The School That I Would Like In 2020

Recently, an essay writing competition was held in The City School Southern Region to celebrate the alma mater's 35 years of excellence. The topic of the essay was "The School That I Would Like In 2020."

As we ran around looking for good writers across the A Level Section to contribute to this competition, we found many of our talented writers. Out of those, The Student Blog Team is proud to announce that, 

KIRAN IQBAL of A1S3 secured the SECOND POSITION in the entire SOUTHERN REGION.

Congratulations KIRAN! You have made us proud :)

The School That I Would Like In 2020
By : Kiran Iqbal (A1S3)

Humans have always been learning and overtime many modifications have occurred in our quest to gain knowledge. The earliest means were mainly information passed down in the form of stories generation to generation. Then we began to store and preserve that knowledge so that more people could learn. And then when we began to understand how important literacy is for survival we established schools so that we could live.

My Vision 2020 is a school where students are not forced fed information to store but encouraged to process it first. Where they are asked to question ‘why?’ and encouraged to find answers. Where learning is not limited to the classroom but students are encouraged to discover the outside world. Where book-learning is not enough and students are trained for their future. And, the students are taught not only the curriculum but skills that will probably help them out more than simple book learning in their futures. The school that I’d like in 2020 is place where individuality is acknowledged, encouraged and cherished. There should be an establishment of student based learning where the main focus lies with the needs of the students and empowers them to take autonomy for their own learning.

The school should also keep up the advanced technological race if it wants to keep up with the increasing competition. E-learning should be encouraged. Classrooms should be fully equipped with advanced technical gadgets that make student learning and interactions much more collaborative and accessible. Students should be able to gain knowledge without actually coming to the school; electronic certification systems. The school should be completely established in the digital age where all work takes place on the computers.

The school should train students to be skilled in professions that don’t even exist as yet. The new model of education should respond to global challenges and be innovative. Students should be trained in applications benefitting the country and doing something to bring a change in the world. Talents should be honed and students guided towards carriers that have long term success.

The Writer being presented with her Second Position shield by Ms. Seema Irfan.
Photography by Jalebi Productions.

Of Football & Lota-ism.

Fajr.A.Dawood-Guest Writer


Lending a deaf ear to all the people [particularly Geo and other sports (mainly cricket) anal-ysts, always anal-ysing] presumably asserting over cricket to be the undisputed sport that Pakistanis 'worship', I demand justice for the football fans in Pakistan who are being wrongly labelled as cricket worshipers. By worship here, I do not mean to commit shirk (surprise, surprise!) but only meaning to state the intensity of the likeness for the glorious blessing we have been bestowed by. Most people, however, seem to remain nescient towards this grace & therefore turn up with sore, reddened faces after Pakistan cricket team has been overpowered - Whilst 'the match was fixed' statements, smelling of excuses for being ignominiously vanquished diffuse throughout the air all Pakistanis breathe. & soon, it invades each lung of every person who recites 'kirkit' on each bead of the tasbeeh.


The football fans may be outnumbered by the number of 'bat bol' fans, but here it is for all the people, being equally just with the English, since both sports are the offspring of the same mother (the doubts about the father, however stand). 


Most people here follow the famed, & more commonly watched league; The Barclays Premier League and the Spanish La Liga, whose fans are mostly confined to being supportive due to the seduction of usual triumph of Barcelona FC, & the inconsistent Real Madrid, with the a few good-looking players, and other half- ManUnited supporters still chanting viva Ronaldo. However, it's very dreary for true football fans outside the vicinity of where such Leagues are contested to be categorized under the label of "Glory Hunters".


The UrbanDictionary.com explains the word "Glory Hunter" as this. 


Now most of the people outside the UK or Spain will throw their underwear at their screens with that tab open, and their actions would be completely just. Football, like any other sport is a source of entertainment, for say, wrestling is. Does supporting The Miz or The Rock, or John Cena whilst watching them fight while cozily lying on one's late gramps' rocking chair, with a packet of chips; ravenously eating, sitting in in front of a fat CRT TV in Pakistan make one a glory hunter? No. 


However, I do agree upon the point that states that they're the people who support any currently prospering club to only taste victory. We locally call such creatures a 'lota'. Lota in the sense that even if you fill from the broader top, the water will always branch and fill the S-like, narrow protrudorous shape without having to bear any osmotic pressure ( in football's case, witnessing draws & being defeated). 

This is how people who support a new team every other week/ season look like.  Image: Author Source: Internet

So here it is, for all the Pakistan-wide footy fans who cherish the presence of ESPN, TenSports(for CL matches) & StarSports for being there when other sport channels give preference to airing a cricket match while football is being played in the meanwhile ( minus TenSports mostly). 

Also, I take this opportunity to thank GeoSports for being a useless pile of poo for only showing women over-loaded with make-up like a donkey cart is laden with all the stuff weighing as highly as of an elephant. 

Fajr.A.Dawood is a proud ManUnited fan who prefers being a Red Devil over watching Pakistan play cricket while frolicking at every 4/6 runs being scored. Runs a blog called Ze Chronicles. Read.. if you can. 

The Secret To A Change For The Better

By: Muhammad Siddique
Class: A2C5

#Peace

                                  
   
Everyone in this country has faults in our eyes, but what can we say about ourselves? I have been noticing all those people who are around me since I have gained my composure. I have seen many people complaining about others, their country, and their leaders(specially Pakistani). Why go so far? Take my example, what have I done good for this country? Nothing, instead of executing something favorable.  I have broken the heart of it by playing my part as a corrupt citizen :(  Why to blame our leaders, our protectors(police), why to expect something good from them until and unless we care for our country? I am also trying my best to change myself and I request all of you to change your attitude towards the corrupt system and bring in love for this country, 'PAKISTAN'.  The much awaited revolution/change will come if we change ourselves and it will only come if we are honest to ourselves and we care for the roof that this epic country has given to us. No one's tsunami or long march will bring this change, only our feelings about our country will bring it.

Yes we CAN :)

‘GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK’

BY HIBA KHAN A1G1


It’s a doggy dog world out there folks, life is no less than a race. CIEs aren’t any easy as well. In fact they seem harder and harder by the day. The pressure to do well and achieve the maximum grades can be pretty frustrating at times, so many people to please, so much work to do. But in the end it all pays off! When you run around campus with a certificate full of A’s, that’s when you realize that the things you were made to go through during school weren’t to make life hell, but to make you do the best you can! The Feedback Forms are an example of the way to push us to do better. Or are they really…?

Well I myself got a sheet full of subjects I needed to get recommended for. Though I knew why I flunked half my subjects (she says honestly), but the rest of the kids I see running around the corridors make it seem like they had no idea what went wrong and why they were being put through to this agony. I hear this one kid sitting on the steps of the canteen saying to his friend, ‘Man, trust me I will make him sign my feedback form!’ Seriously is it just me or was that guy that thick to think teachers are so gullible? Firstly you flop the exams, and then you have the courage to stand up to a teacher asking them to sign your form as if they made mistakes in checking your papers. The humiliation, gosh. Tears from the girls, and hopelessness from the boys. When you walk in a class room with a puppy dog face and you are told to ‘Get Out’, that’s what hurts the most right? Oh and then the reluctance to sit for retakes. Ehsaan kar rahay ho retake day k teachers’ pe? People don’t feel happy with anything! Are you actually that naïve to think the teachers will let you go sit for the exams without making you go through a tiny bit of pain? Perhaps if you actually sat down to with books instead of your laptop stalking people this situation could have been avoided… 

And those long, long queues outside Miss Karamally’s office. My advice, set up tents and camp fire there guys because really you have to wait for a long time for your turn to come so you can go inside and get praised by not only Miss Shireen but also Miss Hillah! Take it from someone who’s already had a visit to the Hall of Shame (Not a very good memory). From the admin office to the main office and then back to the admin office, the cycle starts off at eight thirty in the morning and finishes around two in the afternoon when the poor souls are forced to go home and come back the next day for yet another depressing, dragging day.

But even all of that doesn’t put a Pafian down. We wait in those queues, we listen to the shouting, take it with dignity, and we strive for our future! Criticism is always good, never forget that guys. And I hope that everyone got there Fee challans by now. If not, then I hope you get them soon!! Mine’s been paid, just saying…

BEST WISHES !