Have you ever wondered what makes math so frightening for students in Pakistan that it leads to panic attacks? Have you ever compared the scared, silent classroom during math to the lively one during other subjects? Is math truly impossible, or was it only ever conveyed but never taught?

From the earliest classrooms, mathematics is not explained; it is dumped. It is taught badly because concepts are never exemplified. Teachers walk in, fill the board with solutions, and order students to copy like obedient machines.

Take any basic topic: linear equations. A question appears: Solve 2x 5 = 15. What does the teacher do? Do they explain what an equation means? Do they explain balance, equality, or why numbers move from one side to the other? No. They instantly write:

"Learn this method," they say. That's it. There is no meaning, no context, no logic, and no comprehension; just blind, robotic obedience to a dead checklist. And if a student asks, "Why did 5 become -5?" The brush-off is usually, "This is the only rule. Don't waste time."........

© The Express Tribune