Education in Pakistan Essay

The existing commandment delivery constitution is not meeting the needs and aspirations of the society as such disassociateicularly, it is a ch onlyenge to the provinces and dominions for the 21st century. Moreover, prior to devolution, the policy and planning have been undertaken by the central and provincial governances without taking into account the ground realities and without the participation of society. The principal(prenominal) objectives of the devolution plan is to empower the community at the grass conciliates take in planning, man growment, resource mobilization and utilization, executing, monitoring and evaluation of the learning avoidance to improve the service delivery at that aim.The important inherent issues of precept schemas argon teachers absenteeism, elderberry bush laid-back up neutralise out treasures particularly at primary level, high repetition posts, low climax rates, inequalities by gender, kettle of fish and social conventions, low literacy rate and unsatisfactory performance of disciplinedayss, these issues have been communicate under DOP through empowerment of local communities. The puzzle government has initiated semipolitical and administrative devolution under its reforms ripennda under Local governing body Plan 2000. The Local organisation Ordinance was promulgated on fourteenth August 2001.Under devolution, political power, decision-making authority, and administrative responsibilities have been moved as closes as possible to the village, union council, tehsil and district levels, with only the major policy-making, coordination, and fussy service functions being retained with the central and provincial governments. The main utilisation of the devolution is to improve the service delivery at the grass radix level in various empyreans. It is believed that highly centralized establishment of fostering is greatly hampering the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery service at the grass- root level. in series(p) governmentsaddressed this problem in their policies and plans since 1947. The cede government has envisioned with a clear commitment to reform a number of aspects of reproduction arrangement framed within the 1998-2010 National genteelness Policy and ten form perspective development plan 2001-2011 to increase schoolingal opportunities for all children, to call forth the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery service at grass root level. ESR is an Action Plan for 2001-2005, has been fully integrated into the Interim privation step-down Strategy Paper and almost 80% of the ESR packages covers heavy(a) literacy, learning for All and practiced teaching method. decadency plan is the mainframe for implementation of ESR. The fostering sector reforms (ESRs) have been design to address the folloannex atomic number 18as of education brass 1. Comprehensive literacy and poverty reduction course. 2. Expansion of primary unsophisticated education. 3. Introduction of technical stream at the unessential level. 4. Improving the tone of education through teacher training. 5. blueer education sector reforms. 6. open- clubby partnership. 7. advanced programs. POLICIES AND GOALS OF EDUCATION SYSTEM IN PAKISTAN Since independence, attempts have been do to relate the education transcription to the needsand inspirations of the country.All bringing up Conference was held in 1947 as per directives of the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He wind the basic guidelines for the future development of education by emphasizing interalia, that the education system should suit the genius of our large number, consonant with our history, subtlety and instill the highest sense of honor, integrity, responsibility, and selfless service to the nation. It should in like manner provide scientific and technical knowledge to build up our sparing life. This was followed by the duty assignment of various commissions, which submi tted theirreports periodically.The 1959 Report of the Commission on National knowledge enjoys a peculiar position in the history of educational reforms. on that point were several(prenominal) early(a) commissions and policy statements up to 1973. In 1973 the civilian democratic government came up with a 1973 constitution which provided that the state shall (a) promote unity and watching of the Islamic moral standards (b) promote with special cargon the educational and economic interests of backward beas (c) remove illiteracy and provide necessitous and compulsory thirdhand education within minimum possible period(d) make technical and master key education commandly available and higher education evenly doorible to all on the basis of deserve (e) enable the people of different areas, through education , training, agriculture and industrial development , and other methods to participate fully in all form of national activities including business in the services of Pakist an (f) batten down full participation of women in all the spheres of national life. The above-mentioned goals were pursued by various policy documents inform by subsequent governments who came into power from time to time.Each policy tonic on (a) Islamic ideology and character building (b) the universalization of primary education and progress of literacy (c) science education (d) spirit of education and (e) reduction in inequalities of educational facilities. Formal System of information in Pakistan. In titular education system, there are a number of defends, which are illustrated in the diagram in Annexure-I as described briefly below Pre uncomplicated school day Pre-primary education is functional and managed in schools through out country. Public schools provide pre-primary education as part of socialization process.The students attending pre-primary kinfolk are called Kachi. National culture EFA Action Plan Policy, 1998-2010 provided recognition to Kachi sieve as p roxy for early childhood education. According to National Education Policy, 1998-2010, the Kachi class will be introduced as formal class in the primary schools. The age group for pre-primary is 5. Primary give instructioning This stage consists of quin classes I-V and enrolls children of age 5-9 geezerhood. Since independence, the policy makers pronounced to make primary education free and compulsory.According to Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS) 1998-99, the grossparticipation rate was 71 share in 1999, for male it was 80 share and for pistillate it was 61 percentage. For urban young-bearing(prenominal) it was 92 and for rural it was 50 percent. The utmost participation rate notice for rural female in Sindh province that was 33 percent. The net muniment rate was 42 percent, for urban male it was 47 percent and 37 percent for rural female. Middle Schooling The middle schooling is of three days duration and comprised of class VI, cardinal and VIII. The a ge group is 10-12 long time. The participation rate at middle school was about 34 percent during 2000-2001. Males were 36 percent and females were 33 percent.High Schooling The high school children stay for two years in classes IX and X. The Board of negociate and collateral Education conducts the examination. A credential of alternative school is awarded to the successful candidates. The participation rate at high school was about 22 percent in 2000-2001 of which, 24 percent were males and 20 percent were females. Vocational Education is normally purported in high schooling. There are varieties of trades offered to the students and after completion of the bloodline they get jobs as carpenters, masons, mechanics, welders, electrician, refrigeration and similar other trades.There are 498 vocational institutions with an document of about 88 thousand in 2001-2002. high secondary Education The higher secondary stage is also called the arbitrate stage and is con stancered a par t of college education. Higher Secondary Education consists of classes XI to XII. During two years stay in this stave of education, a student at the age of 16 years in this stage can opt for general education, professional education or technical education. The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) conducts the examination and awards a protection of Higher Secondary School Education (HSSC).According to 1979 Education Policy, all schools were to be up alumnusd to higher Secondary Schools. Middle sections of high schools were to be linked with primary schools (designating elementary education). This system has limited success and some problems were experienced. Keeping in view the problems this system is being introduced gradually. Higher Education To obtain a point in time, 4 years of higher education after 10 years of primary and secondary schooling is required. Students who pass their first-degree stage are awarded a knight bachelors degree in arts or science, typi cally at the age of 19 years.In company to complete an honors course at Bachelors degree level an additional one years study is required. Further, a two years course is required for ensures degrees who have completed two years Bachelors degree. A doctoral degree requires normally 3 years of study after the completion of a masters degree course. Professional and Technical Education The duration of post secondary education varies in technical and professional fields. The polytechnic diploma is a three-year course. A bachelors degree in medicine (MBBS) requires 5 years of study after intermediate stage (12 years of schooling).Similarly, a bachelors degree course both in engineering and veterinary medicine is of 4 years duration after the intermediate examination. Madrassah Education Side by side with modern education system there is also religious education system, which provides Islamic education. These institutions have their own management system without interference from any the provincial or federal governments. However, grants-in-aid are provided to these institutions by the government. During 2000 there were 6761 religious institutions with an enrollment of 934,000, of which 132,000 were female students in 448institutions (Khan, 2002).Efforts have been made by the nonplus government to bring the Madrassah in the mainstream under Education heavens Reforms. The main purpose of mainstreaming Madrassah is to enlarge employment opportunities for their graduates. Pakistan Madrassah Education Boards are established to arrange the Madaris activities. Non-formal Education There are millions of people in Pakistan who have no access to formal education system. It is not possible for the formal system to meet educational needs of the rapidly growing population.Non-formal Basic Education School scheme has been introduced for those whohave no access to formal education. This scheme is very cost-effective. Under this scheme primary education course is taught in for ty months. Non-formal schools are opened in those areas where formal schools are not available. Government provides teachers salary and teaching material whereas community provides school building/room. There are 6371 NFBE schools military operation in the country. Examinations Examinations are usually held annually, which are the main criterion to promote the students to higher classes or to retain them in the aforesaid(prenominal) class.However, recently a systemof mechanical promotion up-to grade-III has been introduced in some schools. In the primary classes, examinations are conducted by the respective schools. However, at the end of the fifth year of the primary stage a everyday examination is held by the education department for promotion to the next grade. Another examination is held for the outstanding students to compete for the award of merit scholarships. Similarly, the examination in Middle Schools are held by the individual schools and there is a public examinatio n at the end of grade VIII conducted by the Education Department for awarding of scholarships.The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) conducts the examinations of Secondary and Higher Secondary. The degree level examinations are conducted by the respective universities. Teachers Training In Pakistan, there are 90 Colleges of Elementary Education which offer teachers training programs for Primary Teaching Certificate (PTC) and Certificate in Teaching (CT) to primary school teachers. For secondary school teachers, there are 16 Colleges of Education, offering graduate degrees in education and there are departments of education in 9 universities which train teachers at the masters level.There are only 4 institutions which offer in-service teachers training. Besides these, the Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, offers a very comprehensive teachers training program based on distance learning its total enrolment is about 10,000 per annum of which 7,000 complete vario us courses every year Private Education Sector Private sector involvement in education is encouraging. The federal billet of Statistics survey (1999-2000) indicates that there are 36,096 private educational institutions in Pakistan. to the highest degree 61 percent of the institutions are in urban areas and 39 percent in ruralareas.The percentage share of private sector in enrollment is 18 percent at primary school level, 16 percent at middle school level and 14 percent at high school level. It has been observed that most of the private schools give their own curricula and textbooks, which are not in conformity with public schools. legal age of the schools are English Medium which attracts the parents for sending their children to these schools. Most of the schools are overcrowded and do not have adequate physiological facilities. These schools are usually charging high fees from the students.Most of the schools areunregistered therefore, in most geeks the certificates issued by these institutions are not recognized by public schools. Majority of these institutions are functioning in the rented buildings. The National Education Policy 1998-2010 proposed that there shall be 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. A reasonable impose rebate shall be granted on the expenditure incurred on the circumstance up of educational facilities by the private sector.Grants-in-Aid for specific purposes shall be provided to private institutions. Setting up of private technical institutions shall be encouraged. Matching grants shall be provided for establishing educational institutions by the private sector in the rural areas or poor urban areas through Education Foundation. In rural areas, schools shall be established through public-private partnership schemes. The government shall not only provide free land to build the school however also receive a reasonable proportion of the cost of construction and management.Liberal give facilities shall beextended to private educational institutions by financial institutions. scorn all shortcomings of private education mentioned above, PIHS survey indicates that enrolment rates in public schools have declined since 1995-96 particularly a large decline has been observed in rural areas. It is generally perceived by parents that quality of education in private schools are better than the public schools, therefore, those parents who can impart prefer to send their children to private schools. These trends indicate that the public education system is unable to meet public demand for providing quality education inthe country.Administrative and Supervisory Structure and Operation According to the Constitution of Pakistan (1973), the Federal Government is entrusted the responsibility for policy, planning, and promotion of educational facilitie s in the federating units. This responsibility is in addition to the overall policymaking, coordinating and advisory authority otherwise, education is the provincial subject. The Federal Ministry of Education administers the educational institutions located in the federal slap-up territory. Universities located in various provinces are administered by the provincial governments, but areexclusively funded by the federal government through the Higher Education Commission. The Federal Ministry of Education is headed by the Minister of Education. The most senior civil servant in the Ministry is the Education Secretary assisted by Joint Secretary and Joint Educational Advisors of each wing. There are 6 wings in the Federal Ministry of Education and each wing is headed by Joint Educational Advisor The provincial Education Departments are headed by their respective Provincial Education Ministers. The civil servant in charge of the department is the Provincial Education Secretary.The provi nces are further dual-lane into districts for the purpose of administration. The head of the Education Department in a district is Executive District Officer (EDO). Literacy Department functions separately in case of Punjab and Sindh only it is headed by Executive District Officer (EDO) literacy. In the Provinces of NWFP and Balochistan, literacy is the part of Education Department. The hierarchy then runs down to the District Education Officer, Sub-district Education Officer, Supervisors or Assistant Sub-district Education Officers .At the grass root level (the union council level), Learning Coordinators (LCs) provide academic guidance as strong as supervise the schools. The administrative structure has been decentralized under the Devolution Plan. Village Education Committees (VECs)/ School Management Committees (SMCs) have been set up in the provinces at grass root level. Present Scenario of Education in Pakistan The government of Pakistan recognized that education is the basic right of every citizen therefore, access to education for every citizen is crucial for economic development and for poverty alleviation.The present government has given much importance to education sector it has not only emphasized raising the present literacy rate but also emphasized improving the quality of education. The overall estimated literacy rate was 50. 5 percent, for male 63 percent and for female 38 percent during 2001-2002. Urban literacy rate was 70 percent and rural literacy rate is 30 percent during the same period. Pakistan net primary enrolment rate was 66 percent (male 82 percent, female 50 percent) and gross enrolment rate was 78 percent (male 91 percent, female 64 percent) during 2000-01.About 45 percent children who enrolled in grade-1 drop out before completing primary education cycle (male drop out 45 percent, female drop out 54 percent). There are about 4 million children of 5-9 age group who are left out of school. The left out includes those children who n ever enrolled and those who drop out. Enrolment at primary level was 16. 63 million during 2000-01. The gross enrolment at middle level was 34 percent, male 36 percent and female 33 percent in 2000-01. The gross enrolment at secondary level was 22 percent, 20 percent for female and 24 percent for male.The total number of Arts and Science colleges were 916 (male 536 and female 380) with the enrolment of 763,000 during 2000-01. There are 68 universities in Pakistan with the enrolment of 1. 1 million. Out of the total universities, 40 universities are managed by public sector.There are 203,439 educational institutions in Pakistan of which 36,096 institutions are run private sector and the share of the private sector is about 18 percent. The major issues and challenges of the education system include low literacy rate, high dropout rate, wide spread teacher absenteeism, weak management and supervision structure,shortage of trained and qualified teachers in particular female, lack of te achers dedication, motivation and interest in their profession and lack of physical facilities.Moreover the curriculum is mostly outdated, irrelevant and does not fulfill the requirements of present day. Education For All (EFA) Education For All refers to the global commitment to ensure that by 2015 all children would complete primary education of good quality (Universal Primary Completion), and that gender disparity would be eliminated in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005 and no later than 2015.This commitment was made at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal in April 2000 and reaffirmed in the Millennium declaration in New York in September 2000. The Government of Pakistan is attaching top priority to EFA. The country has ten year Perspective knowledge Plan (2001-11) to visualize the long term macro-economic and sectoral growth strategies, Poverty Reduction and Human Development is the priority area of the Plan. Sector-wide development approach covert all the sectors of education has been adopted under the Perspective Plan.In order to address the EFA implications linkageplan focusing on development of other sectors of Education has also been prepared. Nearly 80% of the ESR covers different goals of Education for All by 2015, reducing illiteracy by 50 percent with a focus on reducing the gender gap by 2015, life skills and learning opportunities for youth and adults and early childhood education. The targeted groups for EFA goals belong to separate communities with minimal opportunities. These groups are highly vulnerable, without access to learning facilities, or public sector facilities, which are functioning at sub-optimal levels.