what families feel

Research from the World Bank highlights that girls in rural Pakistan face the highest dropout rates due to poverty, early marriage, unsafe travel, and lack of school facilities. Challenges and Solutions for Girls’ Education in Pakistan.

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