Five ways to improve the structure of Pakistan's education system By YesPakistan.

com Staff Writer Universal primary education in Pakistan is contingent on several factors, such as the existence of cost-effective schools, better curricula, and an awareness among parents, especially in rural areas, of the importance of education. However, the single most important factor in getting children to complete primary school is improving the structure of Pakistan's school system. Currently, there exist many obstacles on the road to a smoothly functioning system. These include political interference, corruption, over-centralization, a lack of school autonomy, underdeveloped managerial capacity and poor information systems. However, there are five institutional reforms that can help improve Pakistan's educational structure so that it can achieve the goal of universal primary education. The first reform is the decentralization of decision-making, which improves education administration. Presently, Pakistan educational system is highly centralized even though it is widely understood that basic education is better provided in a system that is administered at the district and village level. A highly centralized system does not respond as effectively to local needs. The bureaucracy interferes with the flow of resources and information. It also means higher level administrators have less time to devote to important issues like program design, implementation, and monitoring. This decentralization means governments must develop partnerships with communities, NGOs, and the private sector to delegate responsibility effectively in order to achieve universal primary education. A second step necessary for improving the system is greater autonomy for the schools. Currently, school principals have a limited decision-making capacity. In addition, schools do not have control over issues like curriculum, teacher appointment, discipline, and evaluation. There are virtually no opportunities for local staff development programs or resource mobilization. By giving schools more independence, principals would have the authority to appoint personnel and determine crucial issues that affect the day-to-day affairs of schools. Principals, not upper-level bureaucrats, are in a better position to make these decisions since they deal with the daily realities of school life. A third important reform is providing better support to, supervision of, and coordination of the school system at the district and provincial level. By making the district the key level for planning and management, state-level and central education bodies can focus more on policy-making, resource management and regulation. One way to do this is by promoting good principals and teachers at the school level to enhance the institutional capacity of district level organizations. The lack of sufficient manpower is the most serious problem at the district and sub-district level. A fourth necessary reform is to encourage decision-making be based on educational, not political, considerations. At present, politicians hand out teaching jobs as patronage appointments. Federal and provincial funds provided for education sometimes remain
Page 1 of 38

unused, especially in rural areas, since feudal landowners are opposed to educating "their" people. The final necessary reform is to expand the information and research base of education in Pakistan. Effective management and administration of the education system depends on the quality of the information system. Without reliable information, decision-makers cannot improve education policy and programs at the national, district and school levels. One way of collecting reliable information about the state of education is to conduct standardized testing that measures student performance against national curriculum goals. These can be used to compare learning achievement across schools, districts and regions over time. There is also a need for better research. Pakistan currently has one institution that conducts research on educational issues, the Academy of Educational Planning and Management, which conducts research on basic education. However, its abilities are hampered by inadequate funds, no institutionalized basis for collecting, processing and analyzing data, no technical support staff and little influence in policy making. Best Answer - Chosen by Voters There should be more focus on individual progress than on test scores. Test scores are not the only way of seeing how much a student undertsands and how intelligent are they. I believe more challenging courses should be provided for increased mental stimulation because if students had more challenging work, it would force them to work harder in order to pass. Teachers should be payed more but there should also be higher standards in order to become a teacher because teachers have very important jobs. It is up to them to encourage and teach us so that we reach the peak of our potential. Parental involvement is necessary. It is up to parents to make sure their children understand the value of a good education.Too often parents do not stress the importance of education and no wonder their children don't perform to the best of their abilities. Curriculm revision would have to happen. Too often children are passed on to higher grade levels without learning the skills they need and so more time has to be dedicated towards reteaching skills that should've been learned. Finally, stricter standards in order to pass to the next grade level should be set up. I believe 70% should be the lowest percentage a person could receive in order to pass and if the pupil receives grades lower than C minus in math and Language Arts, he or she should have to go to summer school until improvements are made.

It is very simple just introduce a single syllabus for all over the country students. Despite of the rich and the poor syllabus, english and urdu medium syllabus. The educartion system we have in Pakistan now is discremination against poor and non-english speakers. The elite class education is the one that will lead them to hold the country resourses and even country while the poor and other medium students are just waisting their time to be honest. They will become good human beings but soon they can tern back very quickly because of injustice and inequlity, I think it is a very serious issue and the concerned people and authorities should take an immedialte action.

Page 2 of 38

First, we need to define the purpose of the education. Do we want to produce clerk, or mere operator or world leaders in every discipline? Do we want to make good human beings or professionals? I am for producing good human beings, and world leaders in every study area. This is a almost formidable goal, but certainly possible. Many important points have already been made above in this direction. In this post I will restrict myself to matriculation and college education. Immediate thing is to improve the examination system. That is it should no longer be memory test. For the time being, we can modeled O-level or A-level system. O-level or Alevel does not give a single textbook, only syllabus. Based on this, publisher commissioned authors to write books. One usually studies more than one books. This will cure most of the ill known as ratta fication. This brings us to contents of the courses. Most of the courses have actually pretty decent syllabus. Only possible exception is Islamiat. We can make Islamiat syllabus our own. Islamic Council can be given that task. A related issue is that We don't have technical book writers in regional languages. We can remedy this by translating the books recommended by O- or A-level administration. It can be done in Urdu first, and then other regional languages like Sindhi, Pushto, Baluchi, Punjabi. On the other hand, we should also promote book writing within Pakistan in Urdu and other widely understood regional languages. All the above step are only the starting point. Through course of time, it will evolve and reached to point than it will become ours. It will also direct the transformation of our education system. I believe that it will prove to be very fruitful starting point.

We must admit that coaching center has become an essential component of our education system. Once we have a better examination system, perhaps on the same lines as I have suggested above, these coaching center will pick themselves up to it. A large majority of the coaching centers maintain a reasonable quality, of course, keeping our examination system in account. One may say lower/labour class can not afford coaching center. Agreed. But immediate step should be to improve the quality of education who can afford it. In my opinion, coaching centers are within the purchasing power of even lower middle class. Later on, we may thought out some plan for the lower class too. The another benefit is that it won't be easy to induce well trained and knowledgeable teachers in colleges immediately, a we severely lack critical masses. At governmental level, it is even harder. And, in most of the coaching centers, students are the teachers. A majority of them are bright and hard working students, and better teachers than college or school teachers.

Page 3 of 38

The government of Pakistan should announce a national educational emergency and involve the whole nation in waging a war against illiteracy. In the longer-term interest of promoting moderation and democratic values in Pakistan, an in improving the socioeconomic status of its people, sector-wide reform of education system appears vital. First and foremost ... Universal primary education in Pakistan is conditional on several factors such as the existence of cost-effective schools better curriculum and awareness among parents, especially in rural areas about the importance of education. However, the single most important factor in getting children to complete primary school is improving the structure of Pakistan's school system. Currently, there are many obstacles on the road to a smoothly functioning system. These include political interference, corruption, and a lack of school sovereignty, underdeveloped managerial capacity and poor information systems. For example, In the 1980s President General Ziaul-Haq promoted the madrassahs, partly out of his personal conviction that instruction in such schools would help the people to behave as genuine followers of the Islamic faith and partly because such institutions helped him to mobilize support of the religious hierarchy and religion-based political parties for his rule. Their support was also valuable to him in the recruitment of soldiers for the anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan. The number of madrassahs in the country grew rapidly, financed by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Iran as well as by affluent Pakistan industrialists and businessmen both at home and abroad. A major problem in education in Pakistan has been the low rate of female participation and the substantial disparity between males and females in educational achievement. In 1992, among all persons above 15 years of age, only 22 percent of females were literate as against 49 percent of males. Another very important necessary reform is to expand the information and research base of education in Pakistan. Effective management and administration of the education system depends on the quality of the information system. Without reliable information, decision-makers cannot improve education policy and programs at the national, district and school levels. I believe, following measures are vital to improve the system: 1. Improve, update and form curriculum, texts, pedagogy, and examination and evaluation techniques. Give more importance to language education and mathematics at the primary and secondary levels. The unfortunate fact is that usually even our postgraduates lack basic skills in these areas. Language and mathematics are the foundation on which acquisition of other skills depends. Though much of the problem is due to poor teaching, yet curriculum, texts, pedagogy and examination techniques also have a lot to do with the current situation. 2. Instruction in science, history and social studies should be incorporated in language teaching at the primary and secondary levels through activities and projects. Computer education should also be introduced gradually right from the elementary stage in education. 3. More emphasis should be given to the development of educational institutions for some unconventional disciplines as fashion designing, art, music and literature. There is a lot of talent in the country in this field and a great, high return international market for the products and services of skillful people in this area. Similarly, a system of continual vocational training should also be introduced for workers in different fields.
Page 4 of 38

At the proper stage, instruction in foreign languages (especially Arabic for closer cultural and economic ties with the Arab world, for curbing sectarianism and fanaticism, for greater unity in the Ummah, and for better understanding of Islam in the educated classes) and social skills (for enhancing Emotional Intelligence) should also be encouraged. Both these areas have gained immense importance in the wake of globalization. 5. Religious education should be incorporated in the mainstream education. For this purpose, the most important thing is introduction of Arabic as a second language at the appropriate stage. This may not be as difficult as it seems. Some work may be required in forming the curricula and pedagogy, but the rest can be done just by including good level Arabic in Civil Services and Army entrance examinations. Similarly, good Arabic can be made a prerequisite for entrance into a number of other professions and for promotion. (For example in the judiciary it makes sense to have a judge who has a sound base in Arabic deciding about Islamic law). Demand will create its own supply, and it is expected that schools, institutions and parents will also be important contributing factors.

Page 5 of 38

Recommendations for Improving Education in Pakistan

Asif Iftikhar

Given below are some recommendations to the government for improving education in Pakistan. The recommendations follow a brief mention of the problems they might be helpful in tackling:

I. PROBLEMS A. Low literacy level and low standard of education These are general problems and need no elaborate comment here. B. Inappropriateness of curricula and pedagogy The curricula and related pedagogy are usually inappropriate or at least inadequate for the set goals in many disciplines. Furthermore, there is no integrated system in which one step leads to the next to enable a student to develop a truly sound base for the discipline he or she is interested in. Moreover, even at the higher levels of education, there is no mechanism worth its name to help a student in gauging his or her potential or in deciding on a suitable academic career. C. Multiplicity of educational systems There are many systems working here, resulting in not synergy but social division and conflict. For example we have English medium schools, Urdu medium schools, and religious madrasas. Students coming out of English medium schools, especially good private sector schools, have little or no awareness of their religion and culture whereas those passing out from Urdu medium schools are usually destined to work in clerical and lower level positions. Religious madrasas churn out yet another class that are usually unaware of the world outside their own and, with their strong sectarian bias and little or no training in modern disciplines, are usually ill-equipped to interact meaningfully with the larger society and are also monumental at times in spreading sectarianism. II. RECOMMENDATIONS A. Declare educational emergency The present government should declare a national educational emergency and involve the whole nation, including the army, in waging a war against illiteracy. Some steps that the government might consider taking in this regard are: 1. Declare education as the highest priority of the government. Explain that unless the impediments of illiteracy and lack of education are removed, the road to democracy will remain fraught with the danger of exploitation of the masses by the select few, and that in the absence of political will in the ruling classes to do something tangible in this arena, it seems that it is up to the army to defend the country against illiteracy and lack of
Page 6 of 38

education, for there is no factor more important to the well-being of a nation than human resource and no negligence worse than ignoring its development. 2. Make it mandatory for government and army officers at all levels to do stints at various educational institutions in relation to their skills and national requirements.

3. Make it a mandatory requirement for various degree programmes that the candidates, after taking their exams, shall spend a specified period of time [for specified hour(s)] in teaching at assigned institutions. (These assignments should be given in a judicious and practical manner). 4. Ask for volunteers with specified qualifications to contribute their services in their areas of work or residence under organised bodies that can be formed for this purpose by the government. 5. Ask the public to contribute financially for this purpose. Modern marketing and fund raising techniques can be adopted for this task. 6. Many government school buildings can be converted into commercial schools of good level. The government can consider offering many of these schools to private sector organisations in the field of education on the condition that a specified percentage of bright students from the lower and middle classes will be granted admission and scholarships. Tax benefits/exemptions may also be made part of the deal to encourage entrepreneurship in this area. 7. Offer tax benefits/exemptions and other such incentives to private sector groups to invest in education in rural and less developed areas. 8. Make it mandatory for each industrial unit/agricultural estate of an area above a specified limit to provide for a school within the premises/area. Alternatively, the owner can be asked to share costs with the government for setting up such school. Another option is giving various financial/tax incentives. 9. Introduce standardisation of curricula and licensing and certification of teachers to improve standards (as is done in the USA). 10. Introduce high quality selection procedure for higher level teachers and offer the candidates better incentives. 11. Use electronic media more extensively for educational purposes. A channel could be devoted to just education. In this regard, a. teachers of high calibre can take classes for different subjects at various levels, b. these lecturers can be telecast as well as recorded, c. the lectures can be delivered by telecasting them or by playing recorded cassettes even in schools in far flung areas where quality education is usually not available, d. later on computers can also be used with sufficient data banks and with internet and e-mail facilities for more interactive education, and
Page 7 of 38

e. if an appropriate system is designed, more students can be taught in one school using cassettes, discs, etc. with relatively less teachers. 12. In rural areas, provide each school with at least one army man to ensure that people face no resistance from the feudals in educating their children. 13. Provide people with incentives to educate their children. This can be done in various ways. For instance a. even lower level government jobs as for clerks, peons, constables can be linked to a minimal level of education and entrance tests. b. various loans (e.g. agricultural loans) can be linked to whether an applicant has educated or is educating his children.

14. Link agricultural loans/tax benefits to feudal landlords with a specified number of people they have helped in obtaining a required level of education. 15. Similarly, link industrial loans to education. 16. Similar linkages can be made in relation to adult education programmes B. Improve, update and form curricula, texts, pedagogy, and examination and evaluation techniques There is no need to say that improvement, updating and new work needs to be done in these areas. Again, some steps that the government might consider taking are: 1. Give more importance to language education and mathematics at the primary and secondary levels. The unfortunate fact is that usually even our postgraduates lack basic skills in these areas. Language and mathematics are the foundation on which acquisition of other skills depends. Though much of the problem is due to poor teaching, yet curricula, texts, pedagogy and examination techniques also have a lot to do with the current situation. 2. Various teams of experts should be involved in performing the above mentioned task of improvement and formation. 3. Instruction in science, history and social studies should be incorporated in language teaching at the primary and secondary levels through activities and projects. 4. Computer education should also be introduced gradually right from the elementary stage in education. 5. At the proper stage, instruction in foreign languages (especially Arabic for closer cultural and economic ties with the Arab world, for curbing sectarianism and fanaticism, for greater unity in the Ummah, and for better understanding of Islam in the educated classes) and social skills (for enhancing Emotional Intelligence) should also be encouraged (Goleman,* 1996). Both these areas have gained immense importance in the wake of globalisation.
Page 8 of 38

6. More emphasis should be given to the development of educational institutions for some unconventional disciplines as fashion designing, art, music and literature. There is a lot of talent in the country in this field and a great, high return international market for the products and services of skillful people in this area. 7. Similarly, a system of continual vocational training should also be introduced for workers in different fields. 8. Interesting and informative documentaries and activities should also be designed for the education of students. Similarly, institutions as museums, internet clubs, libraries, etc. should also be developed. Contributions from the public can also be sought for this purpose. 9. Various bodies of academic experts should also be formed to monitor, standardise and develop all the above mentioned programmes (1-8). C. Eliminate multiplicity in education gradually A uniform system of education should be introduced gradually to eradicate the problems multiplicity of systems creates as pointed out earlier. Two important things that the government should attempt in this regard are: 1. Introduce one medium of instruction. In the international environment of competition today, English has assumed unprecedented importance. Although Urdu will perhaps remain a language of our people for a long time to come, English has to be given preference if a choice is to be made (as too many languages undermine instruction in any one). 2. Religious education should be incorporated in the mainstream education. For this purpose, the most important thing is introduction of Arabic as a second language at the appropriate stage. This may not be as difficult as it seems. Some work may be required in forming the curricula and pedagogy, but the rest can be done just by including good level Arabic in Civil Services and Army entrance examinations. Similarly, good Arabic can be made a prerequisite for entrance into a number of other professions and for promotion. (For example in the judiciary it makes sense to have a judge who has a sound base in Arabic deciding about Islamic law). Demand will create its own supply, and it is expected that schools, institutions and parents will also be important contributing factors. (Other advantages of Arabic have already been pointed out; see B.5).

Today education has become necessary for everyones life; Survival without education is becoming difficult. A recent survey shows that in todays environment labour level jobs also requiring education to work on machines, to drive machines and to quantify the work and calculate the earnings. But in developing countries education is challenge for low earners, especially in Pakistan. Because in Pakistan income is on top priority then education in all institutions. So for low earners it is too much difficult to pay high fees. Free education the government schools
Page 9 of 38

and various NGOs are offering but to study in most of those schools is about none. Low salaries, teachers absents, low qualification and no teacher trainings are the main reasons of low quality education especially in Pakistan. The teachers dont know what they are teaching, students dont know what they are studying, and teachers are going to schools for salaries, students for attendance and to satisfy parents. Students learn nothing and wasting their time in Pakistani schools according to current demand and competition. Quality education is also available in Pakistan but that is limited to only few students in 13 Crore students. In todays fast moving world Pakistan is still lacking quality education even after having good infrastructure and the same practices are ongoing from nursery to university level. Universities and schools want to earn more and more rather to better education their students. All above reasons promoting academy culture in Pakistan, or part time home tuition culture in Pakistan. Because of tuition culture parents have to pay double fees first at schools, then academys. Education system in Pakistani universities is shame for the Muslims. We proudly say we are Muslims but reality is different. The first message from the God to our holy prophet was education. The government must take the necessary steps to improve this system otherwise we will be failure in the world with no education. Every Pakistani wants to go abroad but they have in mind in advance that they will work as labour and can survive with low earnings. HSMP highly affected Pakistan because the thousands of educated Pakistanis already migrated and many trying to migrate. If we will not standardize our education system we will be failure state in the world. But unfortunately for this system educated leadership is necessary. No one is thinking about this. But this is guaranteed that we will never grow with this system in the world. Everyone knows what is happening but no one working for its betterment. We should make our country good educational brand. Looking for your comments Written by: Muhammad Samiullah

Page 10 of 38

The present education system has failed to disclose before the new generation the founding reasons of Pakistan. The disastrous results of this negligence are now evident in every walk of life. The responsibility for this deterioration lies with influential factions, besides those in power. The most alarming aspect, besides ideological confusion and moral degradation, is the falling standard of education. Due to constant decay, Pakistani educational documents are now no more acceptable abroad. There is unacceptable level of class distinction in education. Because of this, Pakistani nation is most discreetly broken down into an upper English medium and a lower Urdu medium class. This trend needs to be checked immediately. Urgent measures should be taken to improve the deplorable conditions of the state owned educational institutions. Effective education policy should be decided in consultation with judiciary, teachers, education experts, peoples representatives and students representatives. Further, no political intervention should be allowed in implementation of this policy. Exploitation by private educational institutions in the name of education should be regulated justly through legislation. These institutions should be made to boost standardized education on the one hand and on the other, to embrace all classes of society on basis of merit. The government should declare a national educational emergency and involve the whole nation, including the army, in waging a war against illiteracy. More emphasis should be given to language education and mathematics at the primary and secondary levels. The unfortunate fact is that usually even our postgraduates lack basic skills in these areas. Language and mathematics are the foundation on which acquisition of other skills depends. Though much of the problem is due to poor teaching, yet curricula, texts, pedagogy and examination techniques also have a lot to do with the current situation. Pakistani Education System A uniform system of education should be introduced gradually to eradicate the problems of multiplicity of systems of education. Two important things that the government should attempt in this regard are:

Introduce one medium of instruction. In the international environment of competition today, English has assumed unprecedented importance. Although Urdu will perhaps remain a language of our people for a long time to come, English has to be given preference. The government should evolve an integrated system of national education by bringing Deeni Madaris and modern schools closer to mainstream in curriculum and the contents of education.

Reform issues also relate to the curriculum, textbooks, examinations, teacher training, school administration etc. Here, instead of reinventing the wheel, we need to speedily begin the process of implementation after critically evaluating the detailed reports and recommendations made by specialist international and national teams. Over the last decade every major educational issue has been the subject of numerous costly and detailed studies. Some are excellently done while other are only fair. But whatever ones opinion on the final recommendations made in these reports, the professionals who
Page 11 of 38

authored them set out problems in clear and concise terms, marshaled data from various sources and identified various options. However, astonishingly no such study was referred to at any time in any meeting of the Education advisory board although these studies had been commissioned by the Ministry of Education.

Page 12 of 38

1. I am often accused of just being critical and not coming up with any solutions for the problems that I **** about. Well, I have decided to tackle this false and vicious accusation against me with a proposal to set the educational system right and here is that proposal. I know that I am going to have to live through the equivalent of WATER BOARDING by the zealots of Status Quo Ante but so what. Policy Statement. The ministry of Education will be placed under an educational Czar who will have tenure of 10 years and legal rules will be established so that he will be immune to any and all kinds of pressure from any quarter. The selection of the individual will be made. And here this proposal is based on the assumption that that Czar is myself, Shimatoree. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. All Private schools will be abolished completely. Profit making in education will be against the law. Running a private school will be made a capital offence punishable by public guillotine. All Madrassahs will be abolished without regard. A system of egalitarian schools will be established in every corner of the country Education will be free and compulsory for the young as well as the old. The furniture (if any) will be the same in all the schools. If chairs then chairs for every school. If mats then mats for every school. After the primary education is completed, the students will be required to take courses in Honesty and, Morality and ethics. Throughout the time of education, the one thing will be impressed upon as being HONESTY. History will be taught as a factual subject and not as a concocted re-written history. The events as they took place in an un-biased and objective manner. The history of Pakistan will be taught from the days of Mohenjo-Daro and onwards not only including the history of the Islamic period but also equally of the period before that when the Hindus and Buddhists ruled. Socrates, Plato, Diogenes and Anaxagoras and other ancient Greek philosophers and their teachings would be compulsory throughout secondary, higher secondary, college and professional education. Literature and poetry and music and art will be taught as a compulsory subject including but not limited to the arts of all countries and their past. Great men of all of humanity of all civilizations will be promoted to teach ethics. Islamic history will be taught as an open subject for discussion and debate with the idea to promote critical thinking. No allowance will be made for anyone trying to provide or promote his or her own brand of the religion of Islam. Mullahs will be eliminated by attrition as they would be forbidden to propagate their own distorted views about society and they will be denied the pulpit in mosques or the Internet or TV or video conferences. All schools will be run on a co-educational system. All boys and girls will learn in the same institution. Girls will be taught and made aware of their 100 % humanity and they will be taught not to accept the notion that somehow they are only half as good as boys. The main aim will be to promote intellectual honesty and inculcate critical thinking amongst the citizens of the country.

Page 13 of 38

Problems of Education system: (Outline) 1. Introduction 2. Historical perspective: Mistakes and lessons 3. Status of education system 4. Problems of education system a. Inadequate funding b. Parallel education systems c. Disparities: Elite and poor d. Creativity and research e. Faculty f. Personality needs 5. Suggestion a. Realization of Policies b. Proper financing c. Standardized education system d. Practical trainings and research e. Improve standard of faculty Conclusion

Essay: Education plays an important role towards political stability, economic development and social progress. It brings political stability in the way that it realizes the people their national rights and duties. When the people are aware of their rights and duties, a conducive environment is created for better implementation of the policies and to ensure healthy participation of the people. Education brings economic development because it enhances the productivity and efficiency of the people, and provides them necessary skills. This way people assume their respective roles and fulfill them efficiently, and eventually support the sustainable economic growth of the country. Education shapes the personality of the people to integrate them rightly into the society. It seeks them moral obligations and duties, so they can play their part in the society. The under-developed education system of Pakistan has created many evils in the country. According to most of the social scientists and experts, poor role of education system is critical factor of political instability, economic upheavals and social disorganization. Nevertheless, vital role and significance of education system is largely neglected in Pakistan unveiling a plethora of problems and challenges. Although, blessed with tremendous resources and vast manpower, Pakistan is considered in the list of poor nations, even in the South Asian region. It has become a victim of terrorism; it witnessing poor economic growth of nearly 3% of the GDP and even experiencing severe political instability. Undoubtedly, there would be also some other factors responsible for instability in Pakistan but education is the crucial one. Education system of Pakistan is facing some serious problems. First, it is lacking adequate funds for proper infrastructure development. Second, there are many parallel education systems existing in Pakistan which foment discrimination and create disparities among the people. Third, there is lack of creative and practical education which could provide fuel for research and innovation in the society. Fourth, education system is unable to meet personality needs of students to make them true human beings who can serve the society. Fifth, faculty is lacking proper training and shows negligence towards its duties. It is unable to provide a role model for the students. Prior going into the problems pertaining to education system, we need to see the historical evolution of education system to identify the inherent problem in it. The Muslims of India ruled under the foreigners for nearly two centuries. They were introduced with Western education system which was nearly imposed on them. Modern education institutions were founded in big cities which provided education to elites of the society, but poor and some orthodox Muslims continued Madrassah education system. Later degraded with time due to lack of funds and proper infrastructure, and its scope was limited to religious education. Although, some visionary Muslims tried to blend traditional education system with modern, these efforts cant bring any substantial change. After establishment, Pakistan inherited divergent education systems. The new governments imitated foreign systems which had little or no relevance with Pakistani society, giving two extreme systems which abused each other. This gave birth to parallel education systems which still exist in the state: creating many disparities in the society.

Page 14 of 38

Historically, a bundle of education policies have been introduced in Pakistan which envisaged ambitious goals, but most often, they lacked true implementation. Educational budget remained close to the margins of 2% due to constraints of financial resources. Only a few governments paid some extra attention to education system, but they cant end the dilemmas of education, Conclusion: The world has become a global village and trends of market-based economies are setting. Now we are living in a competitive environment and average systems have no space to survive. Changing dynamics of world calls for a vigilant education system, equipped with modern facilities, to produce competitive and productive human resource for the markets. Modern banking system, multi-national firms and business institutions require quality human resource to make their systems efficient and enhance their services and productions. Modern societies need well-mannered and disciplined members who could fit into the society and serve it well. Illiterate, unskilled and undisciplined people have no room to live and they are soon rejected by the society. Education systems must realize the changing dynamics of World and must be well-updated to make their space in the World. A problematic education system would not serve Pakistan. The government and civil must play their parts to improve quantity, equity and quality in the education. Such an education system is the need of time, which provides equal opportunities to all and makes the students true human beings. It is a time, not for new policy, but implementing the existing ones with sincerity and determination. One needs to mobilize all the existing resources and make their proper utilization. Optimum spending would be the right way when the economy is already strained. It is the time for educated and better Pakistan.

Page 15 of 38

Outline: 1. 2. 3. 4. Introduction Standard Causes of Downfall Remedies

Introduction: Education is the third eye of a man Education is only the weapon by which one can fight and conquer the battle of life. The education has been a very essential part of the different civilization of the world in historical perspectives. In olden times, cave men had no ideas regarding communicating themselves with one another; the first step was taken in this regard was the formation of language, and it had become the very inceptive source of communication in the earliest history of mankind. They came to know that they had already been bestowed upon a tongue as a source of communication by the Allah Almighty, and now, it was their emphatic job to be civilized and moral etiquettes were required to be shaped. Then, the early sages made a format of alphabets and thoroughly worked on philology. Thus, gradually grammar was made up, in which, different bifurcations were made; as, man could easily operate the language as a source of communication. Since then, the world has witnessed the outflow of knowledge that has crossed the boundaries of the different regions and made a world like a global village in recent times, all it was done by the untiring efforts of mankind that has been imparting valuable contributions in different walks of life especially EDUCATION. Here, it is necessary to focus on the system of education in Pakistan; and how long this department has been a victim of negligence by the people from different strata of our society and it will be observed, being an individual, who is responsible for the downfall of education in the country. Before independence, in 1875, a Primary School was established at Ghazipur, (India) by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, later a High School was established at Aligarh by the same mighty man. But through out India, Muslims were denigrated and the basic needs of life were denied to them by the English. Keeping this in view, Sir, Syed Ahmed Khan aimed at to open a college for the Muslims of India so that they may be able to get the best in higher education. In 1876, Mohammadan Anglo College was established at Aligarh as to meet the demand of education of Muslims of India. The college was affiliated to the Culcuta University; degrees were conferred upon the graduates by Culcuta University for about 43 years, and in 1919, the colleges was upgraded upto a university level and renamed as Aligarh University. The university produced thousand of graduates who spread throughout India and started to champion the cause of un-educated and fought for the freedom for a separate homeland. The Muslims of India, of course, were backward in education than their Hindu counterparts. The Muslim could not follow the way that was directed by the English and the Hindus, as, it was against their religion. The poor type of education made the Muslims unable to get good jobs in English offices; hence, they remained out of politics for they had the scarcity of consciousness. This came to them through the light of education and they went successful in getting the freedom of Pakistan.

Page 16 of 38

Standard of Education in Pakistan: In Pakistan, unfortunately the people have been introduced the double standard of education. The one, which prevails through out the country is related to public sector and the other is an out come of private investors. Let us examine that how far the public sector has fulfilled the requirement of the people of Pakistan by providing them in education. The country had got independence 58 years ago, since then, the contribution imparted by this sector is a little bit worth to be mentioned. The result produced by the sector is very poor and the quantity has outdone quality as far as the contribution and creation is concerned. The education system in Pakistan faced enormous problems after independence. A little attention was paid in this respect. The education has remained an orphan child in our society by facing double standard and has created an atmosphere of frustration among the young ones. Government has established schools, colleges and universities throughout the country that have been imparting education in different respects and studies of life. The students from these departments are wandering due to lack of opportunities. Everywhere they are denied services because they bear a label of government academies. Now one can imagine that why the government system of education is being neglected throughout the country and why the establishment has allowed private sector with its tails up to introduce another standard of education. Parents are scared about their children and they even do not allow their children to be admitted in public sector school, they prefer their child to get education in private sector as, it suits them more. This does not mean that public sector schools are not producing the cream of the future, most of our genius and sages who are imparting their valuable services, are out come of public sector schools. The only submitted reason by their parents is lack of management in public sector schools. The well management is offered at private schools. The relation between teacher and student is sacred. Children are taught social and moral etiquettes with more comfort at private schools, the behaviour of teachers is quite frank and the student can come in direct contact to their teachers. On some scale, this is true that contact between learner and learned lacks in public sectors but the thing they are learning must be the same for both sectors, I mean the curricula. The Curriculum Board has been established but it has allowed private sector to run their own syllabus. Now, the degrees are same but the scope of knowledge got by the two is too different to be compared. Here, students face many complications by studying under different curricula. This has created a big rift between the two sectors. Causes of Downfall: There are enormous causes for the downfall of education in Pakistan which are discussed under different sub-headings. Economical Negligence: Since its inception, Pakistan has remained a weak economy of the world for it has got nothing in its just assets that were aggressively snatched by India. The conflict between the two countries over Kashmir issue has hardly allowed the government to consider and allocate funds in budget for other sectors, the education is not an exception in this regard. Still, only 2% of GDP is allocated for the welfare of education, which is quite inappropriate to meet the demands of education. And it is worth to note that this allocation budget is too not spent for educational purposes, the whole money is taken away by using unfair means by the concerned officials. All these funds are not given through a proper channel so that a false audit report is submitted that the utilization of funds has been spent on requisite purposes.

Page 17 of 38

Rapid growth in poverty: According to 2002 Economic Survey of United Nations, Most of the inhabitants of Pakistan are poor and 40% of them live under poverty line, about 70% of its population dwells in villages. About 300,000, young ones are jobless. They have no access to good education. The reports shows that how much difficulties and troubles have been faced by this poor and suppressed class of the country. Their main occupation is agriculture and its yearly out put cannot meet their daily and basic needs of life. It is worth to note that only 1% landlords hold almost 95% of lands in Pakistan. This unjust division of land further creates economical problems not only for the poor but also the government does not get the lions share in this respect. Political Negligence: If you want to destroy the future of any nation, no need to wage war with them; defunct their education, they will remain no more live on the map of the world. No politician has paid attention in improving the standard of education so far, as far as the question of history of development of education in Pakistan is concerned. In case of Sindh, in early 1970s, lingual riots took place and a new cancer of copy culture was introduced and boosted up by politicians to prevail among the people. No official steps were taken in curbing this fatal disease. Now, the result is that throughout the country Sindhi students are understood the out come of copy culture and basic rights in every walk of life are denied to them, because however, they may be genius and creators but the fact remained that they lack in management and unable move the economy of the country just because they bear a title of COPY CULTURE. It was a political conspiracy based on totally bias. Being a Sindhi, I do not favour Sindhis that they are not given a proper share in different walks of life, whatever is happening to them is the only out come of wrong and misled policies which have been blindly followed up by them. Patriotism is the very hinge for all virtues, living in the same country every one at first is Pakistani then Sindhi, Punjabee, Balochee and or Pathan, respectively. So, now it is our turn to turn a new leaf and pace with our other provincial brothers to improve the management of our beloved country Pakistan, believing in united we stand, divided we fall. Education has become a question of survival for us; less developed man cannot bring the change in improving the skills that are vital for the uplift of the education. Irrelevant Induction of Staff: It has been a dilemma of our educational system that it has embodied irrelevancy in inducting its staff; broadly speaking, I personally have come across enormous experiences in my minute observation, as it has been generally observed that if a person has some specialization in some particular subject but he seems to be teaching something else. More openly, if some one has got his/her masters in English Literature, he seems to be teaching Mathematics to his/her students. The fact remains that students cannot learn first hand and ground information regarding their subjects. Nepotism is kept on priority while inducting staff, the induction of staff on quota system has made impotent the working format of the education system, ministers choose their relatives for induction without thinking that either they could serve better or will create complications for others. Misconception of Purpose: It is also a dreadful fact that todays young ones have changed their motives pertaining to acquiring education. Actually, the education should be for the purpose of getting education as it has been wisely said; but, we have changed the slogan, education should be for the purpose of getting jobs. If, we keep on remaining this theory in mind then we will be digressed from our way and education will be out of our reach. By getting education we come to the ways that how we could be able to lead our lives in the best and a possible way. Unemployment: Unemployment is on full swing throughout the country. Country has been facing huge economical setbacks since its independence. The poor economy of the country cannot meet at once the demand of employment of the countrymen at once. On the one hand the disappointed youth, keeping their degrees in
Page 18 of 38

hand, wander the whole day in search of job but No-Vacancy sign boards inflate their disappointment on the other. This situation creates negative creation of thoughts in their minds; concluding, they come out as dacoits to waylay and let their names to be enlisted in criminal list; and society faces much more troubles through this kind of misshapenness. Remedies: Every one of us takes things differently, so there is a room for different suggestions. All of us should aim at to abreast and pace ahead to take the task of improving the education system in a systematic way by implementation different programmes. Awareness should be created amongst un-aware fellows, the importance of education must be expounded in real terms but in an easy way, different literacy programmes should be commenced throughout the country in order to provide assistance pertaining the impediments faced by the poor. Government should take an active eye and spend much more money for the improvement of primary, secondary and higher education. More schools, colleges and universities, medical and engineering colleges are needed to be opened. Special attention must be paid on the development of scientific and technical education so that the settled trend of people in getting academic education may be diverted to the technical education. Subject relevancy must be paid in mind while induction of staff for the concerned posts. Politics must eliminated from education department. Student should pay attention much more on their studies than chalking walls in propagation of different leaders, by doing so they are just wasting their time; nothing can be got by nefarious means. Honesty of purpose and quality in work should be our motives. Every one of us (parents, students, teachers and the supreme government) should root out the copy culture from top to bottom from educational system that has been eating away the fresh brains of our youth for the times unknown. The education must be got for the purpose of education not for getting jobs. Text books must be updated with current topics and rapidly changing of the scenario of the world must be given in the textual books. These suggestions are not enough but whatever has come in my mind I have honestly jotted down; there is a room for suggestions as already has been mentioned. In the last but not the least let us work together for bringing revolutionary changes for the effective function of educational system in the country. Let us pray to Allah Almighty may He enable us to bring and get our desired results by putting our entire efforts in this respect. God helps those who help themselves

Page 19 of 38

Education System in Pakistan

13.CENTRAL ISSUES AND PROBLEMS IN PAKISTAN EDUCATION SYSTEM AND THEIR NEEDED REFORMS: The existing education delivery system is not meeting the needs and aspirations of the society as such particularly, it is a challenge to the provinces and districts for the 21st century. Moreover, prior to devolution, the policy and planning have been undertaken by the central and provincial governments without taking into account the ground realities and without the participation of community. The main objectives of the devolution plan is to empower the community at the grassroots level in planning, management, resource mobilization and utilization, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the education system to improve the service delivery at that level. The main inherent issues of education systems are: teachers absenteeism, high drop out rates particularly at primary level, high repetition rates, low completion rates, inequalities by gender, location and social groups, low literacy rate and unsatisfactory performance of schools, these issues have been addressed under DOP through empowerment of local communities. The present government has initiated political and administrative devolution under its reforms agenda under Local Government Plan 2000. The Local Government Ordinance was promulgated on 14th 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 special service functions being retained with the central and provincial governments. The main purpose of the devolution is to improve the service delivery at the grass root level in various sectors. It is believed that highly centralized system of education is greatly hampering the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery service at the grass-root level. Successive governments addressed this problem in their policies and plans since 1947. The present government has envisioned with a clear commitment to reform a number of aspects of education system framed within the 1998-2010 National Education Policy and ten year perspective development plan 2001-2011 to increase educational opportunities for all children, to enhance 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 Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and about 80% of the ESR packages covers adult literacy, Education for All and technical education. Devolution plan is the mainframe for implementation of ESR. The education sector reforms (ESRs) have been design to address the following areas of education system: 1. Comprehensive literacy and poverty reduction program. 2. Expansion of primary elementary education. 3. Introduction of technical stream at the secondary level. 4. Improving the quality of education through teacher training. 5. Higher education sector reforms. 6. Public-private partnership. 7. Innovative programs.

Page 20 of 38

Policies and Goals of Education System in Pakistan

Policies and Goals of Education System in Pakistan: Since independence, attempts have been made to relate the education system to the needs and inspirations of the country. All Education Conference was held in 1947 as per directives of the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He provided the basic guidelines for the future development of education by emphasizing interalia, that the education system should suit the genius of our people, consonant with our history, culture and instill the highest sense of honor, integrity, responsibility, and selfless service to the nation. It should also provide scientific and technical knowledge to build up our economic life. This was followed by the appointment of various commissions, which submitted their reports periodically. The 1959 Report of the Commission on National Education enjoys a peculiar position in the history of educational reforms. There were several other 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 observance of the Islamic moral standards; (b) promote with special care the educational and economic interests of backward areas; (c) remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education within minimum possible period; (d) make technical and professional education generally available and higher education equally accessible to all on the basis of merit; (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 employment in the services of Pakistan; (f) ensure full participation of women in all the spheres of national life. The above-mentioned goals were pursued by various policy documents announced by subsequent governments who came into power from time to time. Each policy stressed on: (a) Islamic ideology and character building; (b) the universalization of primary education and promotion of literacy; (c) science education; (d) quality of education; and (e) reduction in inequalities of educational facilities. Formal System of Education in Pakistan. In formal education system, there are a number of stages, which are illustrated in the diagram in Annexure-I as described briefly below: Pre Primary Schooling: 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 preprimary class are called Kachi. National Education EFA Action Plan Policy, 1998-2010 provided recognition to Kachi class as proxy 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 <3>5. Primary Schooling: This stage consists of five classes I-V and enrolls children of age 5-9 years. Since independence, the policy
Page 21 of 38

makers pronounced to make primary education free and compulsory. According to Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS) 1998-99, the gross participation rate was 71 percent in 1999, for male it was 80 percent and for female it was 61 percent. For urban female it was 92 and for rural it was 50 percent. The lowest participation rate observed for rural female in Sindh Province that was 33 percent. The net enrolment 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 years duration and comprised of class VI, VII and VIII. The age group is 10-12 years. 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 Intermediate and Secondary Education conducts the examination. A certificate of secondary 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 offered in high schooling. There are varieties of trades offered to the students and after completion of the course they get jobs as carpenters, masons, mechanics, welders, electrician, refrigeration and similar other trades. There are 498 vocational institutions with an enrolment of about 88 thousand in 2001-2002. Higher Secondary Education: The higher secondary stage is also called the intermediate stage and is considered a part of college education. Higher Secondary Education consists of classes XI to XII. During two years stay in this cycle 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 Certificate of Higher Secondary School Education (HSSC). According to 1979 Education Policy, all schools were to be upgraded 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 degree, 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 Bachelors degree in arts or science, typically at the age of 19 years. In order to complete an honors course at Bachelors degree level an additional one years study is required. Further, a two years course is required for Masters degree 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.

Page 22 of 38

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 either 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 448 institutions (Khan, 2002). Efforts have been made by the present government to bring the Madrassah in the mainstream under Education Sector Reforms. The main purpose of mainstreaming Madrassah is to enlarge employment opportunities for their graduates. Pakistan Madrassah Education Boards are established to regulate 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 who have no access to formal education. This scheme is very cost-effective. Under this scheme primary education course is taught in forty months. Nonformal 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 functioning 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 same class. However, recently a system of automatic 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 public 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 but there is a public examination 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 various courses every year. Private Education Sector: Private sector involvement in education is encouraging. The Federal Bureau of Statistics survey (19992000) indicates that there are 36,096 private educational institutions in Pakistan. About 61 percent of the institutions are in urban areas and 39 percent in rural areas. 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.

Page 23 of 38

It has been observed that most of the private schools select their own curricula and textbooks, which are not in conformity with public schools. Majority 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 physical facilities. These schools are usually charging high fees from the students. Most of the schools are unregistered; therefore, in most cases 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 tax rebate shall be granted on the expenditure incurred on the setting 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 but also bear a reasonable proportion of the cost of construction and management. Liberal loan facilities shall be extended to private educational institutions by financial institutions. Despite 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 afford 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 in the 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 facilities 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 capital territory. Universities located in various provinces are administered by the provincial governments, but are exclusively 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 provinces are further divided 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 well 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.

Page 24 of 38

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 over all 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 never 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 drop out rate, wide spread teacher absenteeism, weak management and supervision structure, shortage of trained and qualified teachers specially female, lack of teachers 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 Development 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 covering all the sectors of education has been adopted under the Perspective Plan. In order to address the EFA implications linkage plan 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 disadvantaged 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.

Page 25 of 38

Wake up Pakistan- The Education System

An educational system isnt worth a great deal if it teaches the young ones how to make a living but doesnt teach them how to lead a good life. Pakistan has always been criticized for its education system. It has been 63 years since independence, yet we are unable to establish a comprehensive and effective education structure. It cannot be said that efforts were not made but the people who did or doing something special are targeted on political or credit scoring basis. As with Pakistan, the policy usually exists, its the execution part which is always missing.

Education can be classified into two categories, lower education (elementary, secondary, intermediate and graduation) and higher level education (professional education, post-graduation). Lets leave the discussion for higher education to a later post and focus on the lower education. In Pakistan 1.3 % of GNP is assigned to Education from which 93% is given to lower education and 7% to higher education; whereas in other developing countries at least 4-6 % of GNP is reserved for education. It is evident that the Governments primary focus is on lower level education but where are the results? Lower level education is discriminated by the private and public schools education quality differences. In a country where more than 50% of the population is living on or below the poverty line, how could they even think of private schools when they face a continuous struggle to meet both ends? In terms of overall progress lower level education is on the worse line. Now how can we improve our education system and wipe out the discrimination in the schooling system. The answer is very simple, give every child same and equal chance of education, as in Singapore the Government has outsourced the education to Oxford University (up to O levels and A levels). In my opinion we should do the same and outsource the lower level education so that everyone has the same education.I do require your comments so as to know what do think about the suggestion of outsourcing and whats your thought on its impact whether it will solve our education system problem..

Page 26 of 38

Pakistan's Existing Education System:

Guest Post by Mr. Fida Hussain Sayani

Before I elaborate on the existing education system, it is important to highlight the system we inherited from the British Raj in 1947. A classic example is NJV High School on Bunder Road, presently Mohammad Ali Jinnah Road. I joined the school in 1949, at that time this Sindh Government School was considered the elitist school where the cream of the crop of Sindh used to send their children for education from class 5 to 11. After graduation the student had to move to the college for intermediate education. This school was not only for the children of elite of Sindh but also for the children coming from all walks of life including the orphan children of Vazir Rahim Boarding. The School by having the children coming from different strata of Sindhi culture both Hindus and Muslims and gave them the same standard education, hence a bond was created between the rich and the poor resulting in a homogenous environment. Today the government school system does not offer that environment and opportunity. Ours is a very divisive education system which has created a huge gap between the have's and have not's, hence we have Babus and Seths. This divisive system having penetrated deeply in to our culture, the results of which are right in front of our eyes. The different tiers have been created in our system over a period of 60 years to facilitate the hold of the elite over the governing of our nation. Until and unless drastic action is taken to correct the education system we are bound to end up in chaos, the rays of which are already showing. Today our multiple tier education system can be highlighted in the following categories:

Cambridge Education system: This foreign education system is exclusively for the children of very rich so that they can after graduation go overseas for higher education on the foreign exchange provided to them by Pakistan Sate Bank. Pakistan Secondary Education system: This is provided by private and government schools, one for the middle class and other for the poor. The one for the middle class has medium instruction in English and the other one in Urdu. The children from these institutions, if they happen to have good grades and the parental financial capital go to the colleges of their preference and the rest either become clerk/ cashiers/ sales person in a shop/ worker in the factory/ any other work which comes in there way. Maderessah Education System: This is supposed to provide religious education; however, the results in front of us provide a very dangerous scenario. This one has no name and consists of children who are born in misery and die in misery. Can this above scenario be corrected? Definitely YES. Can it be done in one Massive surgery? Definitely NO.

Page 27 of 38

The course of action is that it has to be corrected over a longer period of time; any quick method in correcting the present different tiers of this system will create a chaos which will dwarf the nationalization of banks and insurance companies by Z.A. Bhutto.

The most immediate action would be to create a one tier system on paper after thorough research to be done by educationalist and men of science, technology, business, finance, law, agriculture and others. Once the system is in place, the next stage will be to bring the existing government schools in compliance with the new one tier system of education. This goal can be achieved in 2-3 years if done in a crash course. Once the middle class comes to know that the free government schools are offering a same or better education than the private schools charging fees, they will immediately switch the school for there children, Once this is achieved, the time will be perfect to ban the Cambridge system of education in Pakistan. In a unified Pakistan, there has to be one education system for all the children of Pakistan. This will lead us to Unity, Faith and Discipline. The cry of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Quaid-e-Azam. ============= 2nd Part:

Primary and Secondary Education in Pakistan, its Deficiencies and Rectification:

Education is a must for civilization. Today a dark clouds hovers over Pakistan, where illiteracy is on the increase due to negligence of the government of Pakistan, which spends only 1% of the GDP on education for 160 million population of the country. The illiteracy level which is tied to the poverty level goes hand in hand and the tragedy of Pakistan is that all the successive administrations since its birth 61 years ago have failed to address the issue of Education. To address the subject of this paper, it is important to identify the relevant issues which have brought the illiteracy to this elevated level. In this high tech world this elevated level of poverty and illiteracy is not acceptable and it is important to identify the weakness of the governments approach to the present level of education and rectify the situation. 1. 2. 3. 4. Quality of education at the time of independence. What went wrong over a period of 61 years. What a mess we are in at the present stage. How to face the Education carnage and provide rectification

1. Quality of Education at the time of independent. Government Primary Schools ( Grade 1-4 ) and Secondary Schools ( grade 5-11 ), before the birth of Pakistan gave a quality education in the Province of Sindh which attracted children of the elite as well working class parents. After all Mr. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Quaid-e-Azam, creator of Pakistan is a product of Sind Madressah School, Karachi. He, after completing his Metric level schooling, proceeded to London and returned as Bar-At-Law. NJV High School, Karachi, also gave another Bar-At-Law, who is a renowned Attorney of Pakistan, Mr. Abdul Hafeez Pirzada. In the early 50's the same school had sons of Dr. Shams Daudpotta and
Page 28 of 38

many elites of Sind were on the school ledger. This heritage of good education left by British very soon started evaporating and degenerated to a present level where even the ordinary citizen of Pakistan shy away from sending their children to a govt. school for primary and secondary education.

2. What went wrong over a period of 61 years? Greed and corruption were the two major factors which brought a well thought out British Raj system of education to its knees, while India and Sri Lanka managed it well. In the case of India, they advanced their engineering, technology and medicine to such a high standard that today they compete with the most advanced nations of the world and many American and European organization outsource their work to India. In Pakistan the teachers were the major factors in lowering the standard of education in the primary and secondary schools, the main factor was greed. They would not provide a good education to the students in the classroom. Instead they would encourage their students to take tuition at the home of the teachers, so the teacher could generate more money in his/her pocket; other teachers were purely corrupt, they would take money and help the student in getting the upgrade in there mark sheet. Some would let the students use unfair methods in the examination hall. When a teacher indulges in these unfair methods he looses self respect in the eyes of his student. As Pakistan was getting older the students in Pakistan were getting bolder, and at one stage they used knives and guns to get the kind of grade they wanted from there teachers. When the government school lost their creditability, the carpetbaggers moved in the private sector. Now this does not mean that all in private sectors were bad. Then came Bhutto's Regime, he nationalized all good and bad schools and literally destroyed whatever was left of a good system we inherited from the British Raj. Bhutto was followed by Gen. Zia who thru his brand of Islam destroyed the total education system. He is the man who is fully responsible for creating a five tier education system in Pakistan 3. What a mess we are in at the present stage. The education system we have on our hands in 2008 is in total shambles and we are producing matriculate from these schools with very little skills and absolutely no command over the English language, which today is the language of science, technology, commerce, finance and marketing. Today even a country like China is putting higher emphasis on this language. Of course four Scandinavian countries declared English as a compulsory subject in there schools almost 40 years ago. Today in Pakistan instead of a one tier school system, we thru our callousness have created a 4 tier system of education in Pakistan, and they are as follows:

1. Cambridge Education system: this foreign education system is exclusively for the children of very rich so that they can after graduation go overseas for higher education on the foreign exchange provided to them by Pakistan Sate Bank. 2. Pakistan Secondary Education system: this is provided by private and government schools, one for the middle class and other for the poor. The one for the middle class has a medium of instruction in English and the other one in Urdu. The children from these institutions if they happen to have good grades and the parental financial help go to the colleges of their interest and the rest either become clerk/cashiers/sales person in a shop/ worker in the factory/ any other work which comes their way. 3. Madressah Education System: this is supposed to provide religious education. The results of this education are in front of us. Except for few who do provide a true Islamic Education most of the students of Madressah have graduated from them with a perverted ideology and has been a recruiting ground for terrorism. 4. This one has no name and consists of children who are born in misery and die in misery.
Page 29 of 38

4. How to face the Education Carnage and Provide Rectification. Now this is a very tall order to remove all the discrepancies of the past 61 years. The question is where should we start? It is a mind boggling question and one wishes there was a simple answer. However as a starter on paper a single integrated education system has to be established, for that we need the minds of our best, from educationist to engineers, doctors, scientist, marketers, financiers, lawyers, agriculturist, all pooled together on one table to establish a curriculum from grade 1-10. Besides the subject of science, technology and commerce a higher level of emphasis has to be placed on mother tongue and the English language. The teachers have to be trained in these subjects with mastery. The next stage and a crucial one is the implementation of this new curriculum. This will be harder than the preparation of a new curriculum. The part of implementation will start with updating the education levels of teachers followed by selecting 10% of the primary and secondary schools of the country and introducing the new curriculum to them. The following year another 10% of schools will be brought into new system. If the program proceeds as planned Pakistan will have all its schools under the new progressive education system in 10 years. However, the fruit of this miracle will become visible in 2-3 years when the parents of the student will come to know of this revolutionary change in the education system. They will see the government schools providing education equal to or better than the private school at zero fee, there will be a massive movement of student to the govt. school. That will be a crucial time for the government to make sure that no corrupt practices take place and the transfer is executed in an orderly way. Once the movement of children from private to government school has started that will be the time to ban the Cambridge system of education in Pakistan.

In a unified Pakistan, there has to be one education system for all the children of Pakistan. This will lead us to Unity, Faith and Discipline, the slogan made popular by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Quaid-e-Azam, the Creator of Pakistan.

Page 30 of 38

Why we need an education system? Education is the basic necessity for a human being to understand the matters in all fields of life and to solve problems from basic to complex. Without education a sensible person cannot survive and it is as significant as food is to body. It is wealth and power for a person, which can be easily used by person whenever and wherever it requires. As the saying goes; knowledge is power. It is more important for ones life.It helps a person to groom and to adjust on a respectable position in society. It is one important policy that a state must promote, as education is the only means to understand its history,culture and to some extent their religion. Education is the only means to unite a country and people as a nation. Present system of education in Pakistan The education system of Pakistan consists of junior to higher education. The duration of compulsory education is from age5 to 15. Structure of school system: Primary Type of school providing this education: Primary School Length of program in years: 5 Age level from: 5 to 10 Middle Type of school providing this education: Middle School Length of program in years: 3 Age level from: 10 to: 13 Secondary Type of school providing this education: Secondary School Length of program in years: 2 Age level from: 13 to: 15 Certificate/diploma awarded: Secondary School Certificate or Matriculation Secondary education is divided into three cycles. Students are given certificates after they pass Secondary or Matriculation Examination.They may then study for specializing in Science or Arts. After that, they take the examinations for the Intermediate Certificate or Higher Secondary School Certificate. Technical Secondary Type of school providing this education: Technical Secondary School Length of program in years: 2 Age level from: 15 to: 17 Certificate/diploma awarded: Secondary School Certificate (in TechnicalSubjects) Higher Secondary Type of school providing this education:Intermediate Colleges Length of program in years: 2 Age level from: 15 to: 17 Certificate/diploma awarded: Intermediate Certificate Or Higher Secondary School Certificate. Higher Education Universities and professional universities provide higher education. Universities are autonomous organizations founded by the central or provincial parliament. The senate, the syndicate and the academic
Page 31 of 38

council are the main university bodies responsible for matters concerning studies. The University Grants Commission serves as a clearing house for development schemes of the universities; provides support to centers of excellence, area study centers and Pakistan study centers; supports research fellowships and r esearch programs; and organizes pre-service and in-service training of university teachers. Ways to improve the system Currently, there exist many obstacles on the road to a smoothly functioning system. These include political interference, corruption, over-centralization,a lack of school autonomy, underdeveloped managerial capacity and poor information systems. Initial step is the decentralization of decision-making, which means government should develop partnerships with NGOs and the private sector to hand over responsibility effectively to achieve universal primary education. It can improve education administration. A second step which is necessary for improving the system is greater independence for the schools because schools do not have control over issues like curriculum, teacher appointment, discipline, and evaluation. There are virtually no opportunities for local staff development programs or resource mobilization. A third important reform is providing better support to, supervision of, and coordination of the school system at the district and provincial level. By making the district the key level for planning and management, state-level and central education bodies can focus more on policy-making, resource management and regulation. One way to do this is by promoting good principals and teachers at the school level to enhance the institutional capacity of district level organizations. The lack of sufficient manpower is the most serious problem at the district and sub-district level. A fourth necessary reform is to encourage decision-making based on educational, not political, considerations. At present, politicians hand out teaching jobs as patronage appointments. Federal and provincial funds provided for education sometimes remain unused, especially in rural areas. Reforms in the education system The necessary reform is to expand the information and research base of education in Pakistan.Effective management and administration of the education system depends on the quality of the information system. Without reliable information,decision-makers cannot improve education policy and programs at the national,district and school levels. One way of collecting reliable information about the state of education is to conduct standardized testing that measures student performance against national curriculum goals. These can be used to compare learning achievement across schools, districts and regions over time. There is also a need for better research. Pakistan currently has one institution that conducts research on educational issues, the Academy of Educational Planning and Management, which conducts research on basic education. However, its abilities are hampered by inadequate funds, no institutionalized basis for collecting, processing and analyzing data, no technical support staff and little influence in policy making.

Page 32 of 38

At present MoE (ministry of education) present in federal and provincial governments are running the public education system while numerous private owners are running many different systems of education. Curricula are many and even army is running a sytem of education of its own. Similarly federal government instead of being a controlling body is also running schools and colleges.
DO WE NEED TO REFORM EDUCATION SYSTEM IN PAKISTAN?

Salaries of govrnment teachers in schools are higher than that in most private institutions. However their standard is going down day by day like health and other departments and most of the people dont admit their children in government schools. College education is different so as is professional and many governmet collegs and professional institutions are offering quality education in the country. Similr is university education where except for a few notable private universities like Agha Khan , Princeton and one or two other universities the sector is dominated by government. Wheather government should run schools, colleges and universities or its role should be controlling the system rather than running institutions. Fees of private schools , colleges and universities as well as of professional colleges (esp Medical) is beyond the reach of most and today non professional people have polluted this sacred sector and has converted it into a billion dollar industry in the name of quality. Role of higher education commission is also limited and funds from MoE determines its role. In such a situation how can we increase our literacy rate and can compare our selves with the developed or even developing nations like Srilanka nad India? Read more: http://www.forumpakistan.com/do-we-need-to-reform-education-system-in-pakistant66823.html#ixzz1hFSoVh2t

Page 33 of 38

education system
News Comments (0)
By:Shamshad Ahmad Monday, 24 Jan 2011 9:41 pm | Comments

In a message to the All-Pakistan Educational Conference at Karachi on November 27, 1947, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah said: There is no doubt that the future of our State will and must greatly depend upon the type of education and the way in which we bring up our children as the future citizens of Pakistan. Education does not merely mean academic education, and even that appears to be of a very poor type. What we have to do is to mobilise our people and build up the character of our future generations.

This was indeed a message of prophetic relevance to our nations future. The Quaid correctly emphasised the critical role education plays in the over-all health and well-being of a modern nation-state. Unfortunately, with misplaced priorities, we never focused on developing education as a pillar of our nation-building and as an asset for a modern, progressive and prosperous Pakistan. Historically, as a public sector responsibility, education in Pakistan has remained a most neglected sector both in terms of budgetary allocation and systemic development. It has been among the lowest of our national priorities with scant attention paid to the need for systemic reform and redressal. Besides low ratio of budgetary allocations, we suffered an attitudinal complacence inherent in governmental as well as societal inertia towards our educational system. With general disdain for academic freedom and scholars, we could not give education the place that it deserved as a major building-block in the future of our nation. Corrupt bureaucratic hold over the countrys education system has only aggravated the situation. The experiment of nationalisation in the 1970s damaged not only the industrial and banking sectors of the country but also radically changed the complexion of our educational system both in quality and output. Instead of allocating a major share of our own resources to this primary need, we left education to be funded mostly through external donations. Seventy-six percent of governments educational expenditure is met through foreign grants and assistance and Pakistan still ranks among the 15 worst countries as far as education is concerned. What is even worse is that access to good education in Pakistan is a privilege available only to the very few with affluent feudal and elitist ancestry. Sub-standard education in Pakistan is at the root of its problems including endemic corruption and poverty, the two main scourges of our society which continue to feed off each other, locking the overwhelming majority of the people in a cycle of misery and hardship. We have remained backward in education only because of our misdirected priorities, perennial leadership
Page 34 of 38

miscarriages and governance failures. In the absence of the rule of law, there is no sense of justice and equity in our country.

We remain clueless in determining the quality and content of our education system. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani engaged Britains world-renowned educationist, Sir Michael Barber to co-chair a task force he established last year to advise him on what to do with our education system. Nobody bothered to tell our Prime Minister that we have umpteen red-ribboned reports of several such task forces lying in our archives.

Over the decades, under almost all successive governments, numerous studies have been undertaken at the national as well as international levels to identify the long-standing problems in our education system. We already have an elaborate menu of creative options available to delineate a pragmatic reform strategy, closely tailored to our countrys problems and needs, backed by requisite resources and political will.

Education must become the highest priority of the state not only in terms of GDP share but also for structural and curricular reforms in our education system to make it more productive, equitable and coherent. This is the first recommendation made by Sir Michael Barber after having advised our Prime Minister to declare the year 2011 as Pakistans Year of Education. The task force has reached the conclusion that Pakistan population will increase to 350 million by the middle of this century, and without good education, there is no future for this country. The basic parameters for improving our education system include universal coverage at the schooling level and quality not quantity at the higher education level with adequate resources and efficient management. The foremost benchmark must be the constitutional provision that every child in our country is entitled to a good education A determined effort is needed to overcome the barriers to this goal that include lack of resources, governmental ineptitude and corruption, political patronage of inefficient and unqualified teachers who dont turn up to work, poor quality facilities and poor quality teaching.

For a successful education system in our country, we must do away with multiple systems and evolve uniform curricula. Education must be treated as high strategic priority with its GDP allocation raised from the current less than two percent to at least four percent to start with. According to Sir Michael Barber, many education systems have made this transition successfully; for example, Korea and Malaysia from the 1960s, Minas Gerais a large province in Brazil and a number of Indian states more recently. Some provinces of China, such as Shanghai, which topped a recent survey of 60 education systems, have also shown what is possible. Why not Pakistan? In Punjab, one does see new passion as a ray of hope. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, inaugurating the first of the Danish School System in Rahim Yar Khan, the city where I started my two-year teaching stint before joining the Pakistan Foreign Service, said he intended to provide quality
Page 35 of 38

education facilities to people who could not otherwise afford it. His intention is indeed laudable and his priority attention to the educational needs of backward Southern Punjab is also understandable. But the very concept of Danish Schools is privilege-based, and has no relevance to the needed systemic reform in our country. We dont need any more elite schools to expand the islands of privilege that only symbolise the anachronistic culture of feudalism and elitism in our society. We need genuine structural, coherent reform in our education system. And finally, education is a national responsibility and must remain a federal subject with a fullfledged ministry to continue to look after it as recommended by National Assemblys Standing Committee on Education. We cant afford any devolutionary adventure at the cost of systemic uniformity and cohesion as well as national unity and integration. The flawed Eighteenth Amendment must be corrected. The writer is a former foreign secretary

Page 36 of 38

Assalam-o-Alaikum! Today is a great occasion for all of us because we are gathered here to make a solemn commitment, which is not only made by the Government of Punjab and the ministers, but also by all those concerned who have a stake in this province and country to empower millions of children with education and give them light to shed darkness; those who want to prosper in this country; those who want to get education; and those who want to live as honourable citizens. This programme has been launched with the support of Sir Michael Barber. You might be surprised at his advice that why we do not find anybody in Punjab Education Department, who can rise to the occasion and accept the challenge to promote education and remove bottlenecks and impediments so that we can live with a sense of dignity and honour among the comity of nations. I think there is no dearth of this kind of talent available in our country, province and, of course, in the Department of Education. But then why didnt we use this talent in the last 63 years? And, nothing else would give a greater pleasure that to involve those who are concerned about Pakistans well being; who contribute to the promotion of education; who feel that Pakistan should be among the nations that have made great achievements. Let us acknowledge the Department of International Developments, or DFIDs, outstanding contribution. It is contributing hundreds of millions of pounds to Pakistans promotion of education, skill development, and female healthcare, besides providing job opportunities in southern Punjab, through their programmes. Also, it is heartening to see that currently when Britain is engaged in sorting out its own serious problems, donations and allocations are, indeed, a great contribution. Ladies and gentlemen, I as the Chief Minister of Punjab feel delighted that this support programme is for Pakistan, as it is for the wellbeing of the masses. It is to improve our education system, to empower those millions of children who are unable to get some basic education; it is for the promotion of healthcare; it is for the advancement of skill development, which will generate economic activity; and, above all, it is benign. It is without any political strings. I think this is an opportunity we must not lose and jointly with Britain, with whom Pakistan has historical relations, must and convert this opportunity into a reality. I was in Britain about a couple of weeks ago on an official trip. It was a productive one, since we were informed about various initiatives the government was taking for their people and, of course, for Pakistan and our interlinked arrangements. The tour programme included a visit to a girls technical school. The building was 100 years old or maybe even more. I have been to various parts of the world and seen different methods that were adopted to impart knowledge. However, this is one of the best schools I have come across.
Page 37 of 38

Now, this is the operative part, ladies and gentlemen: 700 students - all girls - and out of these 70 percent are of Pakistani origin, 10 percent are British and 20 percent from continents like Africa and other places. I saw along with my colleagues that Pakistani students, many of them, if not all, wore headscarves and they had no problem at all, even though the management, teachers and experts were all British. Anyway, you know better than me that in Britain, till a certain tier, education is free; the expense is all borne by the government of the day. Now, what were they doing? They were being taught to make garments out of recycled material. They were being taught high quality information technology programmes; they were being trained as carpenters, electricians and, of course, cooks, which is normal syllabus in any technical, vocational entrepreneurial arrangement. Tell me one such school in Pakistan - in Lahore, Quetta or Karachi - where you would have, hypothetically speaking, 70 percent Christian girls, 10 percent Muslim girls and 20 percent others. Can you dig out one such case? Our daughters and our sisters over there are getting the highest quality education regardless of colour, creed, religion or nationality and without any impediment. After five years, they will walk out of that school at the age of 16 and become breadwinners for their families. They will indeed be regarded as honourable and dignified citizens both in Britain and Pakistan. Do we cater for such a model in Pakistan with this dedication, with this commitment, with this kind of respect for humanity? That is the question for all of us to ponder over! Likewise, we need to rise above our personal likes and dislikes and work jointly for the good of our society, country and future. I think this is what we should replicate in Pakistan. This we must replicate in terms of tolerance, sagacity, and respect for humanity. Citizens of a state are equal citizens of this State and have equal rights and opportunities to live in this country honourably, without any fear. That is what Islam has taught us. That is what the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is all about. That is what a welfare system is all about. I think we were lucky to have this model 1400 years ago. We make a lot of speeches in Pakistan. But in terms of implementation, it is a big no. So, lets rise to the occasion and accept this challenge, and sever Pakistan like we were ordained to.

Page 38 of 38