UNIT - 9

PROBLEMS AND ISSUES OF

Written by: Dr. Sidra Rizwan

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 CONTENTS
Introduction 351
Objectives 351
9.1 Female Education 352
9.1.1 Gender roles in Pakistan 352
9.1.2 Importance of female education 352
9.1.3 Rural vs. Urban 353
9.1.4 Role of government in female education 354
9.2 Dropout 355
9.2.1 Dropout rate increases dramatically after primary schooling 355
9.3 Curriculum 357
9.3.1 Factor Effecting Curriculum Development in Pakistan 357
9.4 Health and Family Education 359
9.4.1 Family Life Education during Childhood 359
9.4.2 The Challenges of Teaching HFLE 360
9.5 Examination System 362
9.5.1 Exam Analysis Report 363
9.6 Private Schools 364
9.6.1 Medium of Instruction 366
9.7 Teacher Training 368
9.7.1 Teacher Training Through Distance Education 370
9.7.2 In-service Training Programme 371
Activity 373
Self-Assessment 373
References 374

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 INTRODUCTION
Elementary education is typically the first stage of compulsory education,
coming between early childhood education and secondary education.
According to the Constitution of Pakistan it is mandatory for the government to
provide free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 5-16 years and
enhance adult literacy. With the 18th constitutional amendment the concurrent list which
comprised of 47 subjects was abolished and these subjects, including education, were
transferred to federating units as a move towards provincial autonomy.
The year 2015 was important in the context that it marked the deadline for the
participants of Dakar declaration (Education for All [EFA] commitment) including
Pakistan. Education related statistics coupled with Pakistan’s progress regarding
education targets set in Vision 2030. Pakistan is lagging behind in achieving EFA targets
and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This calls for an analysis of the
education system of Pakistan for the investigation of the issues and problems being faced
so that workable solutions could be recommended.

OBJECTIVES
After studying this unit the prospective teachers will be able to:
1. understand the importance of female education and reasons for dropout at
elementary level.
2. identify the factors which affect the development of curriculum in Pakistan.
3. describe the significance of health and family life education at different levels of
schooling and challenges faced by the teachers.
4. analyze the examination system in Pakistan and suggest measures for its
improvement.
5. discuss the role of public and private sector in imparting elementary education in
the country.
6. acknowledge the role of distance education system in providing teacher training
facilities all over Pakistan.

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 9.1 FEMALE EDUCATION
Having an education is a fundamental right of every citizen, but gender
discrepancies still exist in the educational sector. According to the 2011 Human
Development Report of the United Nations Development Program, approximately twice
as many males as females receive a secondary education in Pakistan, and public
expenditures on education amount to only 2.7% of the GDP of the country.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_education_in_Pakistan)
9.1.1 Gender roles in Pakistan
Patriarchal values heavily govern the social structure in Pakistani society.
Specifically, a woman is expected to take care of the home as wife and mother, whereas
the male dominates outside the home as a breadwinner. Men and women are conceptually
segregated into two distinct worlds. The household resources are allocated in the favor of
sons due to their role in society outside the home. Therefore, education for boys is
prioritized over girls, because it is perceived that boys must be equipped with educational
skills to compete for resources in the public arena; while girls have to specialize in
domestic skills to be good mothers and wives. Hence, education is not perceived as being
important for girls.
This gender division of labor has been internalized by the society, and girls do
not have many choices for themselves that could change these patriarchal realities of their
lives. Society does not allow girls to develop their human capabilities by precluding them
from acquiring education. Lack of emphasis on the importance of women's education is
one of the cardinal features of gender inequality in Pakistan. The Human Development
Report (HDR) listed Pakistan in the category of "low human development" countries with
a female literacy rate of thirty percent, and Pakistan has ranked 145 in the world in terms
of human development.
9.1.2 Importance of female education
Education has been of central significance to the development of human society.
It can be the beginning, not only of individual knowledge, information and awareness,
but also a holistic strategy for development and change. Education is very much
connected to women's ability to form social relationships on the basis of equality with
others and to achieve the important social good of self-respect. It is important, as well,
to mobility (through access to jobs and the political process) and to health and life
(through the connection to bodily integrity). Education can allow women to participate in
politics so they can ensure that their voices and concerns are heard and addressed in the
public policy. It is also crucial for women's access to the legal system. Although it must
be considered that religion and traditions of the Pakistani affect women's education.
Some women may choose to keep the traditional roles because that is what they have
always known and are used to. It would be a great opportunity if women were able to
make their choice on their own, though. They should at least have the knowledge of both
sides to be educated or to stay with the traditional ways.
Education is a critical input in human resource development and essential for the
country's economic growth. It increases the productivity and efficiency of individuals,
and it produces a skilled labor force that is capable of leading the economy towards
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sustainable growth and prosperity. The progress and wellbeing of a country largely
depends on the education choices made available to its people. It can be one of the most
powerful instruments of change. It can help a country to achieve its national goals via
producing minds imbued with knowledge, skills, and competencies to shape its future
destiny. The widespread recognition of this fact has created awareness on the need to
focus upon literacy and elementary education, not simply as a matter of social justice but
more to foster economic growth, social well-being, and social stability. Women's
education is so inextricably linked with the other facets of human development that to
make it a priority is to also make change on a range of other fronts; from the health and
status of women to early childhood care; from nutrition, water and sanitation to
community empowerment; from the reduction of child labor and other forms of
exploitation to the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
9.1.3 Rural vs. Urban
In year 2006, the literacy rate in urban areas was recorded 58.3% while in rural
areas it was 28.3%, and only 12% among rural women. An interesting factor in this
context is that female enrollment was recorded highest at the primary level, but it
progressively decreases at the secondary, college and tertiary levels. It was estimated that
less than 3% of the 17–23 age group of girls have access to higher education.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_education_in_Pakistan)
The number of women who attend school in urban areas vs. rural areas differs
drastically. In urban areas women education is increasing every day. The parents of girls
in urban areas have more acceptance for their education and even encourage girls to
pursue a career they are also a lot more aware of their rights. This makes them a lot more
motivated to stand up for their education. These urban parents acknowledge the
importance of education. Women who live in urban areas are often enrolled in private
schools getting a better education there as they have a lot more educational
accessibilities. Women in urban areas are also surrounded by people who are educated
and are not put down or beaten for going to school. Unlike in urban areas, women in rural
areas are discouraged to attend school. Most of them are brought up in conservative
families with little to no education. They have to work harder than women in urban areas
because they have little support system. If their parents are accepting of education they
still cannot go since most of them are very poor and cannot afford the expense. Majority
of women also don’t attend school in rural areas of Pakistan because it is not culturally
accepted. These conservative families tend to be more traditional expecting women to
stay at home and attend the house while men go out to work. They’re also restricted in
rural areas because their town may not even have a school having them travel a long
distance to get there.
Statistically the gender disparity in education is much lower in urban places in
comparison to rural areas. One of the possible explanations of this pattern is relatively
stronger dominance of tribal, feudal and patriarchal traditions in rural areas. Moreover,
there are very few employment opportunities for women in rural areas, and thus, there is
very little financial incentive for families to send their girls to schools. However, it is
interesting that, despite the meagre representation of females in the education sector, the
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level of achievement of female students is consistently far higher than that of their
counterpart male students. Girls generally outclass boys in examination, and they are also
higher achievers in universities. Unfortunately, the majority of the girls never get an
opportunity to develop their educational capabilities.
9.1.4 Role of government in female education
Officially the government of Pakistan is committed to provide every citizen an
access to education, but critics say that its budget allocation towards education does not
correspond with its former commitment. The expenditure on education as a percentage
of GDP was 1.82% in 2000–2001, while it has been raised slightly in 2006–2007 to
2.42%, and it is still relatively lower than most neighboring countries. Feminist
economists argue that the government of Pakistan needs to fully address and resolve the
gender concerns that exist in the educational sector. They suggest that one of the ways to
improve this situation is by increasing funding for women's education, encourage and
financially incentivize people in the rural areas to send their girls to schools. In the
apprentice of gender studies, the gender division of labor is considered patriarchal, and
feminists argue that it can be consciously neutralized by the public policies, i.e.
encouraging girls to study mathematics, science, computers, and business administration
etc. This way, girls will specialize in higher paying fields (jobs) instead of solely focusing
on care work.

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 9.2 DROPOUT
A dropout is defined as “any student who leaves school for any reason before
graduation or completion of a program of studies without transferring to another
elementary or secondary school.” (https://www.purdue.edu/hhs/hdfs/fii/wp-
content/uploads/2015/07/s_ncfis04c03.pdf)
While the number of out-of-school children (OOSC) in Pakistan has decreased by 1
million ─ from 25 million to 24 million ─ and dropout rates have decreased over last
year, almost half of all children between the ages of five and 16 are out of school and
more than 18 million have never seen the inside of a classroom. Gender disparity is also
evident in school enrolment rates, with over half of all girls out of school compared to
43% of boys.
9.2.1 Dropout rate increases dramatically after primary schooling
Of all the children enrolled in primary school in Pakistan, 69% are retained until
class 5 and only 28% until class 10.

Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1241630

Enrolment and dropout vary by province. Balochistan and Fata’s dropout rates
till class five are the lowest at 34% and 32% respectively, while Gilgit-Baltistan (GB)
and Islamabad have the highest rates at 93% and 92% respectively, with a national
overall of 69%. (https://www.dawn.com/news/1241630)
Enrolment drops drastically after the primary level, but more steeply so for girls than
boys.
Boys continue to outnumber girls at every stage of education. Nearly 10 million
boys and 8.1 million girls are enrolled at the primary level; this drops to 1.9 million boys
and 1.4 million girls at the higher level, and just 1 million boys and 700,000 girls at the
higher secondary level. 62% students go to government schools, but only 20% provide
higher education

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Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1241630
Although 87% of primary schools are public schools, there is a greater proportion
of private schools providing middle and higher education, at 62% and 60% respectively.
This may be because 80% of government schools are primary schools, while only 11%
are middle schools, 8% high schools and 1% higher secondary schools.
The shortage of public schools at higher levels of education appears problematic
as 62% of the student population attends government schools, while about 38% attends
private schools.
Enrolment remains the greatest challenge
Nearly 24 million ─ 47% ─ of Pakistan’s estimated 51 million children between
the ages of five and 16 are out of school. While the dropout rate is a serious concern,
enrolment remains the major challenge.

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 9.3 CURRICULUM
Word curriculum is derived from Latin word which is the combination of two
words:
• Curricula……………race
• Um……………..……place
Curriculum means “place for race”
Curriculum development or transformation is one of the critical challenges of any
successful institution. Innovative and demand-driven curriculum enables a school or
college to remain relevant and to be one step ahead of its rivals (competitors), set trends
and lead change in order to survive. Curriculum development is a rational and responsible
process. It must be planned carefully and consciously.
Following fundamental questions are focused in curriculum development:
• What educational purposes should the institution seek to attain through the
curriculum?
• What educational experiences can be provided which are likely to attain
these purposes?
• How can these educational experiences be effectively organized?
• How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained?
9.3.1 Factor Effecting Curriculum Development in Pakistan
1. Lack of Alignment
There is a little coordination among the committees working for curriculum
development at various stages. When a student completes his studies at a particular stage
enters the next stage, he finds himself helpless. The concepts being taught at this stage
are quite strange. It needed that learning experiences selected and organized for every
stage should follow the previous one and should be sequential in form.
2. Economic Problems
• Change in curriculum, needs financial support.
• New teaching materials are required.
• Teachers are needed to be provided with in-services training and equipped
with new teaching materials textbooks are to be revised to fulfill the
changing needs of the society.
• Supportive personal are required to assist the teachers for effective
implementation of new curriculum designs.
3. Political Interference
It would be tempting, to argue that education should be taken out of politics. An
educational will expect political parties to clarify their general educational aims and
policies, which concern broad social issues. Every person coming into power brings with
him his vested interests and few educational plans for the nation, in such atmosphere
educationist is likely to suffer from frustration.
4. Inadequate Evaluation
If evaluation is to be of any education worth, it cannot be regarded, as it is in
Pakistani schools, evaluation must become an integral part of the total learning process
and not an appendage to it. The general practice in Pakistanis that curriculum reshaped
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but the evaluation system helps the teacher to concentrate on teaching the student, the
examination tricks rather than on bringing a desirable change in student’s behavior.
5. Disapproval of society
The school curriculum according to Lawton is essentially a selection from the
culture of society. Certain aspect of our ways of life, certain kinds of “knowledge”,
certain values and attitude are regarded as so important that their transmission to the next
generation is very necessary. Pakistan inherited its curriculum patterns from the colonial
rulers. The same pattern is being social need is often disapproved by the society. The
school to public members of the society should have much to say about the curriculum.
6. Curriculum more Urbanized
Uniformity has always been misinterpreted in Pakistan. About seventy percent of
the total population is settled in rural areas. But the same courses are being offered in
rural and urban schools, when urban children come with a certain background of
language, particularly Urdu with either subject such as social studies, general science etc.
The need is to design a separate curriculum for rural areas.
7. Lack of In-services Training
When new curriculum was design or brought into practice the teachers are not
properly introduced to new learning actives and teaching strategies. If teachers are to be
mobilized in support of curriculum change, both initial and in-service teacher education
must convince them for their crucial role in promoting innovation. It provide a place
where teachers could find solutions to practice they have encountered in the classroom.
8. Teacher Reluctant to Accept Change
It is a universal phenomenon that teachers are considered to be conservative.
They have reasons for beings unwilling to change their approaches, not least because they
have an investment in knowledge and skills, which lend to be devalued by the passage of
time; they face the natural human temptation to resist any change which may render their
stock in trade obstacle. Secondary always opposed new curriculum as they are supposed
to pay more attention to new concepts and ideas.

9. Lack of commitment of National Philosophy

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 9.4 HEALTH AND FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION (HFLE)
Everyone who works with children and young people would perhaps
unanimously agree that they have a difficult and seemingly an almost impossible task of
getting this sector of our population to "do the right thing". Parents complain about their
children, teachers complain about their students and both groups tend to agree that the
children of today are more difficult to manage than those of the past. In fact society in
general seems to agree on this. It is easy to blame the parents for the unwholesome
behaviour of their children and sometimes they indeed are to blame but we have to
contextualize the behaviour of these children and young people. While it is true that some
parents abrogate their parental responsibilities and allow their children to be involved in
detrimental behaviour, this author contends that most parents, while they themselves may
be involved in such behaviour, the vast majority do not wish this for their children. Some
of them do not know how to engage their children in appropriate behaviour as they were
not taught themselves and some seem embarrassed to talk to their children on topics such
as sex, hoping that the child would automatically know the appropriate behaviour. Some
indeed teach their s the appropriate behaviour, but their own behaviour reflects the
opposite. We can look at the other influences and indeed at times more powerful
socialising agents like entertainers to whom the children look up, whose songs and
actions and indeed for some, their actual lifestyles, reflect behaviour that to say the least,
is quite inappropriate. Some of them make lawlessness, mediocrity and promiscuity
appear glamorous to youngsters and that if they are not engaged in such activities they
are "not with it". Even in the seemingly most innocent television shows, we see children
fooling their parents about their true behaviour and getting away with it. One can liken
what children face today to some dangerous enemy that we need to engage in combat.
Like any dangerous enemy, there needs to be an appropriate and comprehensive plan of
action to tackle the enemy. Everyone engaged in the fight must be clear on the goals and
objectives. They need to know what they are up against. We need to prepare our young
people for the future and the survival of our society, since they are the future and the
survival of our society depends on them. A good part of that preparation is contingent
upon the life skills that we give them and this can be found in Health and Family Life
Education (HFLE) programmes.
9.4.1 Family Life Education during Childhood
Basic family life concepts, attitudes, and skills that need to be learned during
childhood include developing a sense of self, learning right from wrong, learning about
family roles and responsibilities, making and keeping friends, respecting similarities and
differences in individuals and families, and learning to make choices (Bredehoft 1997).
Although these may be learned within the family, they also receive attention in family
life programs because some families may be unable or unwilling to educate their children
about these concepts or their efforts may be unsuccessful or may not happen at the right
time.
Family life education programs for children are typically organized around
individual rather than family development, that is, children of the same age or
developmental stage are taught the same things regardless of their particular family
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situations. This approach may be appropriate for many children, but it also may fail to
address the important family life education needs of children in non-normative family
situations, such as being raised by a grandparent or dealing with the premature death of a
parent.
Sex education is a controversial area in family life education, especially at the
elementary or primary level, with many adults believing that sex education is a family
rather than a school responsibility. One area of sexuality education that does receive
attention in elementary or primary schools is that of child sexual abuse. Concerns about
sexual abuse have resulted in the development of sexual-abuse prevention programs for
young children that teach concepts of personal safety such as good and bad touch, saying
no, and telling someone you trust about the abuse.
9.4.2 The Challenges of Teaching HFLE
Sometimes one can believe that what they are doing to help youngsters by
enabling them with life skills such as conflict resolution, problem solving, decision
making etc., seem to be a waste of time because they seem not to be utilising these skills.
It appears at times that one is fighting and unfortunately losing an ongoing battle.
Nothing can be more disheartening than seeing youngsters do counter to what we have
taught them, especially when that behaviour is life threatening. It is not easy to remain
detached totally, especially when that person has such a love for these children. You get
to see their mistakes constantly and you wonder what more you can do. Most of us want
the best for these children and they want this too.
There are problems that facilitators face in implementing HFLE programmes in
schools.
1. Many people believe that such programmes focus primarily, if not solely on sex
and that as long as sex is a topic being discussed with youngsters, you are
encouraging them in sexual activities. Parents and educators need to understand
that HFLE is more than sex. It is about learning responsibility generally.
2. Not enough time is allocated to HFLE. Administrators need to understand the
importance of HFLE and the benefits it has in relation to academic endeavours.
Life skills programmes occupy a small part of the school timetable and in the
senior year groups, they become even smaller. There needs to be the recognition
that children can make better academic decisions and can engage in more
beneficial problem-solving if they are taught about these generally and HFLE can
help in this regard. The focus should not only be on academics.
3. HFLE is not only for specialists. If we are to effectively fight the enemy
everyone has to be involved. We cannot afford not to have "all hands on deck".
All adults within the school system need to know about HFLE. At different times
of the day, various groups of adults come into contact with children more often
than others, who may be more influential. We need to recognize everyone’s value
in bringing his or her particular perspective to HFLE.
4. Some HFLE practitioners need to be more in tuned with the youngsters. One
cannot be surprised with what they bring to the sessions. They need to know
young people better and the pressures that they face. They need to be "real" to
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 them and not appear too far removed. They cannot seem to know everything and
be persons incapable of making mistakes in life. The key is to show the children
that one can learn from consequences of their mistakes and grow. There is the
need therefore to be able to really empathize with young people. Without this we
cannot get through to them.
5. Collaboration is the key. HFLE has to be a collaborative effort. People need to
know what they are up against and the goals and objective need to be clear.
Persons can bring their particular methodologies and perspectives to any HFLE
programme as people have different life experiences, some which might reflect
the challenges that the children face.

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 9.5 EXAMINATION SYSTEM
Punjab
The Government of the Punjab has established Punjab Examination Commission
(PEC) so that it may improve the examination process at elementary level. The objectives
of the whole process for improving the examination system are as under:
 Improvement in teaching and learning with respect to each of the examination
subject
 Making clear that at different class level, the students have grasped a
comprehension of the concepts Monitoring the efficiency and effectiveness of
service delivery.
 Facilitating the bench marking of students’ achievement Monitoring equity of
student outcomes with reference to rural/urban and male/females
 Evaluating the existing curricula and textbooks
 Monitoring the whole education programme
 Providing information regarding the selection of the students to proceed to the
next class Providing ability to monitor students’ progress over time
 Facilitating judgments about the quality of examination papers and examination
process (UNICEF, 2005).
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elementary and secondary education department has
decided in principle to introduce a new examination system for fifth and eighth grades in
the province. The system applicable to government and private educational institutions
will take effect in the next academic session and in phases. The exam papers would be
based on ‘student learning outcomes’ technique and thus, doing away with rote learning.
The seven boards of intermediate and secondary education functioning in the province
would take the fifth and eighth grade examinations to check whether SLOs mentioned in
the curricula were achieved or not.
The new exam pattern would be formally introduced for fifth graders in the next
session who would sit the annual examinations in 2018, while it would be introduced for
eighth graders on trial basis in the next two years and that they would go through the new
system thereafter for promotion to the next grade.
The education department had already initiated work on the shift from the
existing examination system based on rote learning to the new one based on SLOs. The
students of government schools sat for the examinations of new pattern previous year on
trial basis.
The students of government schools would sit for the fifth grade examinations to
be held in March on trial basis but this time around, the education department had made
the students of private schools, too, part of it.
In the new exam pattern, the education department could do assessment of many
aspects of the education system with a single click of the computer. This new system
would help the department identify flaws in the education system including the students’
failure in different subjects, teachers’ and schools’ performance, and problems in
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curricula. The new pattern of examination could easily assess whether the SLOs
mentioned in the curricula were achieved or not.
9.5.1 Exam Analysis Report
Punjab Examination Commission’s Exam Analysis Report for 2016 highlights
the trends in performance of Grade 5 and Grade 8 students. The exam was conducted
across Punjab for students of public schools, private schools, as well as private registered
candidates. The successful conduct of exam was followed by marking, compilation and
communication of results. A uniform and structured monitoring system in all districts
ensured the quality and reliability of the exam. In Grade 5, the performance of students
was better in Islamiat and Urdu than that in the subjects of Science, Mathematics, English
and Ethics. There was a minor difference in mean scores between girls and boys in
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). However, this difference was significant in the
Constructed Response Questions (CRQs). Overall, girls performed better than boys in all
subjects except Mathematics. Students from private schools performed better than those
from public schools, while private registered candidates scored the lowest. The language
of exam affected the performance of students in the subjects of Science and Islamiat. In
Grade 8, the students performed best in subjects of Islamiat and Urdu scoring 73% and
68% respectively, whereas their average scores were below 60% in the remaining
subjects. Science and Mathematics were the lowest performing subjects. Students
performed better on MCQs, scoring above 60% for all subjects as compared to their
respective CRQ scores. A gender based analysis showed that girls performed better than
boys in all subjects except Mathematics. There was a slight difference in performance
between public school students and private school students and both performed
significantly better than private registered candidates. On average, Grade 8 students
performed better than Grade 5 students. A Student Learning Outcome (SLO) based
analysis showed that students in both grades performed well on questions involving
reading skills and struggled on those involving writing skills. In Science, students
performed better on topics of biological sciences as compared to those of chemical
sciences. In Mathematics, topics requiring computation skills were better attempted as
compared to those requiring application of concepts. Across cognitive levels, students
performed best on questions that tested Knowledge and Understanding and were
challenged by questions based on Application, Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation.

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 9.6 PRIVATE SCHOOLS
The private education sector in Pakistan—which now accounts for almost 50
percent of enrolment in Punjab alone—has arisen from a complex set of reasons, and has
more ramifications than those captured by research and policy responses. The sector
needs to be taken more seriously for both the risks it poses and the opportunities it
provides. At present, a parallel amorphous private sector continues to mushroom without
an adequate harness and clarity on its eventual direction. The state will have to take
charge as laissez faire in education, like any other fundamental right, cannot exist. To be
successful, it will first have to reform itself, view the private sector as a medium for
education proliferation and comprehend the sector thoroughly, before applying any
policy.
The poor quality of education in public schools is often quoted as the primary
cause of growth in the private education sector. However, the picture has more to it than
simple, real or perceived, quality differentials. Parents value their children's security
above all else and will send them to the nearest school if they know a teacher will be
present. Perceptions of quality differentials, provided parents have a clear understanding
of the term, play a smaller role than purported. The distance to the nearest government
school provides as much of an incentive, if not more, to parents to send their children to a
private school.
The growth of low-cost private schools is becoming an urban trend in large cities.
The demonstration effect led to the spread to smaller towns and even rural areas, across
Pakistan. Contrary to prevailing perceptions, long distances and difficult commutes are
not just rural phenomena. Urban sprawl, through rural-urban migration, has shifted
population centers away from the nearest government school. Transportation costs
exceed fees at the nearest school as a result, and security is an added concern, especially
for girls. These facts apply to both large cities and the small towns that serve as pit stops
for migrating populations.
Public school planning has failed to adjust to the needs of new and evolving
demographics of both rural and urban areas in the more densely populated provinces. The
last schools developed in urban centers are 40–60 years old, primarily due to prohibitive
land prices, which prevent free-of cost land donations to the government and piecemeal
planning approaches in the public sector.
Perceived quality differentials—especially the needs to learn English—form
another subset of the demand factor. The Learning and Educational Achievement in
Punjab Schools (LEAPS) study showed relatively better learning achievements from
private schools in rural Punjab, and considered the higher demand for private schools to
be a rational choice for parents. Significantly, the study highlighted the differences in
learning as only relative, due to an extremely low benchmark set by government schools.
By extension, the outcomes in life for low-cost private school students may not be
significantly different from their government school-going peers. (Some) parents' desire
to break the elite barrier cannot be fulfilled through current quality.

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 The relative difference—and size of the sector—led to the formation of public-
private partnerships (PPPs) in provinces, often supported by a development partner.
These partnerships viewed the 'better quality' of private schools as an opportunity. There
was also an implicit notion of 'giving up' on the irredeemable public sector. However, the
structures' failure to recognize the scale of the problem and the need to revert to the state
—irrespective of the models used and their limitations—have begun to manifest. The
largest effort, in Punjab, has failed to cover more than five to six percent of the scale
achieved by the regular government sector, despite some good results and capacity. The
cycle has begun to shift back towards the public schools, but not necessarily in the best
fashion.
Over time, the PPP and the traditional public sector have become parallel, often
antagonistic, structures and concepts. Rivalry and distrust between the government and
private sector also continue to grow, as do opportunities and challenges in the form of the
private sector as a parallel, unregulated system.
The need for regulation cannot be overstated. As a fundamental right, education
has to be provided to all children within the bounds of a state-determined set of standards.
The public sector's failure to develop and implement quality standards for its own schools
diminishes its legitimacy and authority to impose any regulation on private schools. State
proposals on regulation often target private-school teacher salaries and qualifications -
the public school's two comparative advantages (physical infrastructure being the third).
Given the history of state intervention, the private sector fears intrusion into its affairs,
resisting any suggestions of regulation.
The prolongation of the status quo carries a number of risks. First, parental
dissatisfaction with the outcomes of low-cost private school education may begin to
increase over time, as the social divide supposedly covered by the 'English' taught in
these schools, widens. Second, the government has no control over the content and ideas
taught in private schools. This ignorance carries serious potential risks, especially in a
country with a risk of extremism. Finally, the state cannot abandon its responsibility of
providing quality education to all children of the private sector, as only the former can
define the ethos of quality education in a country.
The state has to make a call. It cannot—and may not need to—invest in
infrastructure in the presence of private entrepreneurship in the sector. This will be
especially true of urban centers. It has to look inwards, improving its own quality and
comprehension of education, and ensure, within a broader policy framework, that a
regulated private sector provides education as per state-prescribed standards. The
objective seems elusive with current state capacity, but room for optimism does exist.
The devolution of education to the provinces after the 18th Amendment and the
continuity of the democratic process have made education a higher priority for all
provincial governments. Greater interest and seriousness can now be expected of these
governments, than at any point in recent history. One hopes for a more informed and
education-friendly response, and the inclusion of the private sector in a student focused
policy. The targets of Article 25-A of the Constitution, which calls for compulsory and

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free education for all children aged 5–16, may become even more distant without such an
approach.
9.6.1 Medium of Instruction
Children must initially begin their schooling in their own tongue, with which
they are familiar. This will help their cognitive development and inculcate critical
thinking. It will also enable them to be articulate participants in the construction of
knowledge in the classroom and discourage the culture of rote learning. English should
be introduced at a later stage and taught as a second language.
With the exception of a small minority of children who are bilingual even before
they begin school, teaching children in a language other than their mother tongue in the
early years does harm them, no matter how good their teachers would be. This approach
robs the child of the natural advantage s/he has in her/his home language.
A child begins “acquiring” language from her environment soon after she is born.
Children have already gained three or four years of language experience in their mother
tongue when they start school. If English is to be the school language, these children lose
this advantage. The benefit goes to a small minority that is bilingual from the start by
virtue of their parents being the products of exclusive English-medium education.
In Pakistan public demand has been created for English. People believe that English is
the magic wand that can open the door to prosperity. Policymakers, the wielders of
economic power and the social elites have also perpetuated this myth to their own
advantage. The door of prosperity has been opened but only for a small elite.
In a multilingual country such as Pakistan where at least eight major languages
compete for supremacy, English occupies a special position by virtue of its “neutrality”.
But the status of English as the language of international communication exerts additional
pressure. This importance is reinforced by Pakistan’s employment market, which
discriminates in favour of the fluent English speaker even though not every job requires
an English language expert.
This language paradox has undermined our education standards. With no well-
defined language as a medium of instruction policy, we have a fractured system that
divides society. There is an excellent English-based system in the private sector that is
expensive and caters for a small wealthy elite. Children from the middle and lower-
middle classes go to second-tier private schools charging relatively modest fees.
They adopt a strange mix of languages while pretending to be English-medium. The
teachers explain in their mother tongue while teaching from English language textbooks
from which the students plagiarise and memorise passages.
It is left to public-sector schools, patronised by the children of the poor, to adopt
indigenous languages as the medium of instruction – rather apologetically. With the
government rapidly disengaging itself from the education sector, these institutions
perform dismally.
As a result, the country is in a state of linguistic confusion. On the one hand
people are desperate to be seen as being proficient in English when they are actually not.
At the same time they are ashamed of their own language though that is the only
language they can communicate in. The ambiguity of the language of instruction policy
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allows schools to make their own choices, which has contributed to the present crisis in
education in Pakistan.
The demand for English – a trend set by the privileged elite – has put schools
under pressure. Not many teachers who can teach English or teach in English are
available. That is why it would be feasible to get all schools to teach initially in the
child’s mother tongue while concentrating on improving standards.
This would require the production of good textbooks and the training of teachers.
Both of these can be done effectively in our own languages. The main challenge would
be to decide judiciously which language is to be used as the medium in which region and
at what stage other languages, including English, should be introduced.
Training English-as-a-second-language teachers should pose no difficulty. Such
teachers can impart basic communication skills in English to their students who would be
learning other subjects in their own language. Those going on to higher studies or
needing greater competency in English could take up language courses that should be
made widely available.

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 9.7 TEACHER TRAINING
Teachers play a crucial role in the establishment of an effective system of
education. It is important that these teachers are equipped with proper knowledge, skills
and attitudes in carrying out the goals of education and fulfilling their obligations.
Teachers training have certain levels which correspond with the general education ability
of the teachers. There are three levels of teachers training.
i) Pre- service
Teachers for the primary schools after passing Secondary School examination are
provided one year training. After completion of this training they are awarded a
certificate called Primary Teacher’s certificate (PTC). Those who possess FA/F.Sc
certificate are given one year training and awarded a certificate called Certificate in
Education (CT). PTC and CT training is provided by the Government Colleges of
Elementary Education (GCEE). There are separate Elementary Colleges of Education for
girls and boys who have been established at all the district headquarters within the
country.
Those who possess BA/.Sc degrees are provided one year training called
“Bachelor of Education” (B.Ed) at the Government Colleges of Education. These
colleges are at a few selected places in each province of the country. Those who further
want to specialize in the subject of education undergo one year course called Master in
Education (M.Ed). This course is conducted by the Colleges of Education and in the
Institutes of Education in the Universities. Teachers also do M.Phil and Ph.D in
Education from the universities. Those who possess M.Ed or M.Phil teach in the Colleges
of Education. At the University level Ph.Ds are employed to train teachers.
Allama Iqbal Open University has started teacher training courses through its
distance education system for those students who cannot afford to attend formal regular
courses in the teacher training institutions. National Education policy (1998-2011)
provides for modernizing the courses in teachers training. Accordingly, the duration and
period of training at all levels of training is being increased, including better salaries for
the teachers.
There are few problems in the teacher-training programme which include non -
availability of qualified teaching faculty for the Colleges of Education, quality training
programmes, financial problems of the Training Institutions, lack of quality material for
training and lack of effective system of management and supervision. But the most
serious problem is that the teachers do not use those teaching skills and methods in their
classes which were taught to them in the training institutions.

ii) In-service
In-service education and training of teachers has its own historical roots. Its
journey from pre-independence to post independence period is characterized by
numerous policy statements recommendations of different commissions regarding its
content and strategies for implementation it has grown from a concept to a process and
gained its importance for preparing teachers towards professional growth and
development.
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In our country, the trend is that once a teacher has joined service as a teacher, s/he
continues to be so, though he may or may not study. In-service education is badly needed
for all types of teachers in Pakistan.
Programmes of In-Service Teacher Education
 Seminar- In a seminar some problems of education are taken up and there is
collective thinking. Discussions are held and conclusions are arrived at all under
the guidance of some experts.
 Refresher Courses: - A refresher course means an educational programme
organized for refreshing the knowledge of in-service teacher. Generally they
acquire the teachers with the new development in the field of education. With the
coming up of new education policy, refresher courses were arranged all around for
teachers of different categories.
 Workshops: - Workshops are organized for giving in-service education to teachers.
They involve more of practical work and less theoretical discussion. These types of
programmes are more useful for the teachers. The teachers have to work practically
and come out with final materials to be seen by others. Organization of workshops
consumes more time than a seminar or conference.
 Conference: - In a conference, there is a broad discussion of subjects of practical
interest. Generally there is a central theme around which several sub topics are
given. Teachers as per their interest, present paper at the time of conference. The
session ends with the concluding remarks of the president
 Study Groups: - Forming study groups and using them as a technique for in-service
education for teachers can work wonders. A group of teachers of the same subject
and a subject expert in the college of education are combined and start working.
They choose some topics of common interest (or) it may be a problem related to
their teaching subject. Discussion is started under guidance and they continue
thinking, studying and discussing that subject. If need arises, someone may be
invited for extension lecture. The study groups may be meeting once in a week or
even once in a month.
 Correspondence Courses: Correspondence courses can be designed for giving in-
service education to teachers. A few universities have already started working in
the area of in-service teacher education programmes.
 Other Programmes: - A few programmes for in-service education of teachers are
suggested below:-
· Educational tours
· Radio broadcast
· Film shows
· T.V programmes
· Extension lecture for teachers
· Exhibitions
· Exchange of teachers

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 “Good education requires good teachers” that it becomes essential that the most
capable and appropriate be recruited into the teaching profession, provided with high
quality pre-service programme of teacher education, and them offered opportunities to
upgrade their knowledge and skills over the full length of their career. It is, therefore,
essential that there is major reorientation of teacher education to ensure that teachers are
furnished with the necessary knowledge and skills to cope with the new demands placed
on them.
With the increased capacity of communication technology, language will become
a very powerful instrument. The teacher-education programme should be strengthened to
develop language competency among our teacher-taught. The modern time demands
multi lingual competence including the new computer languages that are bound to
emerge with expansion of computer-technology.
9.7.1 Teacher Training Through Distance Education
Is distance education a viable solution to attain the kind of high quality teachers
students need?
Evidences from Pakistan reveal mix opinion about the quality of distance
education in general and for professional degrees including teacher education in
particular. On one hand the oldest distance teacher education program in Asia was started
in Pakistan through Allama Iqbal Open University in 1974. Till late eighties, the
university had international students in this program. Even today everyone in Pakistan
acknowledges the quality of the material produced by the University Teacher Education
Programs and access to these programs. It has provided access not only to urban
communities but also to the people live in remote areas.
Nevertheless, quality of the graduates produced by the university is big question
mark due to the management of the delivery of these courses. This experience from
Pakistan guide us that this is a viable solution for meeting rapidly increasing demands of
professional teachers but to maintain quality we need especially measures including
supervision, monitoring and mentoring of prospective teachers during the practicum
component of the programs. This is same as we cannot have risk for human lives as we
do for medical students.
How can we develop, deploy, and measure distance education for teachers and how
do we define and measure impact?
Another example from Pakistan that offers distance education programs is the
Virtual University of Pakistan that delivers education through a judicious combination of
broadcast television and the Internet. Its courses are hand-crafted in meticulous detail by
acknowledged experts in the field. In addition to the prescribed texts, comprehensive
reading material / lecture notes in the form of web-enabled content are provided through
a comprehensive Learning Management System (LMS) hosted on the VU Web Servers
and accessible over the Internet. The full power of hyperlinks is utilized for making the
on-line experience a truly powerful one.
The LMS also provides an e-mail facility to each and every student as well as
discussion boards for interaction within the university faculty and students. Assignments
are handed out through the LMS and also submitted by the students through the same
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mechanism. Pop-quizzes and practice tests are also conducted through the LMS. Midterm
and Final Examinations for every semester are conducted in a formal proctored
environment at exam centers designated for the purpose throughout the country. The
university believes that the formal examination atmosphere assists in critical quality
assurance of the student assessment system. May be these kind of measures could ensure
quality.
Can distance education achieve both quality and scale or are they mutually
exclusive?
Like rest of the world, Pakistan, still needs more and better teachers. In the
world, despite progress made since the Dakar conference on education for all in 2000
“denying children an opportunity to put even a first step on the education ladder puts
them on a course for a lifetime of disadvantage” (UNESCO 2010).
In a programme for in-service teachers that ran for more than twenty years the
federal ministry of education in Pakistan used the Allama Iqbal Open University to
provide in-service education on a new curriculum for primary-school teachers. The
university’s Primary Teachers Orientation Course was launched in 1976 and, in its initial
ten-year phase, reached nearly 84,000 teachers; 56 percent of these completed the course
and 38 per cent qualified for a university certificate. By 1999 a further 50,000 teachers
had been recruited on to a revised course which had a higher completion and pass rate
(Perraton, 2007; AIOU, 1999).
In assessing how far open and distance learning can raise educational quality, the
evidence on effectiveness is thinner than we would like, but so it is for many
conventional programmes of teaching education. The evidence is particularly thin on the
use of the newer information and communication technologies where, despite grand
claims, we have little hard evidence. The above two examples from Pakistan inform us
that quality AND scale are not mutually exclusive for both pre and in-service teacher
education programs. There is need to make delivery of the distance education more
systematic and processes led with clear and well define assessment protocols.
9.7.2 In-service Training Programme
When teachers join teaching profession, they just have a degree of
completion of their pre-service training. They do not know anything about the
actual classrooms. Sometimes they have no idea about the problems which they
are going to meet in future while teaching the class. In the training institutions,
they just learn the curriculum handed to them and try their best to rote it
and get through the examination. The system of training institutions does not
equip them with those techniques or methods which help them while facing
the classrooms. In service teacher training is provided so that the teachers can
be made more competent and their professional development can be enhanced.
A planned training activity is launched for people who are usually already trained
for and employed in the job. It is also called Training for Employees (Zahra,
2008).
Zahra, (2008) describes the needs of in-service training as:

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 • A gap has been recognized in the worker’s knowledge or skills,
either by the supervisor or the worker himself.
• The worker's job description or responsibilities have changed
for which he/she does not have previous training.
• New information techniques and equipment have arrived or new
systems are introduced in a work situation for which
new knowledge and skills are required.
Niazi & Awan, (2005) describe in-service training as under: "In
service training is mainly concerned with the improvement of
the teacher’s performance. This training may be provided in the
form of on the job-training, or refresher courses. It may also be
provided through orientation, workshops, seminars and
conferences."
Reasons for ineffectiveness of in-service training programmes
In- service training programmes are design to refresh the knowledge of
the teachers. One of the aim is to introduce the teachers with new trends and
techniques in the field of education. The in-service programmes which
are implemented for the improvement of the quality of education and to enable
the teachers with new techniques, do not produce the desired results. This
happens due to some reasons.
1. Trainers
The most important reason is the appointment of the trainers. Teachers
who have some approach to the appointing authorities or have links with
the concerned department get themselves appointed as trainer and even
they themselves do not have proper training.
Siddique (2007) narrates in his book Rethinking Education in
Pakistan
Perceptions, Practices, and Possibilities as:
"Unfortunately there have been no serious attempts at
government level for Teacher Training or to improve the quality of education
in our country. A myriad of so called "Crash Courses" are launched in which
thousands of teachers are forcibly ‘trained’ in one go. The ultimate aim of
such courses seems to produce the inflated number of "trained teachers"
to higher ups and get the letter of appreciation."
2. Trainees
When the schedule of the training courses is sent to schools and heads of
the schools, they are asked to send their teachers for workshop. The heads
should send those teachers who have no relation with the subject for which they are
going to take training. Behind this there are many reasons. Sometimes, heads give
no importance to the workshops and send irrelevant teachers. If workshops are held
out of the station, some teachers want to join workshop just to visit the other cities
and will enjoy the trip with attractive earning. When these teachers come back
after training, they do not seem to have anything valuable in their hands. Their
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training proves useless and futile not only for them but also for the institution
because these teachers do not know the basic roots of the subjects.

3. Training methods
In the workshops, arranged for in-service teachers to enhance their
knowledge in their respective subjects, no modern techniques or material is
used. The trainers teach them those articles which can be found in the books of
different classes. No new advance things are added. Even in science subjects, like
mathematics or physics, only chalk and board are used. At Federal level some
training workshops produce much better results which are arranged in
collaboration with other countries or with the help of international organization.
At provincial level, the situation is graver.

ACTIVITY
1. Analyze the role of distance education in training the teachers for a better
tomorrow.
2. Critically analyze the elementary examination system in Pakistan. Suggest a way
forward.
3. Conduct a lesson on health and family life education at elementary level. Write a
report on your experience.

SELF- ASSESSMENT
1. Discuss the contemporary issues of elementary education in Pakistan. Suggest
ways for resolving the issue of gender disparity.
2. Elucidate the major factors which affect curriculum development in Pakistan.
3. Compare the performance of public and private sector at elementary level in
Pakistan.
4. Elaborate the role of distance education in providing teacher training
opportunities to the masses. Highlight the performance of AIOU in this context.
5. Discuss the need and importance of in-service training with a focus on
continuous professional development.

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 REFERENCES
Human Development Report 2014 “Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing
Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience,” United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) (New York: UNDP, 2014).
Mehnaz Aziz et al, “Education System Reform in Pakistan: Why, When, and How?” IZA
Policy Paper No. 76, January 2014 (Institute for the Study of Labor, 2014), P 4.
Annual Report: Pakistan Education Statistics 2011-12, National Education Management
Information System Academy of Educational Planning and Management, Ministry
of Education, Trainings & Standards in Higher Education, Government of Pakistan,
(Islamabad, AEPAM, 2013).
Economic Survey of Pakistan 2014, Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan.
Pakistan: Education for All 2015 National Review, Ministry of Education, Trainings and
Standards in Higher Education Academy of Educational Planning and Management
Islamabad, Pakistan June, 2014 (available at :
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002297/229718E.pdf)
Maliha Naveed, Reasons of Low Levels of Education in Pakistan, Pakistan Herald,
January 03, 2013 (available at: http://www.pakistanherald.com/articles/reasons-of-
low-levels-of-education-in-pakistan-3065).
“Pakistan may miss EFA goals by 2015-16: Report,” Daily Nation, October, 3, 2014.
Useful Websites
Curriculum Development http://crunchysana.blogspot.com/2010/12/chapter-6-
development-of-elementary.html Retrieved 14th March 2017
Distance Education in Pakistan http://edutechdebate.org/distance-education-for-
teachers/open-and-distance-learning-for-teacher-training-evidence-from-pakistan/
Retrieved 20th March 2017
Dropout rate in Pakistan https://www.dawn.com/news/1241630 Retrieved 14th March
2017
Elementary Education http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/06/29/elementary-
education/ Retrieved 6th March 2017
Examination System in KPK https://www.dawn.com/news/1289613 Retrieved 22nd
March 2017
Examination System in Punjab https://www.slideshare.net/laraibasif/laraib-59005855
Retrieved 14th March 2017
Family life education http://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/encyclopedias-almanacs-
transcripts-and-maps/family-life-education Retrieved 14th March 2017
Health and family life education
https://www.unicef.org/easterncaribbean/cao_publications_cifhfle2.pdf Retrieved 14th
March 2017
In-service Teacher Education https://educational-system.blogspot.com/2012/07/pre-
service-and-in-service-training-for.html Retrieved 22nd March 2017
Medium of Instruction https://wondersofpakistan.wordpress.com/tag/mother-tongue-as-a-
medium-of-instruction-in-elementary-schools/ Retrieved 20th March 2017
Private Schools
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http://www.pk.undp.org/content/pakistan/en/home/library/hiv_aids/development-
advocate-pakistan--volume-1-issue-2/opinion.html Retrieved 20th March 2017
Punjab Examination Commission’s Exam Analysis Report 2016
http://www.pec.edu.pk/system/files/PEC_Exam_Analysis_Report_2016.pdf
Retrieved 14th March 2017
Teacher Training http://www.awamipolitics.com/primary-middle-secondary-school-
teacher-training-in-pakistan-3414.html Retrieved 20th March 2017
Women Education in Pakistan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_education_in_Pakistan Retrieved 14th March
2017

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