Course: Secondary Education (827) Semester: Spring, 2021

Level: MA/M.Ed

ASSIGNMENT No. 2

Q.1 Discuss the implementation strategy for national aims of education in Pakistan

Education reform will not happen unless educators endorse and implement it. This chapter
discusses some of the actions that could help turn policies into practice, including acknowledging
divergent views and interests, communicating the rationale for reform, fostering consensus,
engaging stakeholders – including teachers – in designing and implementing policies, ensuring
there is sufficient capacity and resources, and building partnerships with education unions to
design and implement the reforms. The chapter presents examples of related initiatives from
around the world.

Implementing reform of any kind, in any sector, is never easy; but it is particularly difficult in
the education sector. One reason is simply the scale of the sector:

• Public spending on institutions alone (excluding financial support for students and families) is
one of the biggest areas of public spending outside transfers (OECD, 2015).

• Virtually everyone has participated in education and has an opinion about it.

• Education is widely present and visible: almost every community has a school it can call its
own, and higher education and training institutions are increasingly part of the local landscape
and a presence in the workplace.

As a result, there are a lot of stakeholders in education who have a vested interest in maintaining
the status quo. Even small reforms can involve massive reallocations of resources, and touch the
lives of millions on both the client and provider sides. This rules out “reform by stealth” and
makes it essential to have consensus, or at least broad political support, for any proposed reform.
In essence, education reform will not happen unless educators endorse and implement it.
Implementation of education reform is influenced by many of the same factors that influence
implementation in other sectors.

There is uncertainty about the size and distribution of benefits. But uncertainty is a particularly
vexed issue in education reform because of the range of actors (including students, parents,
teachers, employers and trade unions) who have stakes in education outcomes. Uncertainty about
costs is problematic because education infrastructure is large and implicates multiple levels of
government, each often trying to minimise or shift the costs of reform.

To some extent, these challenges are typical of the obstacles facing reformers in many domains.
However, assessing the relative costs and benefits in education is rendered particularly difficult
by the large number of intervening variables that influence the nature, size and distribution of
benefits of reform. In short, it is rarely possible to predict clear, identifiable links between
policies and outcomes, especially given the time lags involved. The issue of loss of advantages
or privileged positions is of particular importance in education reform, because the vast structure
of established (usually public) providers implies the existence of extensive vested interests.

The resistance of provider interests to reform may well be more acute in education than in other
sectors (except, perhaps, for healthcare) for a number of reasons. Teachers are generally viewed
positively by the public, even when there is great dissatisfaction with education systems. They
often command greater public trust than politicians, so any resistance to reform on their part is
likely to be effective. The implementation of reforms is often impossible without the co-
operation of the providers. They can easily undermine reforms in the implementation phase,
while blaming policy makers for having attempted misguided reforms in the first place. Last but
not least, teachers in many OECD countries are well organised. Timing is relevant to education
reform in two senses.

First and most obviously, there is a substantial gap between the time at which the initial cost of
reform is incurred, and the time when it is evident whether the intended benefits of reforms
actually materialise. While timing complicates the politics of reform in many domains, it seems
to have a greater impact on education reform, where the lags involved are far longer than is
typical of, for example, labour- or product-market reforms. As a result, the political cycle may
have a direct impact on the timing, scope and content of education reform. Education reform
becomes a thankless task when elections take place before the benefits are realised. Timing can
be important also with regard to the sequencing of different components of reform. For example,
one element – curriculum reform, for example – might require prior reform in pre-service and in-
service training in order to be effective. However, there are strong countervailing forces pushing
for a shake-up of the status quo.

At a micro level, education plays an important part in determining employability and earnings;
at a macro level, it is associated with higher levels of productivity and growth. The emergence of
the knowledge society and the upward trend in skill requirements in the labour market only
increases the importance of education. And the cost of underperformance and underinvestment in
education also is rising. As a result, the circle of those who feel they are directly affected by the
outcomes of education has broadened beyond parents and students to employers and virtually
anyone who has a stake in social and economic welfare. These forces also make stakeholders
more demanding. Strategies to overcome resistance to education reforms are similar in certain
respects to those adopted in other areas. Reform is more easily undertaken in “crisis” conditions,
although the meaning of “crisis” may be somewhat different in education. The shock involved is
likely to be something that radically and abruptly alters perceptions of the education system
rather than an event that suddenly affects its ability to function.

The release in December 2001 of the first OECD Programme for International Student
Assessment (PISA) results (OECD, 2001) sent shockwaves through Denmark because they
undermined the widely shared but unsubstantiated view that Denmark had one of the best
education systems in the world. PISA provided robust evidence that the system was, in fact,
close to the OECD average and fairly inequitable. After considerable soul-searching and an
expert review by the OECD, the Danish government launched a far-reaching reform of primary
and lower secondary education (Danish Ministry of Education and Rambøll, 2011). “Crisis”
often takes other forms in education.
It can be the slow-building, but relentless, pressures imposed by demographic changes. For
example, the prospect of fewer upper secondary school graduates forced the government of
Finland, only a few years after it created a new polytechnic sector, to launch ambitious reforms
to reduce the number of tertiary institutions and alter how they were governed and financed. In
Germany, smaller populations of school-aged children forced some Länder to merge education
tracks at the secondary level (Realschule and Hauptschule).

Reference:

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264252059-5-en.pdf?
expires=1621189418&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=4FF0A1882AFFB1C81DFB1944
A4104923

Q.2 How to deal with the issues related to teacher education training programs?

Issues and problems in teacher education

In nearly all countries, courses of the Normal School B, college, and university categories

contain three main elements. The first element is the study of one or more academic, cultural,
or aesthetic subjects for the purpose both of continuing the student’s own education and of
providing him with knowledge to use in his subsequent teaching career. A second element is the
study of educational principles, increasingly organized in terms of social science disciplines such
as psychology, sociology, philosophy, and history. A third element consists of professional
courses and school experience. Primary teachers may also receive instruction in the content and
methods of subjects other than their own specialties that figure in the primary curriculum. In
normal schools and colleges, and some universities, the three elements run parallel to one
another, and the student is professionally committed from the outset of his course. Elsewhere, the
study of educational processes and professional work (including school experience) may follow
the completion of a period of academic study that the student has begun without any prior
commitment to teaching as a career. There are still advanced countries where the possession of a
university degree, without any qualification in education as such, is sufficient basis for the award
of qualified teacher status. In England and Wales, for example, compulsory training for
graduates, generally comprising two terms (six months) of professional and theoretical studies
and a further three-month period of school experience, was scheduled to come into effect only in
1973.

General education

The sequencing, balance, content, and organization of general and specialist academic work,
courses in education, and professional studies and teaching experience has been a subject of
discussion since the earliest days of organized teacher education. The importance of the element
of general education has been defended on various grounds. Sometimes such academic work
may be highly specialized. Students in many colleges of education in England study only one
principal subject, to which they devote about one-third of their total time, and teachers who
graduate from universities have often pursued three-year courses for single-subject honours
degrees. In the United States and elsewhere the academic element is broader, and the first two
years of college or university work may embody a wide range of elective subjects
from diverse disciplinary fields. Both patterns have their critics, the first because it produces
narrow intellectual specialists, the second because it encourages dilettantism and inadequate
depth. Where a pattern of electives is combined with a units/credits system, as in some
universities in Japan and the United States, it is claimed that one result is an undesirable
fragmentation of study and effort. In his influential Education of American
Teachers (1963), James B. Conant recommended that half the course requirements of the four-
year program of preparation for elementary teachers should be given over to general courses, a
further quarter to an “area of concentration,” and the remaining quarter to professional studies,
including school experience. Prospective secondary teachers would spend still more time on the
subjects they were preparing to teach, with less than 10 percent of their time devoted to practice
teaching and special methods. Such a subject emphasis for secondary teachers can be found in
many countries. In France the École Normale Supérieure still places freedom of study and the
nurture of intellectual curiosity above questions of professional teacher training. Generally
speaking, wherever there is a stress upon academic excellence and the achievement of high
standards of scholarship, there is likely to be skepticism as to the claims of professional training
for teaching. Oxford University had still not appointed a professor of education by the beginning
of the 1970s.

In countries where technical or vocational education forms an important part of secondary school

provision, there have sometimes been specialist institutions for the training of teachers for this
work. Such teachers tend to have lower status than the secondary school staff who teach
academic subjects, and efforts have been made to upgrade the position of the teacher of
agricultural and industrial arts, home economics, and handicrafts. Nearly all the universities in
England and Wales that now offer the bachelor of education degree for college of education
students include technical subjects within their list of approved options.

The element of educational courses in the teacher preparation program has been the object
of criticism from academic specialists, defenders of liberal culture, and practical-minded
professional educators. The growing range of speculation and empirical data generated by the
burgeoning social sciences, philosophy, and history, have provided a rich ore from which those
responsible for teacher preparation mined the materials they needed for the construction and
legitimation of their pedagogic systems and principles. But such borrowing has done little to
establish any very coherent system of educational ideas, or to provide the basis for a systematic
theory of teaching adequate to sustain the variety and complexity of teacher preparation
programs.

Reference:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/teacher-education/Issues-and-problems-in-teacher-education

Q.3 Elaborate how value oriented education can be delivered?

Imparting VALUE EDUCATION

Students of primary classes are often found cheating and using undesirable words. Disrespecting
teachers sometimes starts as soon as they move forward in their school. By the time they enter
the middle school, they have developed all the ways and means to display behaviour with no
values. It is a pity to see a student of class 10 or 12 bunking classes and sitting with mobiles in
the canteen, aimlessly engaged in Facebook when actually this is the time to give finishing to
whatever they have learnt. Such a scenario really disheartens the educators who have been trying
to create individuals with social and moral responsibilities.
In this fast world of globalisation, junk food, terrorism and corruption, students are under
continuous stress to compete and prove themselves. Education system of any country is expected
to prepare the following generation to adapt better in the dynamic society. The process of
schooling and higher education should prepare students to differentiate between dos and don’ts
at all stages of life. Our country has been adding meaning to education by incorporating ‘karma’
and ‘dharma’. Ancient Indian education has produced citizens with strong moral code and norms
of living and conduct. But does our current education system train the students to accept roles
expected from them? Values have been felt to be subtracted from the rigid boundaries of what
we call education. Teaching-learning continues even today and production of citizens also takes
place. But does our current education system prepare students for these challenges? Are we
preparing individuals or humans?
We educators have to act and accept the challenge of adding values in our education. We have to
develop means and ways to produce humans and not just individuals. The current article is an
attempt to explore the scope of value education at school level.
WAYS OF BRINGING CHANGE
Value education starts from home but it continues throughout life. Value education in schools
plays a major part in individual’s life. Value based education can shape their future and add
purpose to their life. It helps them learn to live the right way of life.
School is the place where the child spends most of his or her learning years. Many attributes and
behaviour they develop for a life time have their roots in school. Including value education as a
textbook, as a graded subject or as a lecture per week is not enough. The school has to give due
importance and priority for inculcating these desirable values among children. Special well-
planned learning experiences need to be designed so that students understand the importance of
value in the real sense rather than just a fact. These learning experiences can be designed at two
levels - curricular and co-curricular.
Value education through curriculum
We understand that time bound syllabus is very important but it cannot be taught at the cost of
values. Our subjects and treatment to each subject should be done consciously.
Need based: Curriculum should be developed after conducting a detailed analysis of the students
of a particular class. Values which are most important and urgent should be given priority. A
group of values to be achieved in a year’s time can be listed.
Flexibility and innovativeness: The curriculum of other subjects should be flexible enough to
incorporate teaching of values. Any theory or illustration explained may be linked with value in
life. For example, while explaining gravitation, we say anything that has ego falls down.
Teaching of language: While teaching creative writing and grammar rules, emphasis should be
given on values like sacrifice and brotherhood. This will help students explore more about each
value.
Value education through co-curricular activities
Through curriculum a student acquires knowledge but overall development of an individual takes
place through co-curricular activities only. These activities help develop confidence and
overcome inferiority complex.
Educational activities: Activities like debate, poem recitation, should be organised on themes like
sincerity, honesty and regularity. This will not only strengthen the expression of feelings in
words but also emphasise to think and understand the importance of such values.
Cultural activities: These should not merely focus on display of talent. Through these art forms,
socially desirable values can be taught. Attributes like team work, coordination, respecting
others’ opinion, etc can be cultivated while practicing any art form.
Social activities: When a school extends beyond classroom walls, a student realises the problems
in the outside world. They understand their responsibility to solve this universal problems and
start valuing the things they already have.
Sports activities: They can focus on physical and mental health. Team spirit, honesty,
determination, etc. can be taught along with any game. Students also learn to respect others’
efforts and accept defeat.
ROLE OF TEACHERS AND MANAGEMENT
A strong moral character is an obligatory part of a teacher. No teacher can discharge his or her
duties well if the teacher is morally degraded, dishonest and a participant in the race of collecting
unfair money. Value oriented education is most effective when teacher considers it as a life
mission and displays all moral and desirable behaviour traits in front of students. The value
education teacher is not solely responsible but all teachers together should contribute to this
process.
However hard the staff may try, these activities will gain importance only if management has
similar emphasis. The authorities should have a clear vision and anyone who deviates from the
same should not be entertained. Instructions and guidance can be given to teaching and non-
teaching staff. Regular follow up of given instructions should also be taken. Those who follow
the given guidelines should be acknowledged and appreciated.

Reference:

https://www.scoonews.com/news/imparting-value-education-in-schools-5557

Q.4 What is the structure of education system in Pakistan?

Structure Of Education In Pakistan

Pakistan’s education system is divided into five levels: primary (grades one through five);
middle (grades six through eight); high (grades nine and ten, leading to the Secondary School
Certificate); intermediate (grades eleven and twelve, leading to a Higher Secondary School
Certificate); and university programs leading to graduate and advanced degrees.

All academic education institutions are the responsibility of the provincial governments. The
federal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and some financing
of research.

The literacy rate ranges from 72.38% in Islamabad to 10.37% in the Musakhel District. Between
2000-2004, Pakistanis in the age group 55-64 had a literacy rate of almost 30%, those aged
between 45-54 had a literacy rate of nearly 40%, those between 25-34 had a literacy rate of 50%,
and those aged 15-24 had a literacy rate of more than 60%. These data indicate that, with every
passing generation, the literacy rate in Pakistan is rising by around 10%.

Pakistan has public and private educational institutions. There are private primary, secondary and
higher educational institutions in Pakistan. The private schools charge fees and in many cases
provide better education to its students.

Primary Schooling:

This stage consists of five classes I-V and enrolls children of age 5-9 years. Since independence,
the policy 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 Bachelor’s degree
in arts or science, typically at the age of 19 years. In order to complete an honors course at
Bachelor’s degree level an additional one year’s study is required. Further, a two years course is
required for Master’s degree who has completed two years Bachelors’ degree. A doctoral degree
requires normally 3 years of study after the completion of a master’s degree course.

Main laws/decrees Governing Higher Education:

Decree: National Education Policy Year: 1992

Academic year: Classes from: Sep to: Jun

Long vacation from: Jul to: Aug

Languages of instruction: English, Urdu

Stages of studies:
Non-university level post-secondary studies (technical/vocational type):

Non-university level:

Polytechnics, technical and commercial institutes offer courses at Post-Secondary School

Certificate level. They provide courses lasting between one and three years that lead to
Certificates and Diplomas.

University level studies:

University level first stage: Bachelor’s Degree:

Bachelor’s Pass Degrees are normally obtained after a two-year course and Honours Degrees
after a three year course in Arts, Science and Commerce. First degrees in Engineering take four
years and in Medicine five years. New universities have also introduced a three-year Bachelor
Degree course.

University level second stage: Master’s Degree, BEd, LLB:

A Master’s Degree requires two years’ study after a Pass Degree and one year after an Honours
Degree. The BEd requires one year’s study beyond a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts or Science. The
LLB is a postgraduate qualification and entry to the three-year course is by the Bachelor’s
Degree in any other subject.

University level third stage: MPhil, PhD:

The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) takes two years after the Master’s Degree. The PhD
(Doctorate of Philosophy) is a research degree which requires three years’ study beyond the
Master’s Degree.

University level fourth stage: Higher Doctorate:

The degrees of Doctor of Literature (DLitt), Doctor of Science (DSc) and Doctor of Law (LLD)
are awarded after five to seven years of study.
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 bachelor’s degree in medicine (MBBS) requires 5
years of study after intermediate stage (12 years of schooling). Similarly, a bachelor’s degree
course both in engineering and veterinary medicine is of 4 years’ duration after the intermediate
examination.

Madrassah Education:

Side by side with modern education system there is also religious education system, which
provides Islamic education. These institutions have their own management system without
interference from 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. Non-formal schools are opened in those areas where formal
schools are not available. Government provides teacher’s 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 examinations 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. (Fact & Figures Pakistan, 2002)

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 master’s 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 of which 7,000 complete every courses every year.

Private Education Sector:

Private sector involvement in education is encouraging. The Federal Bureau of Statistics survey
(1999-2000) 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.
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.

 Reference:

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/structure-of-education-in-pakistan-education-
essay.php

Q.5 What are the issues with present system. of examination?

The standard of education is declining in our country day by day. Our educational institutions are
producing “Not Men of Letters but men of money.” They are not learned people with
independent thinking and a wider and serious outlook on life. Their purpose of getting education
is not to prepare themselves for life. They only want a job for money to buy luxuries of life &
power to harm others.

They seek short-cuts to pass their exams so that they could achieve their goals as soon as
possible with as much less labour as possible. Unfortunately, our education and examination
system is so outdated and unplanned that it helps the students to achieve their aims and goals.

Great progress has been made in every field of life. But the method of knowing/testing a
person’s knowledge is still old.

Exams are the benchmark of success or failure in our society. It does not mean that you are not
feeling well or you have another problem. If you once fail, you will be considered as dull as a
donkey.

It is mandated in the constitution of Pakistan to provide free and compulsory education to all
children between 5 to 16 years of age and enhance adult literacy. After the passage of 18th
constitutional amendment, the concurrent list which comprises of 47 subjects was abolished and
these subjects, including education were transferred to federating units as a move towards
provincial autonomy.

Our Education System & Its Analysis:

In all, there are 260,903 educational institutions in Pakistan where 41,018,384 students are
enrolled, and 15, 35, 461 faculty members. Out of these institutions, 180846 are public and
80,057 are private.

Hence 31 percent educational institutions are private while 69 percent are public. Every
government in Pakistan expresses its commitment to promote education and literacy.

In this regard, national education policies are the vision which suggest strategies to increase
literacy rate, capacity building of students and enhance facilities in schools and other educational
institutes. Millennium development goals (MDGs) and education for all (EFA) programmes
express Pakistan’s commitment to the promotion of literacy.

The present condition of education in Pakistan forces us to cry out aloud. It bears no imprint of
freedom and appears to be listless as it used to be during the days of slavery.

Our universities remain glued to that old colonial era pattern. There is a great need, something
which is being greatly felt today, for introducing a radical change in education system.

Low literacy rate and poor quality of education are major drawbacks of our education system,
which is influenced by a number of factors some of which are: low enrollment and high drop-out
rate at the primary level, different standard of education, low budget allocation, political
interference, low quality of curricula and text books, rapid growth in population, poverty and
unemployment, non-qualified teachers, assignment of irrelevant duties and sub-standard
evaluation system.

1. Teachers does not normally form the part of policy making process, hence the process of
sharing and consultation remains missing. It leads to implementation of educational policy
without consultation, thus the efforts go in vain.
2. The allocation of funds for education is very low it is 1.5 to 2.5% of the total GDP. Even this
amount is not utilised and had to be surrended back to the government as 10 to 30 % of
education budget under utilized. In spite of allocation, the amount is not spent for what it was
meant for. As the corruption is found in all the level of education. There is no accountability and
transparency in the system, that salaries are low, the incentives are too less to be accounted.

3. The system of education is working in match with local needs and ground realities. It is almost
a key factor that the education in the mother tongue surrenders more dividends but we have the
system more separated and expanded just opposing to our requirements.

4. Shortage of qualified teachers is main cause of less interest of young students towards
education.        

5. Examination system remained a problematic issue in Pakistan. How to judge the performance
of students is a difficult question. Instead of comprehension and depth of knowledge importance
is place on test of memory.

6. The cost of education is higher in private school’s but these are located in elite and middle
class area.

7. Pakistan’s engagement in war against terrorism also affected the promotion of literacy
campaign. The militants targeted the schools and students.

8. Sufficient attention has been paid to the technical and vocational education in Pakistan. The
number of technical and vocational training institute is not sufficient and many are deprived of
infrastructure. Although the federal and provincial governments are establishing more technical
professional vocational and training centers on federal level and particularly in Punjab. 

Reference:

https://nation.com.pk/01-Aug-2016/declining-education-examination-system