Nazia Qureshi
Our children can name every state capital and draw the digestive system at seven, but can’t fold their uniform or make their own bed. Are we truly preparing them for life, or just the next test?
We are raising children who can name the Prime Minister but can’t tie their own shoelaces.
In today’s classrooms, seven-year-olds can recite the names of state governors, draw the human digestive system, calculate the perimeter of a triangle, identify countries on a world map, and explain how money circulates in an economy. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? But here’s the bitter truth: that same child might not know how to fold their uniform after school, make their own bed, or even get ready in the morning without a parent hovering over them.
This is the great irony of our education system—we are raising children who can define “self-sufficiency” in perfect grammar, yet cannot practice it in real life.
The Race We Never Asked If They Should Run
Childhood has become an academic marathon. Every year, syllabi get heavier, project work gets flashier, and homework piles higher. Parents end up making models of volcanoes at midnight, writing “handwritten” essays in their neatest possible font, and painting charts so perfect they belong in an art exhibition—all in the name of their child’s schoolwork. But who are we fooling? The teachers? The school? Ourselves? The child learns only one thing—that there will always be someone to bail them out when the work gets hard.
What We Are Not Teaching
In our obsession with academic overload, we have forgotten the skills that actually shape capable adults:
How to organize their own school bag.
How to keep their shoes polished.
How to set the dining table and clear it afterward.
How to manage small responsibilities without constant supervision.
We applaud them for scoring 9/10 in science, yet ignore the fact that they leave their wet towel on the bed every single day.
Learning Without Understanding
The truth? Much of what children cram at that age evaporates right after the exam. They don’t truly understand the state government system or the digestive process—they’ve just memorized enough keywords to fill answer sheets. Schools proudly tick their boxes, but curiosity and practical skills remain malnourished.
This isn’t education. It’s an assembly line producing exam passers.
When Childhood Gaps Turn Into Adult Crises
The consequences surface later in life. Many young adults, having never learned to handle responsibility or face failure, collapse under real world pressures. Some spiral into depression; others, tragically, take their own lives.
In marriage, men and women who were never taught to share duties or manage challenges often fail to support each other. Many young women, unfamiliar with basic home management, feel overwhelmed—leading to frequent conflicts and even divorces. And yet, we pat ourselves on the back, declaring that we are giving our children a “good education.”
But what kind of education leaves them unprepared for life?
Self-Sufficiency is a Survival Skill
In a world where mental resilience and adaptability are priceless, we are raising children dependent on others for even the smallest tasks. A child who cannot prepare their own uniform will grow into an adult who struggles to manage life without a safety net. That is the joint failure of both school and home.
The Shared Responsibility
Schools are guilty of cramming too much too soon.
Parents are guilty of over-assisting.
Both are guilty of measuring education purely in marks.
A perfect math score is meaningless if the child cannot adapt, solve problems, or take care of themselves.
The Change We Need Now
In schools:
Reduce early syllabus overload.
Assign age-appropriate projects children can do independently.
Introduce weekly life skills classes—from buttoning a shirt to managing pocket money.
At home:
Let children do their own work even if it’s imperfect.
Resist the urge to “fix” everything.
Value responsibility over polished assignments.
The Harsh Truth
We are so focused on creating “smart kids” that we’ve forgotten to create capable humans. One day, when these children grow up unable to navigate life without constant guidance, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
Education should prepare children to pass through life—not just pass exams. Until we understand that, we will keep producing students who can write essays about the Prime Minister but cannot iron their own clothes.
