“Don’t you realise this behaviour is unbecoming of an Aitchisonian?”
Mr Zafar Ahmad stared at me.
Stress on the word Aitchisonian caused extra ripples of guilt.
There is a reason Mr Zafar Ahmad, my housemaster, was stressing on the Aitchisonian angle; he knew it would make me feel like a downcast in my own eyes. And it did. Both of us knew I would not repeat that adventure at least.
Aitchison College is in the spotlight these days. Pakistani press is not alone this time because The Guardian, one of the leading British dailies, has also covered the latest issue surrounding the institution’s policy regarding kinship. The case being made by a large section of society, led by the government, portrays kinship as a ‘corrupt’ practice.
Governor Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar has told The Guardian that kinship was only helping the elite class, the rich, the powerful and the ‘VVIPs’. He said that only about a dozen families make use of kinship. The governor’s overall response depicted that the government was taking these steps for the good of society. He also mentioned relatives of the ruling family not getting admissions because they didn’t invoke kinship.
The question here is, is kinship a social vice?
Is the government really aiming at a reform? Or, is it just political sloganeering and populism?
Kinship is a tradition. Institutions are strengthened by traditions.
The point I want to make here is that institutional pride does not develop out of thin air. It is born from traditions, conventions and customs. When I recall my time in Aitchison, the traditions always used to carry one positive trait or another – as proven in the first few lines of this blog. It makes individuals think before they act and works as a conscience to maintain their legacy.
More importantly, traditions strengthen institutions. Pakistani society behaves strangely and always negatively when it comes to traditions. Like in this case, everyone seems to believe kinship was made a rule in Aitchison to benefit the ‘elite’. As if their kids get admission without any test or something. The misconceptions are multiple.
Kinship does not work like that.
Firstly, it is not a rule made in or for Aitchison exclusively. It is not even a rule. It is a tradition practiced all over the world, including educational institutions in the US and UK. Kith and kin of alumni and students are given preference. It is a concept larger than educational institutions. All reputable armies of the world also practice it.
Secondly, kinship and quota are two different things. While talking to The Guardian, Governor Sarwar also seemed to be confusing the two. The governor of Punjab is patron of the college and has a quota in Aitchison. However, except for this, there is no other quota as far as I can remember.
Thirdly, kinship always has a very small share. It ranges from 10% to 25% globally and that includes Aitchison. But somehow, everyone has started bashing kinship preferences as if it is the only way admissions take place in Aitchison.
Let me give an example of how kinship works. If two applicants end up in a tie after the tests and one of them is related to an alumnus, he will be given preference. That is the most common case when it is invoked. Direct admissions also happen on a first come first serve basis in kindergarten, ranging from 10% to 25%.
The basis for traditions is rationale and experience. And there are other things. Traditions, rituals, mystique and pomp are very important in sustaining institutions. Kinship is not the only tradition in Aitchison, there are many more but space is a constraint here so I will leave those for now. According to the famous poet and Nobel Prize winner TS Elliot:
“The endless cycle of idea and action
Endless invention, endless experiment
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence,
Knowledge of words, but ignorance of the word”
I would ask readers to reflect on one point. Why are we talking, reading and writing about Aitchison? Why does the governor of Punjab respond to The Guardian about Aitchison? Why do we not talk about all schools and colleges? Why?
Let me answer. There is something special and exclusive about Aitchison and to sum it up in as few words as possible I would say,
“Aitchison is a traditional institution. It is not the institution itself that is the tradition, but the way the institution conducts itself that is the tradition.”
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.
Aitchison is nothing but discrimination, talk about fair play
“If two applicants end up in a tie after the tests and one of them is related to an alumnus, he will be given preference.”
Why exactly should he be given preference even in this case? Because his father or grandfather used to read in Aitchison? Now what kind of “tradition” is that?
Aitchison in NOT the only “traditional” institution in Pakistan. There are many others e.g. Government College University etc. The admission criteria is purely based upon merit there and same thing should be implemented in Aitchison
why are you so sore?
Well G.C.U is a wholly public college/university, whereas Aitchison is a semi-private institution and like all private institutions it reserves the right of admission.
Personally I believe that number based merit without any sort of holistic approach to student admissions is a very wrong way to go about admissions in the first place.
But the other institutions failed to maintain their traditions and currently Aitchison is the ONLY ONE.
Lol aitchison is not some Sadiq Lul Public School or some bloody new university!!! Its a college that has been around for more than 150 years and i believe being a 5th generation aitchisonian that my son in the future should have a higher chance of admission than someone else’s child who has not been in the institution.
Using words like “lul” wont make your argument even sarcastic, let alone logical. Sir, if your son somehow doesn’t make it to Aitchison, it means his children or grandchildren have no right to study there? For example if 150 students take the admission test and only 50 are to be selected and by chance 100 students have a tie. So only those 50 will be selected, according to your definition of maintaining “traditions” whose ancestors are related to this institution. So, when exactly the children and grand-children of the rejected 50 students will have a chance to study there? Never? Because their grandfathers couldn’t make it? Sounds ridiculous
And I would like to repeat again this is NOT the only institute that has been around for 150 years. GCU and PU have been there for equal number of years and boast Nobel Laureates as their alumni. Or are you too conceited to study the history of other institutions? 🙂
i totally agree with you sir. it is a posh university for posh people, and they keep it solely for the elite class(elite only in money not in mind) by making the admission criteria biased.
well, you are depriving many talented Pakistanis of good education.
You know had this been any western university it would probably have closed down due to lawsuits.
it creates a culture of cronyism and nepotism in the society and is most probably a big contributor to our country being so high in the corruption
I as an aitchisonian believe that the college’s legacy is upheld by generations of aitchisonians being admitted,I am myself a third generation aitchisonian my dad and his cousins were aitchisonians and so are my cousins and brothers. Aitchison is a highly selective and prestigious institution for the elite by the elite not some run of the mill public school, As a semi private institution it reserves the right of admission be it by kinship or class and please don’t compare our prestigious college to GCU or PU Aitchison college is a class apart from government schools
You would not be saying that if you had but a speck of belief in your own or your child’s personal merit. It is just unfair and discriminatory and that is not tough to see. If only you were on the other side of fence. Students with merit and promise make an institution worthy, not the other way round. It is just like justifying those clubs in pre partition india that said no dogs and locals allowed. Such practices just cannot be defended in good consience.
I think kinship is actually something that should be used as a negative point in case of a tie. Say for exaple, that my father and mother were not alumni and did not study somewhere as prestigious. But since they managed to help me successfully tie someone who has kinship, it goes on to show i am may be from a slightly more talented family, eh? Does it not make sense? I was far behind the start line when the race started but i ended up tying with someone who was there already. Who is more talented then? I think answer is quite obvious. Institutions are not built on traditions. They are built and made strong by giving priority to merit only.
Please remove the picture of Punjab University from this article. The second picture is not Aitchison. Publish this comment.
As an ex-ACian, I find all of Fahd’s arguments terrible: the policy only furthers exclusion, elitism, and privilege. Traditions may strengthen institutions but traditions also cause institutions to stagnate.
what are those traditions which the sons of politicians can carry and the son of an average person cant carry??? why is this difference just because we r not sons of some fake elite? if merit is the whole catch in this idea then why few people are worried about this new rule….
I am now convinced that Aitchsion has the most insecure student body in the country. Who brags about their high school? No one cares about where you attended high school in the real world, step outside your bubble.
On the matter of “kinship” abroad, UK universities flat-out do not consider whether your close kin attended the institution. In the United States, they have “affirmative action” policies that actually damage a student’s admission chances based on kinship. Top universities in the United States are actively seeking out 1st generation college students from underprivileged groups. Being a well-off white male is now actually a disadvantage, when applying to colleges, in the US! Leave it to Pakistanis to try justify classism/feudalism with false information. Even if kinship did matter abroad, that still wouldn’t justify such discriminatory policies. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Thats not true at all. Thats just a huge lie behind some false facts u have given to make it seem true. Sad very sad..Also just btw kinship can also be that of a doctor’s son, not necassarily a politician.
“so just btw kinship can also be that of a doctor’s son, not necassarily a politician.”
Still wrong, how does being a doctor or otherwise change that?
“Thats not true at all”
Look up “affirmative action”, “need blind admission” and college financial aid statistics in the US. While you’re at it, open Cambridge and Oxford’s admission policies and read them. The truth hurts, but it’s the truth none the less. Calling people liars without any factual evidence hurts your argument and as you put it, is “sad very sad”.
The IV league is known for its pro “Kinship:” policies around the world. Ask around. Bilawal Bhutto got into Oxford just because of his mother and grandfather’s studies over there. Read around instead of being a complexed fool.
60% of Harvard students receive financial aid (not scholarships). That doesn’t sound like a pro kinship policy to me. I’ve actually attended university in the US, so I would know. Legacy status only matters when all other factors are a tie. Factors such being in a low-income group/demographic actually carry more weight than legacy status.
As for Bilawal, he got in to Oxford because he was a potential head of state not because his mother went to the same university. Trust me, if his parents were regular Oxford graduates he wouldn’t have gotten in. People like Bilawal Bhutto are only 0.00000001% of the population so I’m not too concerned. Just read Oxford’s admission policy.
The mere amount of rebuttals on this topic should be conclusive evidence that the real world actually does care where you or your child gets his/her elementary,secondary and higher education.
“you or your child gets his/her elementary……education”
I would say you are deluded. No one cares where you went to learn your alphabet (as long as you learnt it).
“The mere amount of rebuttals”
False, the rebuttals are to these tiresome articles. This is the third such article on ET in recent memory.
Similarly, next to no one cares about your high school. Yes, high school because that is what Aitchison is. Will the Aitchinson crowd please stop mentioning their school and Ivy league universities/other top universities in the same breath. It’s an insult to those fine institutions of higher learning.
Guys, while kinship might be a tradition and all across the world, let’s call a spade a spade: it’s discriminatory and puts someone at a disadvantage.
These systems have been created by the elite for the elite. I understand how you might be disappointed, but maybe it’s time the children of the less privileged got a better chance.
Have you even read the article that you proudly linked to claiming ‘educational institutions in the UK and US’ also support kinship? It is full of criticism of the practice and speaks of the racism and legal action such a practice warrants.
Your argument of ‘tradition’ is very shallow. You do not go beyond just glorifying and extolling the word itself without actually explaining what it connotes. Furthermore, if you read the article it does not talk about tradition at all (which you think is the primary reason for the Aitchisonian legacy) . It talks about the funding that will possibly decrease if the kinship practice is abolished.
Since I don’t believe I can afford (neither can a lot of other people in Pakistan) Aitchison – I don’t care.
What’s Aitchison’s contribution in progress of Pakistan? Few useless politicians and few useless bureaucrats. A small corner school at any lane is better in my opinion and since when Schools became so important that Governors started to talk about them?
Is Pakistan really that illiterate that politicians in 2014 base their political life on such petty issues?
Shameful waste.
I am an ex Aitchisonian and regardless of what opinion you may have on this issue, I don’t appreciate the fact that you think Aitchisonian has no contribution towards progress of Pakistan. You are making a general comment by blowing smoke. I live I Canada and I can attribute my success to Aitchison. You may have gone to a small corner school and this is why you seem to be so bitter but I wish you happiness…
Your reply is exactly what is expected from any graduate of institution you so frantically cherish. Rather than coming up with a logical response to what your alma mater has done, you came with a perfect vengeful statement as “how dare you speak”.
What the hell is wrong with Tribune…this is the second blog on the same thing. The writer must be an Aitchisonian…I am sure!
yes and aitchisonians have no right to discuss matters relating to the institution.
The reason Aitchison is so famous is because of its alumni. If it abolishes this kinship program, there would be nothing that would differentiate it from other colleges.
Would that be a bad thing?
it would be a crime against humanity
It doesnt even matter if you are an aitchisonian or whatever you call your self cause frankly no atchisonian has saved the country and thus are highly overrated. So stop whining as if it is the last school on the planet
This is a much better article on this kinship issue than the one previously published by ET. However,I believe that only those aitchisonians’ sons who won full college blazers, sports colours/captains or were prefects/ headboys should enjoy this kinship rather than everyone.. Kinship should be maintained for traditions sake but needs to be more exclusive. There will be so many of us Old Aitichisonians one day and then this’ll be a problem when everyone would like to exercise this liberty.
Nepotism perpetuates social and financial inequality. Im gald most people voted no.
You know what a better tradition would be? replace kinship (quota/percentage) with special provision/relaxed entry requirement for children of someone with an outstanding contribution to the society, who otherwise can never dream of joining this prestigious institution. For example, the constable who got martyred yesterday while fighting terrorists. Someone similar to Edhi/Dr. Adeeb Rizvi should be given a preferential treatment (if they wish) not Farooq Leghari or Chaudhary Nisar.
Good suggestion and best comment on this article so far. As the daughter of an ex-Aitchisonian, I think it is a great institution although being a girl I couldn’t go to Aitchison regardless of kinship or merit. So my views are totally unbiased. If i ever have a son, I would wnat him to secure a place at the school on merit but his grandfather being an aitchisonian would be a matter of pride for me. 🙂
The crux of the writer’s argument is that.there is something exclusive about Aitchison and therefore that is how it should be. Very lame!
I think people who are criticizing Aitchison for being an elitist school should not even have commented in the first place. Thgere are many other options for people like them so they should go to lgs or some other school instead of wasting time for this discussion. The most impressive people in the country have been brought up at Aitchison and envy/jealousy will not get u anywhere..
Also, kinship in Aitchison can also be for a scholarship student. It doesn’t necassarily have to be that of a rich feaudal. What a complex our people have *sigh
Actually i don’t know why im even bothering to reply to everyone’s complex tricken comments on this article. People who are not Aitchisonian should just lay off the matter.
If you get admission, its a great college. If you don’t then its an elitist school that practices kinship.
The rumours and stories circulating about Aitchison College (not university, like many of here seem to think it is) are brought about by people who have no idea about the admission system and simply repeat old wives’ tales.
You want admission into the school, its simple. Ace the admission test. Easier said than done because quite a few of the brightest young minds will be competing for the exact same privilege.
Thats all there is to it people, the rest belongs on the third page of a tabloid newspaper no person in their right mind would ever read.
Mr Afridi you nailed it. I agree with you regarding the “complex”, clearly all the people criticising are deeply complexed.
People have the right to speak because Aitchison runs on their money
no it doesnt. i runs of the fees, donations and contributions of the students, their parents and the alumni. not tax payers.
“If two applicants end up in a tie”
This racism culture should be bumped by properly defining criterion in the case two applicants end up in a tie
Is Aitchison overrated or what?
Kinship is a practice which should be abolished.
This whole kinship idea holds no bases , that way a common man’s dons always hv to lament how their grandfather failed them to get a high stand in society , “”as being aitchisonian is the criteria !! “” admissions should be on tbe basis of personal potential nd talent not some family legacy !
If you want stagnation, then keep the kinship. If you want progress, abolish it. There is a reason that despite being an extremely old and elitist school, it has failed to contribute to the progress of the country. Holding pride in the tradition should not be as important as holding pride in making a real difference, and that difference can be attained by people whose families haven’t been a part of Aitchison from generations.
Aitchison was established in the
days of the Raj. Its particular Raison
d’être in those days was
to produce a selected number of elite boys to serve the selected class of
elites who came thousands of miles away from the sub-continental soil. That
elite class had different culture, different traditions and different
objectives in running their academia and their administration. When they
found it necessary to include the local elite graduates whose primary merit was
that some of their elders was serving or had served their imperial majesties’ government in the
crown British colony called India, they did so through institutions like
Aitchison.
Those traditions
were part of an alien culture which was superficially imposed on the local
class to achieve the overall objectives of the British Raj.
So to talk of allotting
seats on basis of kinship at Aitchison of today do not stand in conformity with
present day realities.
We
ought to bridge the class distinctions and not amplifying these by allocating
seats on basis of kinships etc.
If
the boys from the elite class do want to keep the tradition of Aitchison, they
should better work hard to enter Aitchison purely on merit than using the props
of kinship which anyway smacks of corruption right from the start in our in academia.
you are adding to his point kinship is given to certain individuals who already have secure positions in society. like bilawal did, where having a head state study from institution would be a matter of pride of it. Aitchison on the same basis allowed for admissions from families whose sons would go on hold powerful positions in society. and as you can see from glamourous list of alumni it has worked well for them till now. I believe such actions (although should be very limited) actually benefited the institution furthering its brand name and creating demand for admissions from amongst others who want their sons to mingle with this elite crowd.
flipping burgers is not success ….