The new education minister, Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, has invited public comments on the national education policy. The draft of the policy document can be found here.
It is hoped that we will have a fruitful discussion on this issue and ideas for improvement in the national education policy here at Pakistaniat, possibly leading some of the participants to even give some valuable suggestions to the education ministry.
I hope to read the document in the coming days, but in the mean time, here are some general thoughts on how we should approach such issues.
We would love to have instant reform, which unfortunately is not possible. Our suggestions and criticism should be made while keeping this basic reality in mind. We can however break down reforms into short and long-term ones and see what can realistically be achieved over what time frame.
Secondly, there is absolutely no denying that funding is important, but the utilization of existing funds is also equally important. We have a tendency to overemphasize the shortage of money and use it as a convenient excuse for a lack of serious effort for institution building and the failure to make proper use of available resources. As a general rule, we should always be weary of overly steep increases in funding. Too much money going in too fast, though good for making impressive news headlines for the concerned ministry, can often lead to more corruption and institutional decay instead of bringing about a genuine improvement.
So while the education budget certainly needs to be increased to at least 4% of GDP as soon as possible, it must not be forgotten that such an increase by itself will not lead to much improvement if there is no prior ground work for ensuring that the extra money will not just be wasted away through corruption and inefficiency. And such ground work will inevitably require a bit of slowing down and setting achievable targets instead of unrealistic ones.
A somewhat related concern relates to how we see ‘big picture’ ideas as opposed to apparently smaller and basic things that are not even very hard to implement, but can make a significant impact. Both are very important, but we sometimes grossly underestimate and dismiss the simpler, but less grand ideas by saying that they do not ‘address the big picture’ or some other such ridiculous criticism. In the end, the ‘fundamental paradigm shift’ or ‘revolution’ does not materialize, but we also forego the smaller and incremental but more achievable improvements that can accumulate into something substantial over time.
Lastly, a good education policy should produce socially aware individuals and not just money making robots. We need people who can have the sense to start thinking ahead before an economic bubble bursts, before the severity of an energy crisis hits them right in the face and before a food shortage leads to a famine or violent riots and are willing to make compromises to their personal lifestyles and start agitating for badly needed policy reforms for their own selves if not out of any concern for the society.
References:
1. Ministry of Education, Pakistan
2. Photos for this post are from flickr.com
I want to draw the attention of Dr.Atta-Ur-Rehman via this forum towards the half said higher education policy of Pakistan. Sending 5000 pakistani intellectual brains in next five years to different developing countries for doctoral and post doctoral studies or exposures may not bring development to Pakistan. Pakistan Higher education policy requires design tsome foreseeing policy articles to benefit from this investment. My argument is that the current higher education policies in some casesare half said and the rest half is required to be added. I have an intention to contribute in this arena if required (by some authentic resources). Good luck to Pakistan and its development policies…
Re: Saraiki Organizations
Language is the most contentious issue in third world education policies. It must be addressed leaving aside any biases, solely in national interest. If my understanding is correct, the sequence English/Urdu/Regional Language is congruent to Lingua Franca/National Language/Regional Language. We are going through a revolutionary age of information and it is vital that we accept the ground realities. What this means is that our children must be able to communicate globaly, nationaly, and localy. It does not mean that we, in any way, compromise our cultural heritages in the persuit of this objective.
One of the possibilities that can be looked into, solely to reduce the burden on both the child and the system, is to merge the Lingua Franca and the National Language. It may seem politically preposterous, but keeping in mind the objective of nation building, it is not unthinkable.
Religion is an important part of our culture too. I find it interesting that religion has been reduced to a debit credit system in Pakistani society. The word Debit is ‘Gunah’ (sin) and Credit is ‘Sawab’ (blessing). It has become a numbers game. One of the reasons, that I believe, is lack of understanding of the Arabic language itself and dependence on third party interpretations which mostly results in abuse and misguidedness. Recitation without understanding is widely accepted, which may satisfy a spiritual need, but definitely lacks the purpose of Learning which is hugely emphasised at all levels in Islam. The same goes for people of other beliefs. Children of other belief systems must be given the same opportunity. I endorse secular concept in governance which is both just and fair to all citizens regardless of their race, creed, or religion and must recognize and respect their human rights in every respect.
Thus the sequence becomes Regional Language/Religious Language/Lingua Franca. I have reversed the order simply to emphasis the fact that the child must start with its own language and then graduate into religious and global languages. It is upto experts to determine the age and level of introduction.
God bless us all!!
I want to share some points
1. After 60 years we could not have a long term education policy
2. It changes with the change of government
3. No security for it (Any single person can change it without seeing its future effects,atleast with the permision of parliment)
4. Every student, every educated person have the responsibility to struggle for the protection of the educational system.
5. Real solution is to make a good education Policy and than its protection and implementation in real means.
THE COMMENT AND THE SUGGESTIONS
1. The Siraiki speaking people have great love for their language as for all the languages of Pakistan. After successful struggle for official recognition of their language—Siraiki is taught in the Siraiki Departments of the two Universities of Bahawalpur and Multan, is recognized for the Academy award by the Pakistan Academy of Letters, is broadcast / telecast by the area stations of Radio Pakistan and PTV—the Siraiki people now demand ‘proper language planning’ of their language in education sector. ‘Language planning’ is a task which is performed by governments. It was the great will of the Siraiki people of Pakistan and the great energy of their language activists Siraiki has achieved a degree of ‘language planning’ in terms of script, linguistics, literature and publications without the any support from the Department of education and the Government.
2. We suggest and we demand following changes in the Draft education policy:
A: The Draft prepared by the previous government does not deserve a hasty passage by the present Democratic government as this has some serious flaws, one being its obsession for English language. The examples of adherence to ‘mother tongue’ by the technologically advance nations like Chinese and Japanese, and that of fast developing Arab nations and the Malaysians prove that language policy of Pakistan has been set on wrong direction. We need not follow the model of few long-slaved African nations.
B: The clause 3 and the clause 4 of the Policy Action under 5.5 read as;
3. The curriculum from Class I onward shall include English (as a subject), Urdu,
one regional language, mathematics along with an integrated subject.
4. The Provincial and Area Education Departments shall have the choice to select
the medium of instruction up to Class V.
The above insertions show that the Draft suffers from the same old ‘indecisiveness’ on the issue of language and education.
C: We suggest that: (i) The principal of ‘Early education in mother tongue’ be
regarded as matter of Child’s right and a way of freeing early education rom cultural alienation. Implementation of this rule be made compulsory for all without any dichotomy or trichotomy of English / Urdu / Regional langue.
D. There should be clear indication about language teaching as subject and as medium of instruction.
E. English should have status of subject compulsory after class 3, and never as that of medium of instruction except for graduate level studies and and research.
F. Urdu should be medium of instruction only where it is the first language of more than 50% of the children enrolled in a school. This should be taught as subject after class 3 in rest of the areas.
G. The Text book boards for Primary education should be decentralized at the District level where the syllabus be prepared by local educationists in ‘mother tongues’ of the children according to a skeleton, or outline will be provided by the Centre / the Ministry(ies) of education.
H. The policy should not be based on the conclusions drawn by the National Education Assessment System as the same is known as largely flawed. A more exhaustive consultation is required to full participation of writers and the so called ‘language-activists’ who are the real ‘Corpus planners’ of their respective languages. This will also work as means to achieving national agreement on plurality.
Dr. Ahsan Wagha
(on the behalf of the writers and intellectuals of Siraiki language)
I think this discussion should be linked to the discussion on libraries going elsewhere on this blog. Libraries and their development should also be integral part of the education policy.
Glad that the topic is bit back on track after that over-emphasis on the IIT model. Well i would give some suggestions briefly, being a student i would prefer to state the ’student’s views’
1. At all levels of examination the traditional essay type questions must be abolished. The short questions and MCQs are a tool of opening new horizons and some ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking.
However, it is essential that those short questions not be handed over to the old-fashioned guru’s of education…..they simply can’t think NEW!
2. Let’s not jump blindfoldedly to a single education system. The first step to bring uniformity could be to make it compulsory for all students all over da country to take some standard board exams. Moreoever all the boards must be combined under a single umbrella to bring homogenity in all country.
3. After the 8th grade students must be allowed to take any subject combinations according to their choice of career and not to stack them with extra non related subjects!
4. What our country need is a lot of consultation. A STUDENT BODY must be formed to get feedback from the students regarding their curricula. Afterall its students who suffer, and still they are denied their chance to voice their opinion. The middle aged men can not simply think from the student’s point of view!
5. Software competitions, science contests, exhibitions etc must be held throughout they country for students below 8th grade too. Such events would open the mind of students.
6. All the professional careers must be given due respect so that whole point of our higher studies are not for being an engineer, doctor or an economist! We need professionals in all fields and students must be made to feel this!
Thank you Aqil Sajjad for posting this article and opening a debate on an issue that is so crucial.
I can see that the comentators have immediately jumped on the one thing that is quite obvious, and that is, “if we can’t do something right ourselves, why not borrow it from someone else?” It is quite understandable and logical too. Why bother reinventing the wheel when others have already done it.
I wish it was as simple as that. After going through the whole Education Policy document, I must admit that I was not aware of the dynamics that are in play in our multi-cultural society and the peril that we are in today. Although the document simply touches those aspects, but the mere mention of the problems that the planners are facing, gives a clue as to the magnitude of the issues. I wish it was as simple as some comentators have tried to suggest.
The document recognizes the fact that one of the ‘real’ problems is the lack of commitment to the policy goal itself. Here is the reason why, and I quote: “The prevailing objective (of the education system) was service to the administration rather than service to the sutdents and learners. this assessment is echoed by the Economist Intelligence Unit assessment in its latest review of education, in which it observes that ‘Pakistan’s education system is among the most deficient and backward in Asia, reflecting the traditional determination of feudal ruling elite to preserve its hegemony’ ” (Page 17, article 75).
Now here is the million dollar question. How can you expect a government, or the ruling elite (is it 50 families now???) that is predominantly composed of feudals, to actually implement the policy in its true spirit? Isn’t it an oxymoron? I’m sure the previous policy documents also recognized the problems and provided policy actions to remedy those. My friends, it is the will that is absent, the political will. Furthermore, I could not find adequate emphasis on accountability. I wish it was at all levels, right from top to bottom. Mr. Ahsan Iqbal could start by writing his own resignation dating it January 1, 2010, and put it in his draw, in case he is unable to have a new Education Policy passed and initiate its implementation by then.
So, response to our honorable minister is that, you have a great policy document and if half of what is proposed in the document is fulfilled, we will see results. I would advise him to have a meeting with the actual parties, meaning the feudals, and pose a simple question; “Will you let me apply this document or not?” But then, probably Mr. Iqbal is simply making us feel good that the ministry is trying to engage Pakistani citizens in this dialogue for a viable solution. I remember his days when he was the Chief Coordinator/Minister of State, Pakistan Program 2010 (1997 - 1999). God only knows what happened to those ambitious targets of Program 2010. Why do I feel that we’ve been taken for a ride, right from the very beginning?
The document does recognize that there has been significant progress during 2001 - 2005 but still falls far behind other countries in the region. That gives us some hope that some headway is being made. So, in that spirit, I can only hope and pray that Mr. Ahsan Iqbal is able to get this policy document both approved and implemented in its true spirit. He will have at least one Pakistani’s support.
God bless all!!
@Anil
I respect and value the comments you have posted.Indeed there is no harm in learning from the Indian education system and what could be shared from it must be shared.
I know you got rid of GCSE in India and that was another wise thing to do.Indeed London Univ.must have got a huge setback from that delinkage.Good for you and good for India.