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December 16, 2007
Forward with quality
ONLY the most prepared nation with a knowledgeable and qualified working force is to survive the fierce competition in today’s knowledge-based economies, lifestyle and world politics. Education, especially higher education, coupled with strength of technology and science, is the tool that provides societies with an edge in international competition. Currently, in Pakistan, education needs drastic improvement both in quality and quantity. The standard of education in the public sector, which produces over 75 per cent of the graduates, is, to say the least, quite modest. Quality education is limited to a few, mostly private institutions that have acceptable international standards, but due to very high tuition fees, these institutions cater to a small number of upper class students. The upper class in Pakistan represents less than 0.1 per cent of the population.
The quality of education in a country is measured by various indicators: by short- and long-term outcomes, i.e., the number of students graduating per year; qualifications of teachers; student lifelong achievements; and improvement in qualifications and research abilities. Among the major goals of a country’s quality assurance, notes David Ekong (2003), are the ability to produce global citizens who can adapt to the shifting requirements of the working world, have the aptitude for management and leadership, and are the products of a universalised learning process, enriched with technology and informative communication capacities.
The current educational system status in Pakistan is far from attaining any of these goals, while the pressure of globalisation and world competitiveness is rising every passing day. Now is the right time and opportunity to tackle the most serious issues of the quality of education, given that the government has increased by several fold the budget for education over what it had been in previous years. This increased government funding has resulted in some encouraging changes, i.e., more doctoral graduates per year, yet little has been done to address the poor quality of the students’ work or of the educational system producing it. Some efforts are being made by the Quality Assurance Agency formed under the patronage of the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) new quality assurance programme, currently working through its ‘cells’ to evaluate the status and quality of teaching and learning in Pakistani universities.
A field study conducted by the Promotion of Education in Pakistan (PEP) Foundation Inc., found that the emphasis on quality has not been a major priority within the Pakistani education system for a long time. Over the last 24 years in particular, the emphasis has been on quantity rather than quality. This emphasis followed the policy that increased numbers of established educational institutions and of students graduated per year indicated higher levels of development. This neglect of quality has resulted in a system that is producing graduates that are unqualified and ill-prepared to make a contribution to development.
While Pakistan has ignored the issue, other countries have established quality councils, implemented quality assurance mechanisms, measured performance indicators, conducted academic audits, engaged in strategic planning and management, built accountability into the system, and established ranking order of universities in teaching, research and provision of student support services. The limited local and foreign research on Pakistan’s education sector substantiates the need to refocus attention on quality if Pakistani institutions are to be brought up to the standard of developed countries.
Across the board, teaching is still largely done by lectures and the rote-learning method in which the teacher lectures and students memorise large tracts of information for an examination upon which their entire course grade and often promotion to the next level of education depend. The system has not been responsive to changes in the skills that are required to function in the world today. Participation and discussion are not at the centre of the methodology. Students are not taught to think analytically, to question and challenge their teachers and materials. This starts in primary school, and by the time they graduate from higher education, many students may have degrees but no basic problem-solving and analytical thinking skills. The lack of experience in applying their knowledge becomes a real challenge when the graduates are hired in places of work. They are not prepared to take over positions that require leadership, solid judgment, and creative solutions.
The link between academia and the working market is non-existent in Pakistan. Research on the labour market, which is conventionally done by academia in the developed countries to identify trends of labour and other social and economic studies, is not taking place in Pakistan. This factor presents a major disadvantage for the future of Pakistan’s economy, which is suffering deeply from the lack of research. In a fast changing technological world, the education and training institutions should be working very closely with the industries for which they hope to furnish employees. Without knowing what the national needs are, how to address them, and how to prepare for the future, Pakistan will not be prepared to face the complexity of globalisation. It will suffer deeply from an inadequate working force, and an ill-prepared generation of graduates who will not know how to confront competitiveness and rise above it.
Not surprisingly, at the first International Symposium on Issues in Higher Education in Pakistan, organised by the PEP Foundation Inc., in New York, in December 2005, at the United Nations, a distinguished group of panelists identified the following as the reasons for the low standard of education in Pakistan: (1) the demoralised and unqualified faculty, (2) antiquated methods of teaching, (3) lack of sufficient funds and facilities, and (4) lack of assessment and quality improvement mechanisms.
A qualified and motivated faculty is critical for imparting quality education. Without motivated, knowledgeable, and research-oriented mentors, students will not be prepared adequately to think, act and create independently. Currently, in Pakistan, a large majority of faculty does not have sufficient research experience or any ongoing scholarly research. Their university training is insufficient, and continuing professional coaching is lacking. For those who work harder, performance-based rewards and opportunities for growth are scarce. Not only are the numbers of experienced and properly trained teachers and professors deficient, but those that are accomplished in their fields are being retired from service too early and in dire times of need. The remuneration in the public sector colleges and universities has been very low, resulting in an exodus of better faculty to the private sector or focusing their attention on private tuitions and side businesses.
The private sector rivalry poses a serious challenge to the public institutions. Only by tackling the root of the problem and increasing the quality of education will the whole educational system, especially the tertiary level, be able to respond better to the existing crisis and ongoing challenges of private competition.
Teaching in Pakistan’s education system, is based mostly on plain lectures, and it is not a comprehensive, participatory learning process. Critical analysis, discussions and questioning of teachers’ views are often discouraged. Rote learning and lack of creativity severely damage the ability of the students to become independent thinkers, critical observers and confident inventors. In addition, the unavailability of technological resources weakens the capability for teaching and learning process.
Another important factor that impacts the quality of education is the lack of facilities and resources for students and teachers. Insufficient funds to public education institutions has resulted in the unavailability of modern tools and of access to computers, Internet, the latest scholarly publications, properly equipped libraries and laboratories. It is very difficult for students to learn the most up-to-date theories without having access to them. Research suffers greatly because of a lack of data and books and inadequate libraries and means of laboratory practice. An immediate upgrade of libraries and basic student resources for research is needed to improve the quality of education delivered in all levels of schooling.
Quality control, assessment and quality improvement mechanisms are by and large not in place and are not being upgraded regularly or in an institutional manner. There is an increasing need for an independent body that is able to conduct external reviews, outside of governmental control. Objective, constructive criticism that will produce progressive recommendations in a permanent manner can be provided only by a private independent institution.
Nationwide, only comprehensive reconstruction of the system will enable true reform of education in Pakistan. For any undertaken reform to be effective, it needs to be comprehensive in the sense of addressing all aspects of the system. If new curricula are introduced, simultaneous changes must also occur in the preparation of teachers, the content of textbooks and other learning materials, the introduction of technology tools, and the organisation of schools. Furthermore, administration, management and appropriate financial planning must be designed in ways that take into consideration the need for sufficient incentives and financial rewards to teachers so that they do not abandon their work in search of other income.
The quality of education is closely related to the quality of teachers. To improve faculty quality, motivation is needed; salaries must be developed on the basis of a merit-based system, performance, productivity and research work. A meritorious faculty is the best asset that an educational institution can rely on and faculty members’ post-retirement age should not disqualify them in the rehiring process.
Restoration of an education system into a high-quality structure that produces skilled professionals able to adapt to change and design the future is more about the people involved in the process than it is about institutions themselves. People tend to change slowly when it comes to their attitudes, beliefs, and ways of doing things, especially when new practices and ideas without precedents are introduced. However, as long as there is an understanding both of the role that education plays in society, and of its current crisis status in Pakistan, there is no reason why a joint public-private effort cannot make a major difference towards improving the quality of education.
The writers work for the Promotion of Education in Pakistan Foundation, Inc., USA
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