I grew up in what many of us still affectionately call the Peela School, the yellow-walled government schools that once formed the backbone of public education in Pakistan. Our classrooms were modest: wooden desks, chalk-dusted blackboards and a discipline that shaped both posture and perception. We did not have smart boards or science kits, but learning carried seriousness. Teachers were respected. Attention mattered. Those schools produced generations who learned to read carefully, listen patiently and endure intellectual effort.

Over time, that system weakened. Buildings deteriorated, teacher morale eroded, and curiosity was slowly replaced by mechanical memorisation. The Peela School retained its colour, but much of its spirit faded. Public education began to symbolise survival rather than possibility. Degrees multiplied, but imagination thinned.

It was with this history in mind that I first served as a judge at STEAM Muqablo 2025 and found myself unexpectedly hopeful.

STEAM Pakistan, an initiative of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional........

© The Express Tribune