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Assignment # 1,

Pakistan Education System The educational system of Pakistan is among the least-developed in the world. The system was based on the British colonial educational system, which lasted until 1947. In that year, Pakistan gained independence as a result of the partition of the Indian subcontinent into the states of India and Pakistan. The colonial system was elitist; it was meant to educate a small portion of the population to run the government. Despite changes since independence, the Pakistani educational system has retained its colonial elitist character, a factor preventing the eradication of illiteracy. The Pakistani educational system is highly centralized. The Ministry of Education is in charge of coordinating all institutions involved in academic and technical education, up to the intermediate level. For education programs above that level, there is a government-designated university in each of four Pakistani provinces of Sind, Punjab, Baluchistan, and the North West Frontier. These universities are responsible for coordinating instruction and examinations of all post-secondary institutions in their respective province. Apart from the Ministry of Education, other ministries may oversee certain degree programs of relevance to their activities. Private and nonprofit schools and universities have begun to appear in Pakistan. As privately funded universities, provide an opportunity for higher education for a small percentage of people who do not have a chance to pursue their studies at publicly funded universities, which have limited annual admissions. Structure: The educational system in Pakistan is divided into five major levels. The pre-university education consists of four levels: the primary level (grades one to five), the middle level (grades six to eight), the high level (grades nine and ten, culminating in matriculation), and the intermediate level (grades eleven and twelve, leading to a diploma in arts or science). There is also a university level, which leads to undergraduate and graduate degrees. INSTITUTION TYPES & CREDENTIALS Types of higher education institutions: University College Institute Higher education credentials: Secondary School Certificate Intermediate Certificate Bachelor Degree (Pass) Bachelor's Degree (Honours) Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree Master of Philosophy Doctor's Degree Doctor of Literature, Doctor of Science, Doctor of Law STRUCTURE OF EDUCATION SYSTEM Pre-higher education: Duration of compulsory education: Age of entry: 5 Age of exit: 15 Structure of school system: Primary Type of school providing this education: Primary School Middle Type of school providing this education: Middle School Secondary Type of school providing this education: Secondary School Certificate/diploma awarded: Secondary School Certificate or Matriculation Technical Secondary Type of school providing this education: Technical Secondary School Certificate/diploma awarded: Secondary School Certificate (in Technical Subjects)

Higher Secondary Type of school providing this education: Intermediate Colleges Certificate/diploma awarded: Intermediate Certificate or Higher Secondary School Certificate Higher Education: Higher education is provided by universities and professional universities and their constituent colleges and in colleges affiliated to universities. Universities are autonomous organizations founded by the central or provincial parliament. The senate, the syndicate, and the academic council are the main university bodies responsible for matters concerning studies. Stages of studies: Non-university level post-secondary studies (technical/vocational type): Non-university level: Polytechnics, technical and commercial institutes offer courses at Post-Secondary School Certificate level. University level studies: University level first stage: Bachelor's Degree: Bachelor's Pass Degrees are normally obtained after a two-year course and Honors Degrees after a three year course in Arts, Science, and Commerce. University level second stage: Master's Degree, BEd, LLB: A Master's Degree requires two years' study after a Pass Degree and one year after an Honors Degree. University level third stage: MPhil, PhD: The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) takes two years after the Master's Degree. The PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) is a research degree which requires three years' study beyond the Master's Degree. University level fourth stage: Higher Doctorate: The degrees of Doctor of Literature (DLitt), Doctor of Science (DSc) and Doctor of Law (LLD) are awarded after five to seven years of study. Organization of education system: Despite the intentions of the Pakistani government, the educational system has failed to eradicate illiteracy in the post-independence era. It has also failed to train an adequate number of professionals to meet the needs of the country in different fields, which has been a major hindrance to the nation's economic development. The government-implemented reforms of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s did not address these deficiencies. By and large, they focused on replacing English, the colonial language of education, with Urdu, the language of most Pakistanis. The reforms of the 1970s also led to the nationalization of schools. Pakistan's expenditure on education is not enough to meet the growing demand for educational services for the nation's increasing young population. According to official statistics, the Pakistani literacy rate was 47 percent in 2000. The Pakistani educational system has demonstrated a discriminatory trend against women. This bias is evident in the pattern of literacy, which shows a strong correlation between gender and literacy rates. The illiteracy rate is very high among Pakistani women of all age groups. The Pakistani government has limited financial resources, which are inadequate to meet all of its needs. Added to large defense expenditures justified by the unstable relations between India and Pakistan, rampant corruption and a huge foreign debt (about $33 billion in 1998) further reduce the available resources for educational purposes. Educational policy: Aims and objectives of Education and Islamic Education Education and training should enable the citizens of Pakistan to lead their lives according to the teachings of Islam as laid down in the Qur'an and Sunnah and to educate and train them as a true practicing Muslim. Literacy and Non-Formal Education Eradication of illiteracy through formal and informal means for expansion of basic education through involvement of community. The current literacy rate of about 39% will be raised to 55% during the first five years of the policy and 70% by the year 2010 Functional literacy and income generation skills will be provided to rural women of 15 to 25 age group and basic educational facilities will be provided to working children. Functional literacy will be imparted to adolescents (10-14) who missed out the chance of primary education. The existing disparities in basic education will be reduced to half by year 2010. Elementary Education About 90% of the children in the age group (5-9) will be enrolled in schools by year 2002-03. Gross enrolment ratio at primary level will be increased to 105% by year 2010 and Compulsory Primary Education Act will be promulgated and enforced in a phased manner. Integration of primary and middle level education in to elementary education (I-VIII). Increasing participation rate from 46% to 65% by 2002-3 and 85% 2010 at middle level.

Secondary Education One model secondary school will be set up at each district level. A definite vocation or a career will be introduced at secondary level. It would be ensured that all the boys and girls, desirous of entering secondary education, become enrolled in secondary schools. Teacher Education To increase the effectiveness of the system by institutionalizing in-service training of teachers, teacher trainers, and educational administrators through school clustering and other techniques. To upgrade the quality of pre-service teacher training programmes by introducing parallel programmes of longer duration at post-secondary and post-degree levels i.e. introduction of programs of FA/FSc education and BA/BSc education . Technical and Vocational Education To develop opportunities for technical and vocational education in the country for producing trained manpower, commensurate with the needs of industry and economic development goals. To improve the quality of technical education so as to enhance the chances of employment of Technical and vocational Education (TVE) graduates by moving from a static, supply-based system to a demand-driven system. Higher Education Access to higher education shall be expanded to at least 5% of the age group 17-23 by the year 2010. Merit shall be the only criterion for entry into higher education. Access to higher education, therefore, shall be based on entrance tests. Reputed degree colleges shall be given autonomy and degree awarding status. Information Technology Computers shall be introduced in secondary schools in a phased manner. School curricula shall be revised to include recent developments in information technology, such as software development, the Information Super Highway designing Web Pages, etc Library and Documentation Services School, college and university libraries shall be equipped with the latest reading materials/services. Internet connection with computer shall be given to each library. Mobile library services for semi-urban and remote rural areas shall be introduced. Private Sector in Education Encouraging private investment in education. There shall be regulatory bodies at the national and provincial levels to regulate activities and smooth functioning of privately-managed schools and institutions of higher education through proper rules and regulations. Innovative Programes the National Education Testing Service will be established to design and administer standardized tests for admission to professional institutions. Implementation Monitoring And Evaluation A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system has been envisaged from grass-roots to the highest level. The District Education Authority will be established in each district to ensure public participation in monitoring and implementation. The education Ministers at the Federal and Provincial levels will oversee monitoring committees, responsible for implementation at their levels. Educational management: Financing: The Poor quality of existing learning environment is evident from the fact that a large number of schools are missing basic infrastructure i.e. 37.7% schools up to elementary level are without boundary wall, 33.9% without drinking water facility, 37% without latrines and around 60% schools are without electricity. According to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the state is responsible to provide basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical relief for all citizens, irrespective of sex, cast, creed or race to remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education within a minimum possible period. Financial management procedures, collaboration between various government departments, coordination with private sector / NGOs and civil society and effectiveness of donor assistance. the expected costs of meeting the EFA (education for all) targets for quality primary education, adult literacy and early childhood education not only by each province, but also by gender and location (urban and rural). The total cost of primary education to be incurred by the public sector is estimated to be around Rs. 955,571 million, with Rs. 582,300 million projected to maintain the present participation rate and Rs. 373,271 million to finance the additional students for the achievement of the EFA goal related to universal primary education. The total cost of achieving 86% adult literacy rates for all Pakistani males and females is Rs. 208,197 million while the total cost of achieving a participation rate of 50% in early childhood education for both boys and girls in both urban and rural areas is Rs. 48,329 million. The total bill for achieving EFA goals and targets by 2015/16 is, therefore, about Rs. 1,212,097 million. The main question arising is whether this bill can be met from domestic resources? In Pakistan the absolute amount of budget allocated to education is low. Although education enjoys the highest priority on the social sector agenda, yet allocations are relatively modest due to the intrinsic rigidities in the financial system of Pakistan, arising from more pressing commitments of the country. As national expenditures have always far exceeded revenue collections, fiscal deficits have remained high. To close the resource gap, there has been a historical heavy reliance on external borrowing. According to the National Finance Commission Award, provinces receive funds from the federal divisible pool in accordance with a formula, largely based on the provincial shares of population. The provinces then, along with their own resources, allocate funds across various

sectors depending on their respective priorities, and information indicates that the provincial allocations to education range between 20%-30 % of total budgets. Another major concern is that utilization rates in education are low, especially under development heads. Projections of the financial resources available to meet EFA targets in the three themes, i.e., primary education, adult literacy, and early childhood education for the thirteen years show that the total budgetary resources available by 2015/16 would be Rs. 786,005 million. Given the financial requirements of Rs. 1,212,097 million, the resulting financing gap is to the tune of Rs. 426,092 million. It may be highlighted that these estimates include an annual average additional cost of achieving UPE by 2015/16 of US $495 million, which compares well with the average annual additional cost of achieving UPE by 2015 for Pakistan estimated by international 8 agencies such as UNICEF (US $790.38m); UNESCO (US $394.91 m); and the World Bank (US$660.69 m.). However, if a more idealistic approach based on good quality i.e., fiveclassroom in urban and two-classroom in rural model schools, is considered, the financing gap is considerably higher and expected to exceed Rs. 2,031,292 million. The major issue in education finance in Pakistan is the low public sector investment. Public sector allocations to education have steadily declined over the past five years from 2.7% of GDP in 1995-97 to 1.8% of GDP in 2001/02.

By Faiza Wahab

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