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Education sector: a challenge for govt
Islamabad, Feb 28, 2008: When
one thinks of newly installed government, as a result of general elections in
the country, different queries start racing through one's mind with regard to
its priorities for national prosperity. When it comes to education sector, the
government has to resolve many pending issues after coming into power.
True,
in case of current run-up era for most likely PPP-led government as to how it
will deal with the country's education sector, which unfortunately, in past
governments, was grouped under lesser priority areas' category. There is high
time, the government enjoying mandate from masses learnt from the mistakes and
implement the positive shelved steps of the erstwhile regime owing to political
expediency or any other by channelizing its efforts for the neglected areas in
education sector, in more effective manner.
Its also important to mention
here that all the major political parities have signed a joint declaration on
February 5 committing themselves to increase the education budget to four
percent of GDP and resolved to attain "Education For All" goals after coming
into power.
The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and
Transparency (PILDAT) and United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO) had prepared the declaration to develop a consensus on
strategies for the achievements of targets of education in
Pakistan.
Budgetary allocations to education remained around barely 2.07 per
cent of the GDP, if we go through statistics from 2000-01 to 2004-05, while in
2007-2008 the sector was allocated 6,509 million, which did not correspond with
the government's tall claims of high allocations for promotion of education in
the country.
Moreover, the issue of proper or complete utilisation of funds
has always been a major concern, for two reasons at least, either education
officers failed to do spade work for proper and full utilisation of funds or
they were not capable enough to ensure complete utilisation of allocations with
dexterity.
And the education department rated the third most corrupt
department of the country according to the report of Transparency International
2007(International Watchdog). The policy makers overlooked the apathy or
incapability of officers in question and did not chalk out any comprehensive
plan to hone their skills for effective utilisation of funds through holding
enough capacity building workshops neither at federal nor local
level
Teachers who are regarded as crucial agent in shaping the students'
personality for future role of leadership for the nation's service, had also
been failed to move the governments and their cries fell flat on them.
If the
status quo is not broken and is allowed to go the same pattern, then it is a
foregone conclusion that much-trumpeted reforms, especially in education
syllabus by the previous governments would prove as futile exercise.
The past
governments' arbitrary decisions such as exclusion of teachers' representatives
at decision-making process or stakeholders like provinces in no way served the
cause of quality education. The bitter reality, thus, the nation witnessed in
the guise of sporadic protests of teachers, across the country.
Thus the
government should take all the beneficiaries or stakeholders well on board to do
any legislation or introduce reforms in the sector. The government had to
succumb to the pressures and reservations of the provinces by reverting to
holding separate exams for Class 9 and 10, substantiating the fact that it did
not take provinces into confidence, adequately.
Moreover, one can
conveniently say that implementation of revised- curriculum from this year was
also result of the same factor that the previous government could not succeed to
forge consensus over enforcement the curriculum in educational institutions
during its era of five years. Similarly, the revised national education policy,
envisaging goals in education sector is yet to be approved by the cabinet, thus,
there is a need to create consents over the draft if this the reason, at all,
for its delay at the earliest.
The new government should take immediate
notice of growing drop out rate in the country and accelerate pace of work on
provision of missing facilities to educational institutions to tackle the issue
effectively. Presently, only two districts are selected in each province to
provide these facilities with technical support of army engineers to educational
institutions. The Nation
Education policy finalised
Islamabad: The revised draft of National Education Policy has been
finalised and will be presented to next cabinet for approval, at the
earliest.
"Having perused education policies enforced in other countries
of the region, the guidelines in the policy were revised with consensus of all
stakeholders to make it more receptive to contemporary trends and address future
challenges," Joint Education Advisor, Dr Fayyaz Ahmed who is also spokesperson
of the Education Ministry told APP Wednesday.
Referring to delay in
finalising the policy, the spokesperson said, "it is very difficult task to
create consensus over some move, I tell you, anyhow rigorous stage is over now
with success."
He said the newly-revised syllabus, which would be updated
after every five year, would be implemented from this every and quality
textbooks were being prepared to make full use of it, he added.
Replying
to a question, he said about 500 registered madaris had asked for funds
according to their requirements like establishing computer labs, hiring teachers
for science subjects etc. The News
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