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?
The Comfort of Rote and Its Quiet Cost
Rote learning feels safe. It offers predictability in a system under pressure: crowded classrooms, limited resources, high-stakes board exams, and anxious parents. If a child can reproduce textbook answers, they are more likely to pass.
But national and international assessments keep reminding us of an uncomfortable truth: enrollment does not equal learning. Surveys such as ASER Pakistan consistently show gaps in comprehension, reasoning, and application, even among students who attend school regularly.
In my own classroom visits, I’ve seen students freeze when faced with a slightly unfamiliar question, not because they lack intelligence, but because they have rarely been asked to think aloud, justify an answer, or explore alternatives. We have trained them to search their memory, not their mind.
Why 21st-Century Skills Matter Even in Pakistan
Sometimes parents ask me, ‘Critical thinking sounds good, but will it help my child pass exams?’ It’s a fair question. But the reality is that today’s skills are not a luxury, they are survival tools.
Reports from UNESCO and the World Bank emphasise that education systems must move beyond recall toward problem-solving, communication, and lifelong learning if students are to succeed in changing economies.
Even within Pakistan, discussions about the curriculum are slowly shifting. Recent analyses and policy conversations highlight the need to embed creativity, reasoning, and real-world relevance into learning goals not as add-ons, but as core outcomes. SAGE
The challenge is not whether these skills matter, it’s how to teach them without breaking the existing system.
Small Evidence, Big Hope
What gives me hope is emerging local research. Studies and pilot programs in Pakistani middle schools show that when creative-thinking strategies are taught explicitly through open questions, group tasks, and reflection, students’ engagement and reasoning improve noticeably.
One recent study on cultivating creative thinking among Pakistani students found measurable gains when teachers used structured activities rather than pure lectures. The takeaway was simple: students can think creatively when we give them permission and practice. SAGE
In teacher-training sessions, I see the same pattern. When teachers replace just one memorisation task with a problem-based activity, students initially resist, then slowly lean in. Curiosity is there; it just hasn’t been invited often enough.
Exams Are Not the Enemy, Misalignment Is
Let’s be honest: exams are not disappearing any time soon. Board results shape futures, scholarships, and social mobility. The mistake is treating exams as the purpose of education rather than as one measure of learning.
International guidance, including from UNESCO, argues that real reform happens when curriculum, teaching, and assessment are aligned. If exams only reward recall, classrooms will teach recall. But if assessments begin to include explanations, reasoning, short written responses, or project components, teaching shifts naturally.
As a mentor, I often tell school leaders: you don’t need to overhaul the entire exam system to start change. Even classroom-level assessment rubrics for thinking, feedback on reasoning can reshape the learning culture.
Teachers Are the Hinge Point
Every reform I’ve seen succeed had one thing in common: it supported teachers.
Research from the British Council and other education bodies shows that sustained professional development, not one-day workshops, helps teachers move from lecture-heavy instruction to student-centred learning. Coaching, peer observation, and reflective practice matter far more than policy circulars.
In my mentoring work, teachers often say, ‘We were never taught this way ourselves.’ That honesty matters. We cannot expect teachers to teach thinking if they’ve never experienced it. Teacher learning must mirror the skills we want students to develop.
What Parents Can Do (Without Extra Pressure)
Parents often feel powerless in curriculum debates, but small shifts at home make a difference:
- Ask “how did you get this answer?” instead of only checking if it’s right.
- Encourage children to explain a concept as if they were the teacher.
- Value effort, reasoning, and curiosity, not just marks.
- Talk to schools about how they assess understanding beyond tests.
These habits don’t undermine exams; they strengthen learning for exams and beyond them.
What Students Need to Hear
To students, I often say, Thinking is a muscle. If it hasn’t been used much, it feels uncomfortable at first. Don’t fear open-ended questions. Try solving problems in more than one way. Study together, explain concepts to friends, and keep a small notebook of ‘questions I don’t yet understand.’ That discomfort is learning.
A Realistic, Hopeful Close
Curriculum relevance is not about choosing between skills and exams. It’s about refusing a false choice. Pakistani students deserve both strong academic foundations and the ability to think, question, and adapt.
I’ve seen classrooms change with just one brave shift by a teacher, one supportive conversation with parents, one assessment redesigned to reward thinking. System-level reform is slow, but classroom-level courage is immediate.
If we truly want education to prepare children for life, not just results day, then moving beyond rote is not optional. It’s overdue.