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
AA,
In my point of view I think that the biggest problem is the uneven distribution of this service. There are many areas where the children do not even have access to basic education. So as a priority I guess we should introduce public schools in most of the villages, which should offer till secondary school. After that the students should be capable to join the mainstream education for higher schooling such as O/A Level or Fsc.
The second step should be that, all those who cannot afford schooling should be provided free books or at least, make a library from which they can borrow and study from it. They should be provided free education at least till the secondary stage so that their parents can collect money till then for their higher education.
It is essential to have a basic curriculum which should be practiced in all schools. The govt should make use of all high qualified teachers from both private and public schools to get together to make the curriculum till class 8 which should be practiced everywhere around pakistan. I know Beaconhouse has been very efficient in this regard with competent people working there and designing a curriculum, the govt can ask for their help.
Lastly I propose that all the students, should be applicable for student loan. A team can be set up to review all those who should be granted this loan and are eligible for it, and should customize for the ones really in need to choose the specific way and time to pay it all back. Contributions from the local public can be made to raise these funds to provide them the loan along with govt subsidiaries.
But it has to be made sure that none of this is used to cater only specific class or group or the ethnic majority. Or the minorities will suffer and so will the poor, which is the main focus here. A specific qualified team should be made to check that all the decisions made are being implemented, so that there is no corruption. They should also be highly paid so that bribery is not an issue.
I see that everyone has been very active in arguing about issues of IIT etc but in my point of view I think that we are thinking way ahead and should focus on the basic education for the time being. As educated pakistani individuals we should focus on how can we contribute? which can be either financially or by providing our knowledge and teaching it to others.
Delink religion from academics”
Could be justified if some other religion books were being discussed but when it’s about Quran which said 14,000+ years ago that :
And it is We Who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We Who are steadily expanding it. (Quran, 51:47)
which discovered by Hubble in last century and then:
He Who created the seven heavens in layers. You will not find any discrepancy in the creation of the All-Merciful. Look again-do you see any gaps? Then look again and again. Your sight will return to you dazzled and exhausted! (Qur’an, 67:3-4)
so then it’s necessary to read and RESEARCH Quranic verses by Muslims as well and read religion. Right now non-Muslims have been researching Quran rather than Muslims who are more busy to find ways to eliminate Quran from their lives.
I think u understood the difference between H1 visa and students visa
in 2007:
80% of H1 visa holders were indians
and indian top 5 software firms comprised 75 % of the H1 visa
Regarding Students !!
probably 1 lak students will be moving to USA to do MS/MBA in 2008
http://www.fulbright-india.org/Scripts/StudyinUSAM oreonAdvisingInformationforMedia.aspx
“Indian students constituted the largest group of international students in the U.S. in 2006-07 for the sixth consecutive year, according to Open Doors 2007. The number of Indian students enrolled in U.S. institutions rose to 83,833, a 10% increase over the previous year.”
“Open Doors 2007 reports increased Indian enrollments by both graduate and “other” students. In 2006-07, 71% of the Indian students in the U.S. pursued Masters and Ph.D. studies, as the vast majority of Indian students have over the years. Graduate student enrollment grew nearly 6% from 56,397 in 2005-06 to 59,521 in 2006-07. The surprising news is the nearly 48% growth in the “other student” category, from 7,380 in 2005-06 to 10,898 in 2006-07. “Other” includes students and professionals applying to non-degree programs. Short-term courses for executives and technicians fall within this category.”
“The number of Indian students enrolling at the bachelor’s level, over 12,500, continues to be substantial. Those students seek a foundation in both critical thinking and practical application of learning that is characteristic of American undergraduate education. India’s huge youth population, estimated at 315 million between the ages of 10 and 24, creates and will continue to create a large demand for higher education. The U.S., with over 4,000 accredited institutions of higher learning, has the capacity to offer access to high quality education to students in a broad range of fields.”
“Indian students at U.S. colleges and universities enjoy rigorous academic study, vibrant cultural life on an American campus, and opportunities to practically apply their learning in industry and in the community.”
“Employers in India have stressed the importance of a workforce equipped with adequate technical, teamwork and communications skills. Indian families know that American education provides these skills and the confidence needed to succeed.”
“Indian students interested in study in the U.S. can find the resources to do so through scholarships, educational loans, campus jobs and family funds. The robust economy gives students confidence that the investment in education will be worthwhile.”
“U.S. Educational Foundation in India (USEFI) is delighted to see the 20% increase over the prior year in the number of U.S. students coming to study in India, according to the report in Open Doors 2007. The “New India” offers many important opportunities for study of contemporary development, environment, and the economy. These fields complement the steady interest in India’s multi-religious, multi-cultural democracy and rich history. USEFI sees increasing numbers of U.S. business schools bringing students to India to expose their students to the global business activity in the IT sector. USEFI is working with study abroad providers to attract even more American students to India in years to come.”
Jane E. Schukoske
Executive Director
U.S. Educational Foundation in India
jschukoske@fulbright-india.org
@Mus
http://indiablogs.searchindia.com/2008/04/08/us-jo b-killer-h1-b-visa-reaches-cap-for-fiscal-2009/
“”While Microsoft, Intel, Google and other technology companies are lobbying to increase H1B Visa quota, Senators Dick Durbin and Charles Grassley have been relentless in their efforts to fix the loopholes in the program.
According to Senator Grassley, eight of the top 10 visa recipients in 2007 are based in India.”"
@MUS
H1 Visa is for workers and engineers !!
75% of H1 visa ,ie 450000+ out of 650000 is from india
do a google search and u ll get the links
And students who go to US to do MS dont need H1 visa
and 80000+students do MS/MBA from usa yearly
i meant. Abdus sattar who got the nobel prize!!
i am not talking about some social worker
and abdus satter couldnt help pakistan bcoz was not even true muslim in eyes of ur country!
@ your title ” Minister seeks input for Pakistan’s
National education Policy ”
Perhaps another condemned maneuver to have
colonial “Babus” and which will never bring any
” output ” for Pakistaniat !!
I wonder why the discussion is mainly all aout technology and related subjects????? Is it the core of any education policy? I also think that comments about ideology driven education policy are attempting to over simplify the a much deeper issues. Development of national character and nation building is a common education policy objective all over the world and thats why French are so touchy of being French despite they are part of EU and Swiss people are Swiss despite they speak French. Just one example…There are so many others. No education policy can and should oeparte in a socio-cultural and religious vacume and same is trure about it. However, the crucial aspect is to see how it is going be managed to a reasonable extent. So I would again submit that we should recognize the realities and the suggest some thing instead of just saying that studnets should not be exposed to any kind of ideological stuff. They should but in a comparative and critical fashion.
Hey that’s a good sign.
How about an enetgy and water policy. These kids neat to eat and drink…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24127215/
Melting mountains called a water ‘time bomb’
From U.S. to Afghanistan, climate is changing what millions rely on
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Jub aksJournal/WhyOilCouldHit180DollarsABarrel.aspx
Why oil could hit $180 a barrel
Just when crude is becoming more costly to extract and process, producers in three key countries are short of cash. And without that money, recent finds won’t do much good.