Pindi ranked 16th in province for education

The Rawalpindi district was ranked 16th in the 36 districts of the province for quality of education in government-run schools. The government argues this is so due to a large number of students going to private schools and due to poor performance of teachers while teachers say missing facilities in institutions is affecting the quality of education.

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that many children are going to private schools due to the poor standard of teaching.

He said Rawalpindi district had come third in 2013 in the province and that government schools had better enrolment and better quality of teaching then.

The performance of schools in all districts is documented by the Punjab Monitoring and Implementation Unit under the education reforms of the Punjab government. The monitoring is done every quarter in primary and higher secondary schools. If a district does not meet the targets set for it, its administration is grilled by a committee of the provincial government.

To get a good ranking, all districts have to meet targets in18 indicators including variables such as teacher and student attendance, exam results, the provision of facilities and the distribution of free textbooks among students.

The district has a total of 1,802 primary, middle and higher secondary schools, most of them with fewer students than previous years.

The official Dawn talked to said the adjoining district of Jhelum had come third in the ranking, Chakwal stood at 10th position and Attock at 17th.

He stressed on the need for improving the quality of education in government schools in Rawalpindi and that teachers are not giving students due attention.

On the other hand, teachers blamed the policies of the previous government regarding education.

“People prefer sending their children to private schools for two reasons. The first that it is a symbol of status to do so and the second for the better quality of education,” said Mohammad Tanveer, a teacher at a government-run school.

He said government officials also do not enrol their children in government schools and that teachers have limited facilities which is why the quality of education is compromised.

Abad, Arid Varsity sign MoU

A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Agency for Barani Areas Development (Abad) and Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi

The MoU was signed by Abad Director General Dr Ehtesham Anwar and Arid university Vice Chancellor Dr Sarwat Naz Mirza. They vowed to promote joint research and enhance knowledge for the purpose of sustainable socio-economic development in barani areas.

The signatories discussed the salient features of the proposed projects and expressed hope that the targets will be achieved within the stipulated time by working with devotion and dedication to overcome the difficulties faced by farmers.

He said that while implementing the MoU, it will be ensured to coordinate and organise seminars, workshops and panel discussions and other such activities on socio-economic development with particular focus on water related issues.

Dr Anwar said a joint proposal will be submitted for financing some of the projects and that both partners will discuss issues and hold joint events and conferences in regards to research in the field.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2018