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The many facets of education reforms | Latest news, Breaking news, Pakistan News, World news, business, sport and multimedia | DAWN.COM

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The many facets of education reforms

By Rudina Xhaferri and Khalid Iqbal
November 28th, 2010

Education is not only a basic human right but also critical for the survival and well-being of a nation in the 21st century. Pakistan, with its current population of 175 million, which is projected to grow to 380 million by 2050 (UN, World Population Prospects, 2009) needs an education revolution to meet the needs of its citizens. An effective and successful education revolution will require the participation of all Pakistanis. With more than 68 million children under the age of 15, the country cannot afford to ignore the status of education, and its pressing issues of access and quality. For a developing country, the consequences of not acting today to provide opportunities for its youth can be disastrous for many years to come. Thus, it must become a major concern of all members of society to participate very actively in bringing about a positive change in education (see Time for an education revolution, Dawn Education, Oct 17, 2010). Education, from elementary school to professional and higher education, is the single most important engine that drives progress in the economy, civic life and democracy. Bringing about an education revolution requires drastic changes in the prevailing attitudes toward education management, financing, curricula reforms, academic flexibility, research collaboration, the training of young people in fields that are needed in the local communities and industry, and much more. It also requires a long-term commitment of the stakeholders to make investing in education a priority for the government as well as the community. Such initiatives require the long-term leadership of educationists and visionaries. The newlyestablished Sugra Begum Centre for Education Policy and Development (SuBCEPAD) and Pakistan Education Council (PEC) at the University of Punjab initiated their advocacy activities by organising a three-day international conference on issues, challenges and reforms in education at the Quaid-i-Azam Campus of the University of the Punjab last month. SuBCEPAD will produce undergraduates and graduates in education policy and development and will supply policy-makers and educators with much-needed research, data and new approaches on how to improve the status of education in Pakistan. PEC will use the information provided by SuBCEPAD to increase public awareness through activities such as an annual national education forum, other platforms and scholarly publications to voice new ideas and brainstorm the best approaches and policies to improve education. The third International Conference on Education Issues, challenges and reforms served as the first national and international forum for all educationists, policy makers, faculty and students of education and sciences that made public the most important and pressing issues that education is facing in Pakistan. A comprehensive approach An effective reform of the education system in Pakistan requires a drastic bottom-up approach; without the improvement of colleges it will be very difficult to improve the quality of university graduates, and without improving the quality of learning at the high school and even elementary level, college preparation is very limited. At present, education at all levels in Pakistan suffers from severe issues ranging from a substandard quality of teaching, a lack of resources and poor financial management. Administrative and financial decisions are often MULTIMEDIA
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blocked in a gridlock between the district governments on one hand and the provincial education departments on the other. Thus, no comprehensive reform or education revolution will be successful if the proposed solutions do not take into account all levels of education and apply across-the-board. Numbers don`t lie The students` lack of opportunities to get a quality education translates to a missed opportunity to alleviate poverty through economic growth and development. The United Nations has projected that by 2050 Pakistan`s population will double to about 380 million, with the projected workforce at approximately 221 million people. The government must increase spending on education by several folds from the current less than two per cent of GDP, to at least four per cent by 2020. For a realistic approach, Sartaj Aziz, the former finance minister and the current rector at Beaconhouse National University suggested in his keynote address that budget planning must have specific and attainable goals for the next five years, increased gradually each year instead of planning unrealistically large allocations for a longer-term period. While having an ambitious goal for the next 10 years is desirable, it becomes very difficult to project that goal in attainable terms each year. By planning on shorter timelines with more realistic goals, both federal and local governments are better focused and dedicated to allocate the assigned percentage of funds for education and deliver it on time. It is crucial for Pakistan to tackle the issue of education funding before it becomes a problem that cannot be controlled. Right now, there is a unique opportunity to invest in human capital by providing adequate education and skills to the emerging workforce and translating a current weakness into a point of strength (see Tailor-made education, Dawn Education, Feb 24, 2008). In addition to increased government funding, educational institutions and everyone in the community must get involved to support efforts for saving the education system and the future of the country. Ways to increase funding include tapping into the alumni resources of education institutions, establishing endowment funds both for institutions and to support scholarships for needy students, community involvement and contributions to education through fundraising public campaigns. For these methods to be effective, it is vital to get the word out about the nationwide need to assist education. Student-teacher mandatory service The young demographic of Pakistan, where about 40 per cent of the population is under the age of 15, translates into about 70 million children that need an education and professional training. To have a better planning approach for the expected number of children, a base line of the population increase must be calculated and to it a 10 per cent growth above the base line should be added. This number of children must be accommodated in the existing school system, by maximizing both human and physical resources. The colossal job to educate young children with limited resources and secure a future for them and the country can be addressed in several ways. One very effective approach to address this urgent need is by introducing one to two semesters of teaching school children as a requirement for undergraduate and graduate degrees. For this teaching period the tuition fees of the college/university students could be waived. The rotating number of students who are trained to teach before graduation will provide a great temporary human resource to schools. At the same time, it may interest many students to take up teaching as a career. Thus, this mandatory programme will serve as a community service while addressing the urgent need for more teachers and provide children with the newest teaching methods. Tapping into existing resources Improving the quality of education is as urgent and necessary as it is to improve its access to the vast number of children waiting to be educated. Existing human and physical resources must be tapped to ensure that regular collaboration among professionals and institutions through joint research programmes take place. Even when no research programme is taking place in such institutions, it is a missed opportunity for the overall academic structure. One approach to encourage this culture is that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and other funding agencies practice a policy that requires both intra- and inter-institutional collaboration as a requirement for grant awardees. A new category of grants called collaboration grants may be established. Such grants could

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also include those where a graduate student would spend 6-12 months in another appropriate institution in Pakistan or abroad to carry out one or more research aims of his/her dissertation. Such a grant programme could also include short working visits of an expert to a grant awardee`s lab. Mandatory teacher training No education revolution can be successful without first enhancing the quality of teachers. Without quality faculty no real improvements will take place. Programmes such as the National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (NACTE), an autonomous body established by the HEC to accredit all teacher education programmes offered in the public and private sector institutions in the country, and Pre-STEP training to improve the quality of basic education teaching are encouraging initial steps. Prof Dr Mahmood Ul Hassan Butt, Chief of Party, Pre-STEP emphasised on, in his keynote address at the international education conference, the importance of training teachers starting at the basic levels. Thus, Pre-STEP has introduced the Elementary Associate Degree, a two-year programme, and the Bachelor of Education (Honors) a four-year programme, both approved by HEC for teachers of basic education initially in 15 universities across the country in efforts to improve the quality and skills of teachers. As per government decision, after 2018 no teacher will be inducted unless he/she has the required qualification of B.Ed four years programme after 12 years of schooling. In addition to improving teaching at basic levels, continuous programmes must train teachers at all levels. It is especially important that all faculty members should undergo training in new teaching methods. Additionally, meritorious faculty must be rewarded accordingly when results are produced. Delegating responsibility The task of collaboration and cooperation is not only an inter-institution opportunity, but may be most importantly an intra-institution pursuit. In addition to introspective examination and finding ways to share resources, institutions and everyone in academia and administration must look at other ways of increasing efficiency. By delegating tasks to graduate students and staff assistants, the academics and administrators can do more, do it more effectively and, at the same time, empower the delegates with ownership and responsibility. Community service A major source of untapped opportunities is the lack of community service and internships for students. Community service ensures that students receive civic education and responsibility in their formal education by taking over tasks that are tangible and improve their community. It becomes an essential part of their training to have hands-on education as well as to see the power that their ideas can have in real life when put in practice. Stronger involvement in the community means more opportunities for students and faculty to come up with inventive, effective ways to solve problems. Currently, most educational institutions are ignoring this part of training while there is an overwhelming need both for improving the quality of learning though practice, as opposed to only theory, and many communities in need of assistance. Teaching science to children Another approach to improve the quality of education to children is by employing scientific experiments and practical work as opposed to working only from texts. It is very important for students to actually participate, experiment and become familiar with their study materials if they are required to be proficient. Teachers must change the rotelearning teaching methods and find innovative ways to make teaching a more active, participatory and real-life related subject. Only then can they ask for critical thinking and innovative ideas from their students. Meeting of the minds The crisis of education cannot be solved by any magical formula. It requires sustained, effective, and pro-active action from everyone involved. The quality of learning needs to be improved by providing continuous training to all teachers, introducing teaching methods that emphasise critical and creative thinking, and increase the support to education institutions by expanding their resources. In addition, education must become available to as many students as possible for the country to be able to develop its human resources and be competitive in

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the 21st century. It should be a platform free of political influences, a learning environment where students feel free to gain knowledge and express their ideas freely. The writers work for the Promotion of Education in Pakistan Foundation, Inc., USA. info@pepfoundation.org
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