KARACHI, Jan 6: Pointing to the ‘apartheid-like’ situation that has been created in the education sector, a White Paper, obtained by Dawn, attributes this malaise to the class division reinforced by the present education system.

Referring to Unesco’s Convention against Discrimination in Education, 1960 (which has not been ratified by Pakistan), the White Paper defines the concept of equity in education as one which fosters a bias-free environment in which individuals benefit equally.

“Any distinction, exclusion, limitation or preference, which being based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, economic condition or birth, has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing equality of treatment in education is tantamount to discrimination.”

Prepared by a team set up by the federal education ministry under Javed Hasan Aly, a retired federal secretary, the White Paper is titled “Education in Pakistan”.

In the context of equality and equity, the issues of gender, economic and geographic disparities, parallel systems of education and the medium of instruction, especially the teaching of the English language, have been addressed in this document. The class divide is not a new phenomenon but a growing trend towards privatisation has deepened it. The rich go to private schools and the poor go to public schools which do not provide quality education that the private institutions do.

“Poverty is the main obstacle to acquiring quality education and also the result of poor education available to the economically deprived. The vicious circle, therefore, prevents any movement out of the education related poverty syndrome,” the White Paper insightfully observes.

The vast differences between the education services in the rural and urban areas continue to widen the gulf between the urban elites and the comparatively marginalised and disempowered rural populations.

Another conspicuous disparity in education is between girls and boys. The White Paper quotes the ministry of women development to identify the poor educational status of women in Pakistan. Nearly 60 per cent of the female adult population is illiterate and of the 3.3 million out of school children 2.5 million are girls. Only 1.4 per cent women hold a Master’s degree in the country.

A factor adding to the disparity is the existence of a number of parallel systems in terms of sources of funding (private or public sector), specialisation (religious, vocational training), quality, medium of instruction and the multiple examination systems operating in the country.

The White Paper makes a series of recommendations, many of which have been formulated by the government but never implemented. It calls for free and compulsory primary education for girls by 2010 and free secondary education for them by 2020. The hiring and training of teachers should be oriented towards reducing the gender gap. Continuous linkages between various departments for gender disaggregated data, the establishment of powerful gender groups in the ministry of education and ensuring the commitment of funds and human resources to implement and monitor progress towards the goal of gender equality in education.

The White Paper asks for greater financial support for schools in the rural areas and a complete overhaul of public sector schools. It also suggests that scholarships and stipends be given to students from poor background. It also asks for the popular demand for teaching in the mother tongue should be balanced against the lack of economic prospects associated with mother tongue proficiency.

It recommends free, universal and compulsory school education as an ultimate goal with appropriately time-framed sufficient funding and the establishment of national education quality standards to ensure minimum standards of content, instruction, environment and assessment. For this an organisation should be set up. The provincial governments should create private schools regulatory bodies and the quality of teachers in public schools should be enhanced.