1. Introduction
It is difficult to argue with the inference that the purpose behind the creation and development of human life is essentially the march of human society towards high pedestals of civilization, through a continuing process. Human history thus far testifies that knowledge is the key driver of human development, enabling it to add value to civilized life. Knowledge is essentially the product of education, only a rare and few have been endowed in history with the capacity to gain knowledge through intuition. Societies that emphasize education have historically prospered in comparison with those who relish the comfort of ignorance, confining themselves to a cocoon of benign inactivity which retards growth. Ever since societies developed into states, it has been the obligation of the independent State to recognize education as a right of the citizen. With the renaissance driven by the Muslim scholars of the early centuries of the second millennium, the world realized that human kind had to be the main focus of human enquiry and, thus, enquiry into human life and the environment concerning it has made it possible for humanity to reach the state of knowledge which it finds itself endowed with today. There is no possibility of societies and States, desiring to respond to the changing demands of growth not to invest individually, socially and materially in education to embark on a path of progress and realize their potential in the comity of nations. An unwillingness to respond to change through acquisition of knowledge degenerates society – faith degenerating into dogma, legacy degenerating into nostalgia and commitment to ideas degenerating into obduracy. Education therefore is the undeniable driver of the engine of progress.
2. Historical Background:
The ideology of Pakistan lays down two important obligations for the government. Firstly, education will be accessible to all citizens. Secondly, it shall enable them to prepare enlightened and civilized individuals committed to the cause of Islam. These obligations are in accordance with the teaching of the Quran, that recognizes provision of education as a right of the individual. Since 1947 government has implemented a number of schemes and plans in education sector. A brief overview is given below.
• The first National Education Conference was held in 1947. The Chairman the Conference set up following Sub-Committees to come up with the recommending guidelines in each sector:
a) Scientific Research and Technical Education Committee
b) Adult Education Committee
c) University Education Committee
d) Primary and Secondary Education Committee
e) University Education and Primary and Secondary Education
f) Women’s Education Committee
g) Committee for scheduled caste and backward classes education
h) Cultural Relations Committee
i) Joint meeting of the committees on the university education, scientific
Research and technical education and cultural contacts
j) Joint meeting of the committees on University Education, Women’s
Education and Primary and Secondary Education
In 1959 a commission on education was setup by the president Ayub khan to frame an education policy. An exhaustive questionnaire covering all aspects of education at its various levels and in its various forms was distributed widely to institutions and individuals throughout Pakistan and was also reproduced in the press. In addition, many individuals voluntarily submitted detailed memoranda concerning particular aspects of the Education System. It was opined that Education System must compare favorably with other systems keeping in mind the financial, geographical and demographic trends of Pakistan .
New Education Policy was formulated after detailed studies conducted in education per directions of the then President in 1969. A number of Study Groups were set up in the centre as well as in the provinces. Proposals were circulated for comments of the public and after deliberations by the experts a new policy was adopted.
Ministry of education set a draft consisting of proposals and recommendations courtesy seminars and meetings with experts. The document contained the approved implementation programme of the National Education Policy. This was the education policy of 1979. The Policy remained under constant study and examination to accommodate any review or modification that might become necessary various programmes were envisaged in the policy. Policy only gave direction and remained subject to change as and when the situation so demanded.
The socio-political milieu, among other factors, promoted to reshuffle the priorities, restate the policy, revise the strategy, and re-examine the fabric of education in Pakistan . A series of educational conferences were held in the Provinces which were attended by a large number of educationists and educational administrators from the primary to the university level. A National Conference was held at Islamabad in April, 1991 under the chairmanship of the Federal Education Minister in which a cross section of the society comprising scholars, writers, newspaper editors, scientists, teachers and Lawyers participated and discussed proposals for preparing the dynamics of the Education Policy. A large number of proposals on educational parameters were also received from intellectuals and educationists in response to a letter written to them by the Education Minister. The basic principles of the policy framework were discussed by the then Education Minister with the Education Committees of the Senate and the National Assembly. The problems identified and the solutions presented at the conferences and meetings were used to prepare the edifice of the 1992-2002 Policy. The Policy document was also discussed in the inter-provincial ministers meeting and was modified in deference to the recommendations of the Provinces.
In 1998 Prime minister of Pakistan advised ministry of education to set a new education policy according to the changing trends and demand of the day. A policy after public opinion and experts’ advice was adopted and implemented as national education policy 1998-2010.
3. Education emergency in Pakistan
“Children everywhere, boys and girls alike , will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling and that girls and boys will have equal access to all levels of education.”
Today Pakistan is crippled by an education emergency.2011 is the year of education in Pakistan
At least seven million children are not in primary school. ten % of the total primary school aged children of world which have not access to primary education live in Pakistan
At secondary school level, total enrolment is only about 23% denying the right of around 25 million children about the age of 16.
30% of Pakistanis live in extreme education poverty having received less than 2 years of education. Half of Balochs (residents of Balochcistan) suffers this education poverty.
35% of women in rural areas have ever attended school and fewer than half of total population of women has enjoyed this privilege.
Statistics show that issue is serious and failure to provide education is even more dangerous than devastating floods Pakistan
Public school system has failed to win the confidence of the parents and 30% of children receive their education in private schools. Even in rural areas 25 % children are educated privately. Parents have realized the importance of education and a huge amount of household income is spent on education and even illiterate parents have started giving importance to education. Parents now believe that education does not only serve financial purposes in future but it also helps building their personality and character. This change also applies on girls as well.
Public sector schools lack basic facilities and infrastructure.
30000 schools need major repair and 21000 have no building at all.
65% have drinking water.
62% have latrine.
61% have boundary wall.
39% have electricity.
Salaries of teachers in public sector schools is major budget expenditure but,
15% of students are not attended by a teacher on a good day because teacher being absent.
65% of children of the age of 6-16 years can not read a story
Current planning regarding vision 2030:
As the ‘Vision 2030’ describes it, the reality on the ground is “the divide between the prevalent school structure and differences in levels of infrastructure and facilities, media of instruction, emolument of teachers, and even examination systems between public and private sectors. The rich send their children to private run English medium schools which offer foreign curricula and examination systems; the public schools enroll those who are too poor to do so.” This divide can be further categorized across low cost private schools and the elite schools. There is another divide between the curriculum that is offered to the children enrolled in Deeni Madaris and the curriculum in the rest of the public and private establishments. There is also an unresolved and continuing debate on how and what religious and moral values to be taught through the educational system and how to accommodate non-Muslim minorities.
Aims and objectives of vision 2030 are
To revitalize the existing education system with a view to cater to social, political and spiritual needs of individuals and society.
To preserve ideology of Pakistan and preserve the feeling of nationhood keeping in mind the respect for other religions and serve the purpose of national cohesion.
To provide equal opportunities for every individual and nurture him/her to be a self reliant individual and sound personality having moral and democratic values and being aware of his rights and duties which will be helpful in achieving goals for progress of Pakistan .
To revive faith in public sector education by providing competitive services and raising quality standards this should prove helpful in achieving Dakar framework.
To diversify the education, eradicate illiteracy and skill impartation in individuals.
Unfortunately, lack of political will and finances over decades have produced a higher education sector that is both small in size and low in performance – a condition that is not compatible with national objectives to develop as a modern and competitive society. Additional factors like poor quality of education at the secondary level, poor grasp of English language by students, and the unstable socio-political environment of universities heavily impact the quality equilibrium. At the turn of this century, only 2.9% of the approximately 21 million people between the ages of 17 and 23 in Pakistan had access to university education. At present, there are a total 114 universities in the country – only 64 in the public sector. There has been a proliferation of private universities in recent years, but they have tended to specialize in market-oriented disciplines like IT, Management Sciences and Business.
According to the Quality Standard World University Ranking 2010 there are eight Pakistani universities among top 1000 Technology Universities of the World. Eleven Pakistani other universities including Quaid-e-Azam University, the University of Peshawar, National University of Science & Technology, University of Karachi, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore and Riphah International University (Private Sector) also ranked among World Top 2000 Universities of world, according to World Ranking of Universities. However these rankings are subject to extreme criticism due to the fact that these rankings are not found on credible and renowned ranking websites.
4. Importance of education and roles of previous policies, a critical analysis:
Education: social exclusion and social cohesion:
Education is not only about the individual, it has a societal role --a societal role of
Selecting, classifying, distributing, transmitting and evaluating the educational knowledge, reflecting both the distribution of power and the principle of social contract..
Educational institutions could move up the ladder of social mobility. If immediate attention is not paid to reduce the social exclusion and moving towards inclusive development in Pakistan , the country can face unprecedented social upheavals.
An efficient education system can be able to significantly contribute to increase social inclusiveness by ensuring social mobility through education and
training. Educational system is supposed to ensure the right of an individual to grow in income and stature on the basis of his/her excellence in education and training.
Uneven distribution of resources and opportunities and apprehensions of sliding down on
the scale of poverty promote social exclusion. Increased levels of social exclusion express itself in different forms like ethnic strife, sectarianism and extremism, etc. Social exclusion or extremism is not exclusively a function of the curriculum but a host of traditional factors like poverty, inequity, political instability and injustice contribute to it and it becomes such a huge challenge that calls for a comprehensive response on urgent basis.
Linkages with Principal Social Issues
Education is more than facilitation of analytical thinking and knowledge of chosen subjects for individual benefits. It determines the individual’s personality and also shapes national characters, inclinations and social commitments. Providers of education at the formative stages must consciously and vigilantly address linkages of education with high priority social issues. Only then can a society achieve awareness, sensitization and clarity of conception that contribute to a society’s resolution of issues infesting it and cure social afflictions that retard its growth. As stated earlier also, conflict ridden societies do not achieve any identified goals, financial incentives and investments notwithstanding. An almost imperceptible awareness, through education, commits individuals and societies, to address social issues positively.
Linkage with Sectarianism
Linkage with Population Growth
Population explosion has long been recognized as the bane of sustainable development. Till the 60s, the governments took many measures to create awareness of population welfare and management. However, many of these efforts suffered failures due to dogmatic fatalism and expensive awareness programmes being transient in effect. The education system, as a whole, has failed to create mindsets amenable to understanding and resolution of this problem
Linkages with Health
We all regularly pay lip service to the maxim that prevention is better than cure – and cheaper too. But the national education policies have not incorporated this into curricula/textbooks to recognize the centrality of school education to prevention of disease. The good old compulsory subject of Hygiene has lost its focus, resulting in huge financial outlays needed for schemes of awareness of health issues – outside of school education. More than media advertisements of dubious coverage and value, incorporation of health needs and issues in school textbooks of languages, and later civics, can achieve everlasting commitment to prevention of disease – particularly addressing the social causes of individual ailments, where lack of sensitivity of one may affect the lives of many. A healthy mind is determined only by a healthy body, which is ensured by a care of physique through sports and exercises, particularly among school children. Sports are
also a major practical means to character building, preparing citizens for fairplay in life.
Linkage with Democracy
Public commitment to democracy as the sole guarantor of political stability is not short on articulation, sounding more like propaganda than belief. We cannot be similarly sure of private ownership of the concept by the principal protagonists of power. As a social psyche, the elite and the powerful tend to be autocratic, in inclination and pursuit and joyfully consider themselves exclusively and autonomously wise, impervious to counsel and consultation. We rarely practice democratic norms in any social unit. Authoritarianism, whether dogma driven or ambition forced, is the normal public face of any exponent of power. The social upheavals the State of Pakistan has suffered, the lack of continuity in its political dispensations and the general immaturity of the political will, stem from the lack of commitment of the citizen to the cause of democracy. The
education system over the last half a century, has not contributed to a social psyche willing to listen to others and create a tolerant society, respectful of the beliefs, needs, ambitions, hopes and fears of all. Education has the capacity to change mindsets and cultivate a democratic attitude.
Linkage with Environment
The focus on environment and sustainable development may appear to be recent, but the role of education in creating awareness about our surroundings has always been recognized. We are living in a wonderful age, wonderful alike in its power and promise and in the nature of dangers and tragedies that await us at every step. Environmental degradation is a monster capable of obliterating life on this planet as we know it. Research tells us how societies that did not take good care of their environment
were lost to civilization. We also know that prevention of degradation of environment and sustainable management of our natural resources alone will guarantee continuance of conflict free societies on this globe. Education must, therefore, emphasize preservation and sustainability of our environmental assets as a necessary prevention from socio-economic deficits.
5. Gender and Education
The educational status of women in Pakistan is unacceptably low, in fact, amongst the lowest in the world. The problem emanates at the primary level, as low participation and high dropouts at that stage prevent females from reaching higher education and equitable opportunities for such furtherance do not become available to the female gender. According to the Ministry of Women Development,
only 19% of females have attained education up to Matric, 8% up to Intermediate, 5% a Bachelor’s degree and 1.4% achieved a Master’s degree.
60% of the female adult population is illiterate.
Of the 3.3 million out of school children, 2.503 million are girls. 73.6% of primary age girls attend school, compared with 92.1% of boys. Moreover, a sizeable majority of rural girls drop out of primary schools.
Women in Pakistan do not form a homogeneous entity; their opportunities vary greatly with the social system that they are part of. In rural areas, patriarchal structures often combine with poverty to limit opportunities for women, while women belonging to the upper and middle classes have increasingly greater access to education and employment opportunities and can assume greater control over their lives.
Although education has been seen to add value to a female worker, increase her productivity and make her less vulnerable to violence or harassment, it is often the economic productivity and security that are given as reasons to hold girls back from schooling. Poor families allocate scarce resources to their sons’ education, expecting higher economic returns. Cultural limitations discourage parents from sending their daughters to mixed gender schools. However, the problem is not just of demand. There have been situations where girls are enrolled in boys’ schools even up to matric level, indicating that supply of quality girls schooling is falling short. Similarly, poor physical environment or lack of basic facilities in schools also discourages parents from sending their girls to schools. To remove these supply side blockages, unwavering support and coordination between all stakeholders (politicians, bureaucrats, government departments, planners, implementers and community organizations) is required. Right from 1947 till 1998, the emphasis on girls’ education found due in the policy documents but the physical targets were not matched with financial and social investment in the cause of female education and hence the underprivileged women of Pakistan find themselves in this appalling state.
6. Geographic and Economic Disparities
Geographic Disparities
There are vast differences in education services between rural and urban areas which continue to broaden the gulf between the urban elites and the comparatively marginalized and disempowered rural population. Unfortunately, the issue of quality service delivery in rural areas receives scant attention specifically and it has been seen that the worst public sector schools are in the rural areas. Also, there are disparities within urban slums and posh areas. This is essentially a focus issue in strategic planning and needs urgent attention with incentive based improvement in quality education service delivery in all disadvantaged areas. Also contextual rural settings do not find an appropriate place in the curriculum, which has a serious urban bias that makes the subject less relevant and more difficult for the rural learner. There are perceptions of biases against universities located away from the Centre in Punjab and other provinces.
Economic Disparities
To state the obvious, the rich go to private schools and the poor go to public schools creating apartheid like situation in the education sector. The current education system reinforces class division by preparing the working class for its role through technical subjects while the arts, social sciences and other pure subjects are reserved for the rich. Currently, the purpose of education is simply social and economic mobility and this result in just skills training not education. Poverty is the main obstacle to acquiring quality education and also the result of poor education available to the economically deprived. The vicious circle, therefore, prevents any movement out of the education related poverty syndrome
7. Parallel Systems in Education
Parallel streams of education can be recognized in Pakistan on the following lines:
Sources of funding:
Public sector, private commercial sector, donor supported and
Community-Civil Society Organizations (CSO) supported institutions.
Specialization:
Religious education schools (Madrassahs), technical and vocational training institutions, etc.
Quality:
Ordinary public sector schools and high quality elite schools in the public sector and high quality private sector – commercial sector schools and low quality private schools.
Medium of instruction:
Urdu medium, English medium and mother tongue.
For groups outside the main stream:
Non-formal education (NFE), adult literacy, Special education.
While discussing these parallel systems, we must distinguish between public and private systems of education generally. The public sector can be taken to include all government and State controlled organizations.
These parallel systems of education create social, ethnical, class differences among the students and social stratification is result of the education system rather than the cohesion and national integrity. These social classes as a result of these parallel systems of education do not come out of their succession spheres and a positive class shift is hugely discouraged.
8. MAJOR DEFICINCIES
The foregoing analysis reveals that Pakistan has made progress on a number of education indicators in recent years. Notwithstanding the progress, education in Pakistan suffers from two key deficiencies: at all levels of education:
Access to educational opportunities remains low and the quality of education is weak, not only in relation to Pakistan ’s goals themselves but also in international comparisons with the reference countries.
On the Education Development Index, which combines all educational access measures Pakistan lies at the bottom with Bangladesh and is considerably below in comparison to Sri Lanka . Pakistan ’s HDI has improved over the years but the rate of progress in other countries has been higher. Bangladesh , starting at a lower base has caught up, while other countries have further improved upon their relative advantage. These developments do not augur well for Pakistan ’s competitive position in the international economy. As the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) shows, Pakistan ’s performance is weak, on the health and education related elements of competitiveness, when compared with its major competitors like India , China , Bangladesh , Sri Lanka and Malaysia
The Commitment Gap
The low resources stand in sharp contrast to the commitment required by the policy
Statements which set up ambitious goals for the sector. The contrast between the vision and the commitment has been pointed out by the Planning Commission: “We cannot spend only 2.7 % of our GDP on education and expect to become a vibrant knowledge economy”
The commitment gap could come from two reasons
(i) Lack of belief in education’s true worth for socio-economic and human-centered development.
(ii) A lack of belief in the goals themselves.
In regard to the first, the analysis done during the policy review, including reviewing recent international research and policy experience, confirms the potent role education can play in achieving economic growth and social development. On this basis, the commitment gap could not arise for this reason.
The second reason, the lack of commitment to the policy goal itself may, therefore, be
the real problem.
The Implementation Gap
The implementation gap, though less well documented, is believed to be more pervasive in that it affects many aspects of governance and the allocation and use of resources. One piece of evidence relates to the amount of developmental funds allocated to the sector that remains unspent. Estimates range from 20% to 30% of allocated funds remaining unutilized. The underlying causes may lie in the lack of a planning culture, planning capacity and weaknesses in the accountability mechanisms.
Another type of implementation problem surfaces in the corruption that is believed to
Pervade the system. Anecdotes abound of education allocations systematically diverted to
Personal use at most levels of the allocation chain. Political influence and favoritism are
believed to interfere in the allocation of resources to the Districts and schools, in recruitment, training and posting of teachers and school administrators that are not based on merit, in awarding of textbook contracts, and in the conduct of examinations and assessments. The pervasive nature of corruption indicates a deeper problem where the service to the students and learners is not at the forefront of thinking and behavior on the part of some involved in operating the system.
9. THE WAY FORWARD: A PARADIGMATIC SHIFT
Addressing the two underlying deficiencies requires a fundamental change in the
thinking that informs education policy at all levels. The need for a paradigmatic shift is echoed in the ‘Vision 2030’ report of the Planning Commission, which calls for major adaptations and innovation in the education system. The paradigmatic shift requires that the objectives of the education policy would be to serve the interests of students and learners rather than of those who develop policy or implement programmes. This is a very fundamental shift as it implies changes in all the important parameters of education policy: its time to recognize the need for reforms and make recommendations for action in a wide range of areas, which can be divided into the two categories.
First, there are system level reforms, which deal with such issues as the vision of the system, sector priorities and governance, and resources for the sector.
The second set of reforms should address problems that are specific to individual sub-sectors of education, ranging from early childhood education to adult learning.
9.1Literacy and Non-Formal Education
Eradication of illiteracy through formal and informal means for expansion of basic education through involvement of community is the need of the day. The current literacy rate of about 39% should be raised step by step and aim should be to achieve the goal as early as possible. Functional literacy and income generation skills should be provided to rural women of 15 to 25 age group and basic educational facilities should be provided to working children. Functional literacy for the adolescents (10-14) who missed out the chance of primary education. The existing disparities in basic education should be reduced. These steps will be helpful in making illiterate people as useful citizens of the society.
9.2Elementary Education
Children in the age group (5-9) should be enrolled in schools. Gross enrolment ratio at primary level should be increased and a Compulsory Primary Education Act should be promulgated and enforced in a phased manner. Full utilization of existing capacity at the basic level should be ensured by providing for introduction of double shift in existing school of basics education. Quality of primary education needs to be improved through revising curricula, imparting in-service training to the teachers, raising entry qualifications for teachers from matriculation to intermediate, revising teacher training curricula, improving management and supervision system and reforming the existing examination and assessment system.
Integration of primary and middle level education in to elementary education (I-VIII) increasing participation rate at middle level is necessary. At the elementary level, a system of continuous evaluation should be adopted to ensure attainment of minimum learning competencies for improving quality of education.
9.3Secondary Education
One model secondary school at each district level with a definite vocation or a career is required to be introduced at secondary level. It must be made sure that all the boys and girls, desirous of entering secondary education, become enrolled in secondary schools. A revised Curriculum for secondary and higher secondary and multiple textbooks should be introduced. The participation rate which is 31% at present should be raised and made compatible to developed countries. The base for technical and vocational education should be broadened through introduction of a stream of matriculation (Technical) on pilot basis and establishment of vocational high schools.
One model secondary school at each district level with a definite vocation or a career is required to be introduced at secondary level. It must be made sure that all the boys and girls, desirous of entering secondary education, become enrolled in secondary schools. A revised Curriculum for secondary and higher secondary and multiple textbooks should be introduced. The participation rate which is 31% at present should be raised and made compatible to developed countries. The base for technical and vocational education should be broadened through introduction of a stream of matriculation (Technical) on pilot basis and establishment of vocational high schools.
9.4Technical and Vocational Education
Opportunities should be created for technical and vocational education in the country. It will help in producing trained manpower, commensurate with the needs of industry and economic development goals. Improvement in the quality of technical education will enhance the chances of employment of Technical and vocational Education (TVE) graduates by moving from a static, supply-based system to a demand-driven system. Revision and updating of curricula should be made a continuing activity to keep pace with changing needs of the job market and for accommodating the new developments. Development of technical competence, communication skills, safety and health measures and entrepreneurial skills etc. should be reflected in the curricula and Institution-industry linkages should be strengthened to enhance the relevance of training to the requirements of the job market. Emerging technologies e.g. telecommunication, computer, electronics, automation, petroleum, garments, food preservation, printing and graphics, textile, mining, sugar technology, etc greatly in demand in the job market to be introduced in selected polytechnics. A National Council for Technical Education should be established to regulate technical education.
9.5Private Sector in Education
Government should encourage private investment in education with regulatory bodies at the national and provincial levels to regulate activities and smooth functioning of privately-managed schools and institutions of higher education through proper rules and regulations. it can be done by allowing A reasonable tax rebate granted on the expenditure incurred on the setting-up of educational facilities by the private sector. Matching grants should be provided for establishing educational institutions by the private sector in the rural areas or poor urban areas through Education Foundations. Existing institutions of higher learning should be allowed to negotiate for financial assistance with donor agencies in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Educational institutions to be set up in the private sector should be provided
(a) Plots in residential schemes on reserve prices, and(b) Rebate on income tax, like industry. Schools running on non-profit basis exempted from all taxes.
(c) Curricula of private institutions must conform to the principles laid down in the Federal Supervision of curricula, Textbooks and Maintenance of Standards of Education. The fee structure of the privately managed educational institutions must be developed in consultation with the government.
9.6Religious education:
Religious Education is an important part of any education system as it essentially sensitizes and nurtures in citizens a value system and also develops in the pupils a consciousness of their relationship with the Creator. It is principally the duty of the family to bring up its child with awareness of the religious injunctions which form his/her earliest environment. The State should ensure that publicly provided religious education should not be divisive in implications and should lead to cohesion amongst all peoples. Religious education should be so formulated that it nurtures a respect and tolerance for all faiths/ denominations.
Religious Education should be easily available to the citizens and there should be no compulsion for believers in one faith to pursue religious education of another one. Therefore, civil society organizations like Madrassahs should be facilitated and encouraged to provide prejudice-free religious education to their followers. There should be no compulsion for minorities to pursue Islamic studies in all schools at any levels. This right is also provided by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which guarantees freedom of practice of any faith without coercion from any quarter. A Muslim youth in
9.7Access to Higher Education
The importance of higher education as an engine of socio-economic development for
The HEC has declared the following as its core strategic aims:
a) Faculty development
b) Improving access
c) Promoting excellence in learning and research
d) Relevance to the economy
e) Developing leadership, governance and management
f) Enhancing quality
g) Physical and technological infrastructure development
As has been discussed above, higher education has only recently received greater emphasis than ever before. If we recall the goal of the 1947 Education Policy statement, it was expected that a class of elite would be created through higher education that would determine the quality of our civilization and would direct and plan our national life. This aspiration is true even today and investment in higher education will permit the society to achieve this goal. The issues of relevance and quality of higher education will allow the product of a university to be equipped with the capacity to innovate, create and determine the contours of a knowledge based economy. The emphasis on quality needs to be further strengthened, as only numerical achievement in the field of higher education is not a necessary guarantor of a quality product. Our universities must become centers of research and creative learning, providing answers today to the questions of tomorrow and not learning today the answers of yester years. Presently with the national investment in education at 2.2% of the GDP, investment in higher education is around 15% of this outlay. While in first step, investment in education should rise, over the next 4 years, to 4% of the GDP, the share of higher education should rise to the level of about 18-20% of the total investment during the same period. In second step investment in education should increase to 6% of the GDP, a quarter of that investment should go to higher education.
While higher education has been in the lime light over the last 3 years, it has been perceived to be at the cost of elementary and secondary education. However, in absolute numbers, higher education needs further financial resources. It is another matter that investment in elementary and secondary education (including higher secondary education and TVE) must be substantially increased to create an intra sector balance between various sub-sectors. The perception that education is completed only on obtaining a tertiary degree does not necessarily hold good and this needs to be changed. Only those interested in research should go for higher education. It also appears that the emphasis on sciences is at the expense of humanities thus compromising transmission of basic and cultural values. It also appears that Higher Education Commission (HEC) is working in divorce from other policy frameworks. While the HEC is keen to improve the key areas of access, quality and relevance, quality issues in higher education institutions continue to persist and more long term answers are needed rather than celebration of short term numerical achievements.
There is a serious concern about the quality of distance learning provided by Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU). This has pervasive repercussions on the quality of such pursuits, and particularly affects in-service capacity enhancement programmes. It is understood that AIOU is conscious of its current weaknesses but strong commitment and investment needs to be made in AIOU because of the wide spread influence that it has over so many areas of learning and production of skilled people for economic development. Greater investment needs to be made in assurance of quality product from higher learning and the HEC must ensure that assessment procedures in higher education are of the highest international standards and the HEC being a regulator needs to be a guarantor of all university degrees in Pakistan for minimum acceptable standards..
9.8Budgetary allocations and official emphasis on education:
Total amount of Rs. 663 billion has been allocated in PSDP-2010-11 for various ongoing and new schemes. Out of total PSDP, the federal share is Rs. 280 billion, provincial share Rs.373 billion where as Rs.10 billion would be spent for Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of Earthquake-hit areas.
Rs.5140.9 million for Education Division.
New proposals emphasis the following amendments as remedial measures and necessary for road to progress,people are criticizing the government for not giving education its due and claiming that the government has ignored the sector in the upcoming 2011-12 budget as well. Teacher unions, educationists, parents and students are demanding that the government allocate six percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) for the education sector in the budget to be announced in June. They say that the purposed budget reflects that education is no more the government’s top priority. They say that the government has deprived students of education and just being promoting the private sector. The authorities have recommended the budgets for the Schools Education Department (SED), Higher Education Department (HED) and Higher Education Commissions (HEC) and according to the educationists, the commission and the departments are not happy with their budgets..
Conclusion:An education system cannot remain in isolation of the challenges and opportunities provided by globalization. These are in the field of business and commerce, technology, cultural values, identity and many more. Unfortunately a comprehensive national analysis and debate on the potential impact and possible benefits of globalization has been a major deficit. This situation can be overcome since only impossible is impossible itself. Change is possible because a desire of change in current scenario is deeply uprooted in public. Role of leadership is very crucial in this regard. Commitment is necessary and additional spending of 80 to 100 billion can make us closer to MDG.
There are certain myths in this regard which can be categorically denied.
It is a false perception that parents do not want education since they make great sacrifices for their children’ education.
Boys and girls need education on equal basis since educated women prove helpful for every index of development.
It is not true that madrassas play an important role in education since only 6 % of children go to madrassas.
Public does not want a better building for school infact they emphasis on good teachers and public sector teachers are paid handsome salaries then their poor performance is questionable. We can not rely on donors since best lending hand is at the end of our own arm and problem is not very hard to solve if attention is directed towards it and resources are spent wisely even education can be transformed in a decade.
A time has therefore come to shed our personal prejudices, treat Pakistan as an independent, sovereign State and not hang on to the coattails of one foreign ideology or the other, free ourselves of and to chart a path where the entire citizenry of Pakistan will be prompted, through a sensible education system, to realize personal and collective goals of individual and social empowerment. We cannot continue to postpone common sense and for political considerations pursue one motive or the other, leading the people into a slumber of inactivity and leaving the State entirely in the hands of self-styled elite. This does not guarantee the greatest good of the largest number. It is against this background that we feel that a realization and articulation of national goals in the field of education cannot be postponed. The State must invest intensively and extensively in the future of Pakistan’s nation, by setting goals and standards in education that will facilitate the outstanding raw human resource of this country to chisel and refine itself into the finest exponents of social and economic power that they can be.
No comments:
Post a Comment