KARACHI, Oct 15: There is a need to revise the examination system and to introduce career counselling in secondary schools. This was stated by speakers at a seminar held under the auspices of the Hamdard Foundation Pakistan here on Friday. The theme of the moot was "difficulties in acquiring education - admission, fees and examinations".

It was chaired by the former provincial ombudsman, Justice Haziqul Khairi. Justice Khairi stressed the need for improving the education system in a way that youngsters acquiring education face no difficulties either in acquire knowledge or determining their career in future.

President of the Hamdard Pakistan Sadia Rashid was of the view that there should be some system in secondary schools to guide students of matriculation according to their aptitude and talent.

She said at this stage youngsters are not able to assess their abilities how to choose the right field in future. Ms Sadia believed that in many of the cases youngsters do BA or MA and then face difficulties in obtaining suitable jobs. This, she said, results in economic loss to students and their talent is affected. She was of the view that the prevailing system of examination was outdated and had failed to promote mental abilities of students.

She stressed that the system be revised and be made in accordance with our present-day needs. She was also critical of coaching centres, which, she said, were disturbing the very purpose of education.

Professor Hakim Abdul Hannan was of the view that self-financing in education was creating more problems for educational institutions and damaging the cause of merit.

He suggested that educational institutions should adopt other ways to generate money instead of self-financing. Hakim Syed Zillur Rehman said unless primary education was improved, good students could not be made available for higher education.

It was pointed out that the Aligarh Muslim University prepares students from primary and secondary level and has set up institutions for primary and secondary education. It was further stated that Hakim Mohammad Said did the same at the Hamdard university.

Prof. Afaq Siddiqui was of view that aptitude test be made compulsory for higher education as it would minimize the problem of shortage of seats in professional colleges.

Dr. Nazar Kamrani said that government should concentrate on primary education and try to give relief to students in fee. Haq Nawaz Akhtar said that primary education was the corner-stone of any nation's progress.

Our full attention is on higher education and we neglected primary education. Moreover, we gave preference to quantity and not to quality, which was more important, and furthermore our contradictive decisions on tuition fees made the situation more complicated.

He suggested that an endowment for students' education loan be established and parent-teacher associations be formed in every educational institution. Qutubuddin Aziz said there were 40,0000 ghost schools in Sindh only which have spoiled the whole education system.

"Either these schools be corrected or abolished and new schools be set up in lieu of them," he demanded. Syed Mustafa Ali Barelvi was of the view unless Urdu is made medium of instruction and feudalism is rendered null and void, no progress in literacy and development of the country could be achieved.

Dr Syed Amjad Ali Jaffery, Islamuddin Aga, Idrees Meenai, Begam Meenai, Mohammad Saeed Siddqui, Dr Naeem Qureshi and Dr Mirza Arshad Ali Beg also spoke. -APP/PPI