Education reforms, EDO supported

Chitral -- A meeting of stakeholders on Education from various cross section of the society was held here, presided over by former MPA Saeed Ahmad Khan. The meeting appreciated reforms introduced by the provincial govt and hoped they would not be undone. The meeting specially appreciated the honest performance of EDO Education Siraj Muhammad Khan for setting personnel example of honesty and uprightness and bringing positive changes in schools performances --GH Farooqi, Chitral 05 Oct 2011.

Education Reforms

This is with reference to a news item appearing in the Chitralnews about reforms in education sector. Under the present set up any step in the name of reform is useless as the system is designed to give benefit to the upper class only relegating the middle and lower classes. There is a dire need of drastic measures to be introduced by the political leadership which is unfortunately missing among them. In the present set up with 2 rooms for 5 classes at the primary level no reform is possible as in one classroom 2-3 classes sit and recite loudly without proper attention to the words in the paragraphs concerned, and unwittingly most boys/ girls pick up another word or phrase from the lips of another student of the next class.

Two teachers cannot manage 5 classes properly. The teacher-student ratio is totally ignored by the department and a teacher is supposed to teach three classes within 40 minutes and ironically expected to show good result. Many friends refer to public schools and their results--- in these schools student and teacher ratio is properly maintained and the teacher has to teach 20-30 students and can easily check their home work and pay attention to each student and his
performance. He has to manage only one class at a time... this is what goes n the primary level so no comparison could be made and criticism is useless.
At the higher level, classes also face the same irrational student-teacher ratio and in an overcrowded classroom the teacher's voice is heard only by those students who sit in the few front rows and the back benchers listen nothing or miss the meaning of the sentence and consequently write some other meaning.

The fact is that to improve the standard of education, the teacher student ratio needs to be kept between 20-30 n all govt. schools that can bring some improvement otherwise in the current situation one should not expect any betterment even if the teacher is 100% honest with a high qualification --Rahmat Karim Baig, Chitral 14 Oct 2011

Education Reforms 2

In October 2009 Prime Minister of Pakistan authorized Pakistan Education Task Force with the mandate to facilitate the federal and provincial governments in the execution of the new National Education Policy. In March this year the Task Force made public a brief document titled “Education Emergency Pakistan” (www.educationemergency.com) with distressing depiction of the current state of education, which in reality is as such. Before discussing education reforms, let’s have a look at the education picture of Pakistan as reflected in the report. Approximately 10 percent of the world’s primary school-age children who do not attend school live in Pakistan. Pakistan is in second place in the world ranking of out-of-school children. At least seven million children are not in primary school. Three million will never see the inside of a classroom at all. Pakistan risks not achieving universal education to the age of 16 in the lifetime of anyone who is alive today. At the current rate of progress Punjab province may achieve to provide all children with their constitutional right to education in year 2041, Sind in 2049, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2064 and Baluchistan in 2100. There was a stunning gender disparity in schooling as less than half of Pakistani women have had any formal education. In the second decade of the 21st century, two thirds of rural school children between 6 and 16 years of age cannot read a story. And only 50 percent of rural school children can read a sentence. Among youth as a whole, the literacy rate remained very low, with 31 percent of men and 41 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 24 unable to read or write. 30 percent of Pakistanis live in “extreme educational poverty,” having received less than two years of education, according to Unesco. Only 36 percent of public schools are in satisfactory condition, which shows the lack of facilities as a pressing issue. 35 per cent lack drinking water, 38 per cent do not have a latrine, 39 percent of schools do not have electricity, over 30,000 schools either need major repairs or are in a dangerous condition, and 21,000 schools have no shelter or classrooms to facilitate their studies.
The report not only provides a quick look into the shocking situation of our education system; but also points out that responsibility for the failure of the education system rested with the politicians. One interesting finding of the report is that “generous salaries paid to public school teachers, on average two thirds more than their private counterparts, have not translated into a higher level of commitment among teachers”.
This prelude highlights the colossal shortfalls in indicators in only a few dimensions of the vast and messy education system. There are many more grey areas which if included will further frustrate the readers. In the wake of persistent economic recession, should one believe that the country will embark on some modestly ambitious and innovative education reforms across the provinces and districts? Notwithstanding all good intentions at government’s level and all the expertise of the task forces the answer is a big NO. The situation in the country is such where one can hardly expect the education sector getting its due place in the priority list. Its share in GDP could not cross 2% (average) as yet which is even less than half of the Unesco suggested minimum percentage. If so till when we can wait miracles to happen? Professor Rehmat Karim Baig has rightly pointed out the dire need of drastic measures to be introduced by the political leadership. Nevertheless, there are two aspects of reforms in the current education mess in Pakistan. One; the political facet where political leadership has to give pragmatic education policy, plausible educational programmes, viable educational projects, the needed financial support and the much more needed political commitment to education. This is the dire need but has remained a dream for decades. Why don’t we consider the second facet that is reforming the existing system within the available means? It is a fact that education system itself has the largest manpower in contrast to any other system in the country (baring the Armed Forces of Pakistan). This rich human resource in the public sector is still under utilized and poorly monitored. Aspiring for the ideals is the birth right of every individual and system. Same is true for the education system but in search of the ideal should we stop thinking about the real? The education system with all its strengths and weaknesses is in the state of inertia. We have rightly or wrongly convinced ourselves that nothing can correct the education system. Conversely pragmatism has to overcome inertia in education. Ignoring the visible constraints and without waiting any more for the miracles to happen, we need to begin reforms within the system itself.
What is the end objective of an educational process ……. a learned student output. What prevents today’s teacher to reach the standard of the teacher of yester year. To me the difference is one and only. Teacher of yester year was more committed to the cause as compared the one today. The educational administrator was more vibrant, firm and enjoyed authority regardless of scarcity of resources. Who can forget the magnificent visits and the fair conduct of examinations by the lone School Inspector of the previous system? Can any one agree that teachers have fewer resources to conduct examinations in fair and dignified manner? No, to all intents and purposes a mafia has taken over the system where some of the teachers behave much below the dignity of a teacher and not better than some corrupt officials of any other public service department. Can any one deny the cruel fact that some of the teachers in connivance with the educational administrators have been drawing pay and emoluments either without going to their schools or hiring services of some matriculates for two to three thousand rupees a month? That is the reason; two thirds of rural school children between 6 and 16 years of age cannot read a story and only 50 percent of rural school children can read a sentence as noted in the above mentioned report. These are the dark realities about the most important facet ….. the human resource …… of the existing system.
The internal reforms in the system, as mentioned earlier, can yield sure success with setting in motion the teacher. No amount of monetary reward can bring dynamism but it is teacher’s self-consciousness and realization of his sacred responsibility and above all strict accountability by the educational administrator. No sane individual can deny the right of teacher to be able to live respectable social life within the means, but no amount of money can fill the greed and compensate for corrupt thoughts and practices. Till yet educational administrators were toothless being political appointees. Appointment of Executive District Officers (Education) on merit, while freeing them of dirty political influence, is expected to prove a landmark step in reforming the system. However, success of the new experiment rests in navigating the educational boat of the district in the right direction. As a strategic decision towards educational reforms the incumbent head of district education system has to make understand his huge work force not to wait for miracles to happen but improve the system internally, reform is surely going to come about in school education in Chitral. He has to ensure that every teacher is performing his or her obligatory duties guaranteeing the desired standards and the system is free of corrupt practices like contracting the services to others on less pay or selling out the examination centres at the cost of colossal educational disaster. As far as the college education is concerned, who knows better than the learned professor that students remember with good words only those professors who have the realization that the time and money spent by every individual student is too precious to be wasted, lest the NATION has to pay such costs? -- Sajjad Haider, NUML, Islamabad, 17 Oct 2011.

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