PESHAWAR: Strategy to improve educational standards
By Mohammad Ali Khan
PESHAWAR, Sept 27: The NWFP government is formulating two programmes — one for the professional development of heads of primary schools and the other one for improving nursery education in the province.
The two programmes are aimed at improving primary education in the province.
Both the plans, in different stages of formulation, would be ready by February and would be incorporated in the next year’s budget, officials of the School and Literacy Department (S&LD) told Dawn.
A committee of the S&LD, said the officials, was formulating a new service structure for head teachers of primary schools that would separate their cadre from that of other teachers. The committee, which has had two meetings, would make rules of service and look into career progression and professional development of school heads.
On the professional development side, the Provincial Institute for Teachers Education (Pite) was preparing a manual for a management course which would cover all aspects of head teachers’ responsibilities, including personnel management, school management, classroom management, financial management, public interaction and communication, the officials said.
They said a committee had been given the task of completing the work by February 2008.
A pilot programme to improve nursery education represents another initiative, which the government wants to undertake next year.
Giving the background for the programme, officials said that schools were currently taking in children at four years of age, although the official entry age is five years. But, most of the schools have a nursery class, which is often without assigned teachers or classroom and no specific curriculum.
Enrolment statistics for 2006-07 show that currently 705,542 children are in nursery class, which may exclude 4-5-year olds who are not officially enrolled.
The officials said it was important to introduce a sound early childhood education policy at this stage with a provision for trained, specialised teachers and classrooms to give children a sound foundation for life-long learning.
They added that the directorate of curriculum and teacher education had already developed a curriculum for this stage and the Pite was planning an Early Childhood Education Resource Centre and a programme for 50 schools of Peshawar. Initially, the programme would be introduced in schools having surplus teachers and classrooms. In addition, partnerships with NGOs and private sector would be made.
A draft policy, laying out the design of the programme with districts and schools identified for the pilot, would be prepared by December 31.
