Dear reader, online ads enable us to deliver the journalism you value. Please support us by taking a moment to
THE discourse on education in Pakistan has focused invariably on higher education. Whether it is about textbooks, deficiencies in teachers’ training, curricula or language, the starting point of most activists is college or university. The closest they get to school education is when they argue about numbers.
It surprises me how little is said about primary education or even early childhood education. There is not even a hint of an understanding of the roots of the problems that policymakers and activists talk about. They lie in the malaise that grips our primary education sector. Our society is not at all child-centric. It is time we started looking at educational issues from the child’s point of view: how children learn, what interests them and what motivates them. Few policymakers would have read William Wordsworth’s words, “The Child is father of the Man”.
And fewer still would have pondered the report published in this newspaper a few weeks ago that a study in Karachi found that 58.5 per cent of students aged 14-18 years nursed suicidal thoughts.
In this context, it was instructive to talk to Baela Raza Jamil when I dropped in to see her on her return from the UN General Assembly session with another feather in her cap. She has been co-opted to the Platform for Girls’ Education — a British-Commonwealth initiative. A word about Baela for the few who don’t know her well enough. She is a dynamic driving force in the education sector who is also the CEO of ITA (Idara-i-Taleem-o-Aagahi), has been a commissioner in the Education Commission (a global initiative seeking inclusive and quality education with innovative and adequate financing) and is the founder of the Children’s Literature Festival that aims at unlocking the power of the child’s mind.
What ails our education system?
What ails education in Pakistan, I ask. She is very clear-headed in her answer. “Pakistan faces a crisis of learning and the problem of 23 million out-of-school children.” I will not quibble about numbers. Even if it is 3m, it is bad enough. The real challenge is to put these children in school and resolve the learning crisis (that in effect means improve the quality of education).
This is a very profound observation. What use is it to put all children in school but teach them nothing? The political and bureaucratic will to achieve this is missing. One must ask why are millions of children not going to school? After all, Article 25-A has made education compulsory and free for all children of five to 16 years of age. It is simply because the schools do not exist for them or their standard of education is so poor that no one wants to go there. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2016-17, there are 164,300 primary schools in the country with 21.6m children on their rolls. Once they complete Grade 5 they try their luck and seek admission in one of the 77,420 middle and secondary schools which accommodate a measly 10.5m students — a whopping dropout rate of 50pc.
This is further accentuated, in the case of girls, by the quadruple discrimination against them on account of gender, poverty, disability and conflict/displacement. For those from the minorities, faith becomes an added factor.
The immediate need is to expand the primary and secondary sectors keeping the ratio in view. This is important because a majority of the out-of-schoolers are girls and the worst sufferers. This programme of upgrading needs to be accelerated. There is no shortage of funds because the budget allocated to education is not even fully utilised. Charity begins at home. Foreign aid follows in normal course.
The other issue — poor learning outcomes — is interlinked. It drives children out of school and instils no motivation in them; it also has a negative impact on the standards of education. I have observed personally how untrained teachers with no motivation themselves fail to create any enthusiasm in the students. Teachers training programmes when undertaken seriously and consistently can make a difference.
Baela also suggests that innovative strategies such as adopting inter-sectoral approaches, the use of new technologies and imaginative teaching methods would not only attract more children to school but also retain them there.
These have been tried in other countries, but at random in Pakistan. They include school lunch programmes, monthly allowances for girls who enrol and health check-ups for all children. They certainly help provide incentives to parents to send their children to school. But they should be consistently implemented. Also it is important that the ‘learning crisis’ should be addressed concurrently by trying innovative teaching methods using new technologies.
But all approaches should be integrated and tried concurrently on an equal priority basis. For instance, providing lunches or snacks to school children without giving them good teachers to enhance their learning outcomes is a waste of educational funds.
Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2018
Comments (16) Closed
very-well written. The highlighted concerns should be addressed.
Couldn't agree with you more Mrs. Zubeida. We Pakistanis are an interesting bunch. We are ahead in everything and behind in everything at the same time. Our emotional talk puts us in league of our own that no nation can match but ground realties put us on back seat of a smokey diesel bus. Really that is what we do, have big talk on the back seat of a dhuain wali bus. We have long ways to go. We should begin somewhere with seriousness.
There is no way forward other than early childhood development and education. And especially there is no way forward without modern education and opening our society up for change. We are not just ruining our land we are ruining our own biological diversity. The population pressures alone will end up choking this country. The way this world works does not forgive or change for anyone, only people who have ever succeed are innovators and scientific thinkers.
At this age of over 80, I remember it properly that the word 'teacher' was not used in schooling then. We used to call them 'master sahib, or sahiba'. They used to not only make us learn the text book lessons, but also check our nails, setting of hair, dress up and even manners to talk and walk. Surprisingly, such other aspects of learning and training which we generally call 'attitudes'. Today, as I observe, the 'attitudinal' part of learning has no place in the curricula. A teacher today merely teaches the text book, minus development of physical, moral, or intellectual part of learning. Further, 'All work and no play makes jack a dull boy' was the rule. Today, with the given automation, modern technology, and phones, the student 'compulsorily' keeps on 'finger printing' ignoring the physical fitness part training. Thus, the student becomes lethargic. He/she has no time, mood or motivation to ask questions, debate issues, or indulge in brain-storming sessions, because the 'teacher' is himself /'herself busy taking selfies. May be I am wrong, but if you ask me verbally how much is 13x6, I would say 78 without going to the calculator! My point is , regretfully the 'brain' is bogged down. Therefore, there is need to think about 'attitudinal' part of training also.
I agree with the author that" Our society is not at all child-centric". If you visit a home everybody talks to everybody, but children are always ignored. They just grow up being ignored and told of what sacrifices patents are doing for them. But that does not mean that parents do not want to educate them. It is the system that need to change to encourage talented children to get the best education.and girls should not be ignored when it comes to education.
you pointed out the very right and primary thing in order to give right direction for the schools of our children's . government really needs to focus on the suggestions which are given in this article,if they are really interested for the education of the children's.
@Shalone "It is the system that need to change to encourage talented children to get the best education.and girls should not be ignored when it comes to education." Talented. That is the starting point to destroy the very purpose of education. The society should not pick the talented ones from the lot to encourage them. It should encourage all the same. Society is bound to assume that they are all talented, and the education system has to be set accordingly. Then we can figure out who needs specialized care. They come in two kinds: the naturally extra talented and the naturally under talented.
Good that you are pointing them now. But isn't it your and people like you, responsibility in the first place. Did you people do your work towards the society fully? Maybe no.
"THE discourse on education in Pakistan has focused invariably on higher education. " You have nailed the real issue, but I wished that you had elaborated on it. Higher education is not education, it is professional apprenticeship for adults, that we have equated with education. We have defined what needs to be produced from these professional institutions, and adapted the education system around it. Our goal for children is not set progressively from Montessori, to primary to secondary and so on, but in regressive direction from CEO of an industry, to engineer to engineering university, to college to finally Montessori. Result is that the purpose of primary education is lost in the quest of professional excellence. The purpose of primary education cannot be to produce potential professionals, that is the starting point of corruption.
"the use of new technologies and imaginative teaching methods would not only attract more children to school but also retain them there." Make the purpose of primary education as simple ad basic as possible. That is to teach how to properly read, write, count, and run (not to run away from school). The simplicity of purpose will encourage teachers to concentrate on goals in a better way, and children to stay. At this moment, we are pushing them to go beyond their natural limit. That push can work with teenagers, not with children who are best when they enjoy.
What ails our education system? You tell me.
@Adam .... "We are ahead in everything and behind in everything at the same time." It might be we think we are ahead in everything when we are actually behind in everything.
What is wrong? Public Education is the job of the public not the job of the government. A people only receive and a people only accomplish what they demand from their government.
What motivates children are library books in the children's section or children's books from the book store, even second hand children's books. Books inspire children to pursue careers.
Yes, our education sector is persistently ignoring the fact that there is a need of high investment in primary education that can be the bud of progressive future. Investment not in the sense that high amount of budget should poured into well-fed workshops and training but at least they can design and implement an organized policy for elementary education. At a moment we are suffering from every dimension, let it not be the future.
well researched and thought provoking article !
very relevant and critical issue