November 29, 2008	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 30, 1429

HYDERABAD, Nov 28: A conference on education has recommended the formation of a think-tank to coordinate with policymakers in framing plans for promoting education.

This joint proposal was put forward by the country’s academia, scholars from the UK, the US and Germany at the concluding session of a two-day National Conference on Education. It was organised by the Faculty of Education, University of Sindh, in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) at Elsa Kazi Campus Hyderabad on Thursday.

The conference was attended by a large number of educationists and 56 research papers and keynote speeches were presented on issues and problems of school education in Pakistan.

Academics discussed falling standards of school education, particularly in remote areas and recommended model schools for enhancing the quality of education.

The conference suggested setting up literacy centres in government schools in the evening and taking services of teachers to educate the illiterates. Head teachers and managers should be selected on merit along with introducing the ranking system, it further recommended.

The conference advised the government to allow civil society organisations for bringing about improvements in public sector education, especially to NGOs and CBOs and handover to them non-functional school buildings along with some finances for making them functional again.

These institutions should be education-oriented with thought-out policies and curriculum for creating healthy coordination with the private sector, it was further expressed. Teacher training institutions should be equipped for raising the capabilities up to doctorate level.

Scholars called on the government and media to chalk out programmes for creating awareness of female education in rural areas and students should be encouraged to raise questions about the subject they were taught, especially science. Teachers need to be trained by psychiatrists and psychologists for counselling the students. The moot was of the view to make English as the medium of education.

Strategies ought to be worked out for training and professional development according to the needs of teachers.