It is a matter of no doubt that Pakistan has one of the world’s fastest growing and most rapidly expanding economies with an opportunity to improve it and so far, there has been absolutely nothing except improvement in this sector.
According to the recent study, Pakistan ranked 7th out of 53 countries on the global scale according to its economy. The latest report released by International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Pakistan found that the country scored 5th in economic freedom, 3rd in health, 6th in social security and second among G20 for transparency and governance.
The latest ranking was conducted based on the indicators of external environment such as macro-economic indicators, external political stability, openness, governance and political participation. The country was also rated using indicators of people’s welfare such as poverty levels, inequality in access to safe water, sanitation facilities and other basic services for individuals (inclusive of women), urban population, gender disparity in employment and education opportunities.
The main reason behind these achievements is the ever high standards of education offered to all children of Pakistan. These standards are now being followed through at every level of development i.e. from primary to university in Pakistani population.
For instance, according to International Organisation for Women (IOWW) the standard of female literacy was 99% in 2015 which is up from 88% in 1950.
According to World Population Review (2017), Pakistan has an estimated 54.4 million adult females out of whom 40 percent live in extreme poverty while 18 percent out of them are illiterate, and about 24 percent out of these people are unable to read and write. According to UN Women, around 20 million illiterates are living in rural areas of the country. A total of 27 million children in Pakistan are out of school. About 14 million of these children either drop out or cannot complete education.
There have been certain reforms made in different sectors including educational system and many programs are implemented to bring about better results in this regard. However, it must be pointed out that there exists a general lack of focus in this sector and this cannot be wished away since the government of Pakistan is very much concerned about improving the standard of life of everyone. For the sake of convenience I will mention here the list of important things that are considered essential for any child in Pakistan.
Educational systems
At the elementary level the students are given adequate time to complete their course as well as some extra lessons during regular school hours with the aim of making the student develop both physical and cognitive skills that help him/her to enjoy education. Teachers have been provided training for teaching different subjects such as English, Science etc. At Udyog Park school the teachers are trained to teach English and Science but still we are far away from a common syllabus (Khan Academy Guide, 2009).
At the secondary level, the primary schools are divided into two parts namely; the public schools and private schools. Due to increase in number of children in the country, the Government has decided to split the public schools into two so that each child gets equal resources in terms of resources and facilities. The best model is “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Institute of Basic Studies Research Programme” where the students are taught various scientific subjects like Physics and Chemistry etc in order to build better knowledge base for future research. Private schools were founded in 2001 under the National Children Development Policy (NCDP) to provide support to parents, caregivers and school staff at all levels of education. During the last decade, there has been tremendous growth in the number of private schools across Pakistan. This growth occurred despite the fact that the NCDP allowed only five years to pass for universal primary education. Currently, the NCDP allows extension of primary education to 10 years. Under this policy, there is an additional provision to allow six years of schooling for grades 1 to 9.
The Department of Primary and Secondary Education (DPSE) provides a program called Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Institute of Basic Studies Research Programme, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Institute of Basic Studies Scholarship Program, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Institute of Advanced Technology Research Program, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Institute of Information Management System for Educational Research and Development and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Center for Educational Research.
The district education teams for the public and private schools are provided full time administrative support and technical assistance from DHQS HQ. There are 11 districts in Pakistan which have special education committees for respective district education teams for the public and private schools. All the district education committees have members from the local administration who share similar curriculum and instructional approach with the district education committee. The District Education Committee plays a vital role in the implementation of education policy. The DEC meetings are broadcasted live locally across all 50 districts.
There are five types of educational institutions in Pakistan. Below is the structure of these educational institutions;
Primary School
Khyber Medical College
Diwali University
Islamia University
Pakistan Institute of Learning
Dilal Asrar Islamic University
Hindutva University
The district committee works closely with the district education team in implementing various policies and programmes for the betterment of education of each child. It takes care of all the needs of the children such as nutritional, medical treatment, sports, social and emotional need etc. The district education committee prepares the district education session and sessions and then the meetings are organized throughout the year. The district education committee gives a report on the education progress on quarterly basis and the stakeholders know how the district education committee works. The district education committee meets at least three times per year according to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), district education committee holds consultation sessions on school issues, and meeting sessions for field trips and visits to famous universities.
The district education committee is headed by District Education Officer and District Administrator.
The district education committee provides monthly reports on children’s activities in terms of attendance, sports participation, health, and other statistics.
The district education committee reviews the performance of the district education department from time to time and gives feedback on both external and internal aspects of the district education department.
The district education committee approves some proposals made by the district education committee and sends them to the relevant ministries and departments so that they can be implemented. Those in-house approved proposals may not be taken further if the ministry insists on those proposals (UoP).
The district education committee works closely with district education team to give suggestions regarding the new initiatives and programs to enhance the delivery of educational process. And the district education committee is responsible for ensuring provision of appropriate environment for learning and educating of teachers and learners. A district education committee is also responsible for implementation of the decisions taken by the district education committee.
The district education committee monitors and evaluates the performance of teachers and students of district education committees. The district education committee makes recommendations to the concerned ministries and departments and ensures strict compliance of the implementation plan within the stipulated timeframe. Each district education committee has an Education Sub Committee headed by the executive secretary and sub committee members work on the following area of the district education committee;
To promote quality education of children by providing them with all the required materials in one location. To offer guidance to the district education department in matters pertaining to the administration of the district education department and also monitor the progress of the district education department. To help improve the overall performance of the district education department by involving district education officials and representatives from DPOs and heads of department in the district council, district education department for making quality education available to the local students and also involve district education officers.
The sub committee gives technical advice to the district education committee in a manner so that they can prepare a plan for implementation of the identified plan and then submit that plan to the concerned parties in a time bound time frame (UoP).
The district education committee includes a senior officer of the district administration, director of the district education department, district executive committee member. These officials work together to implement the plans of the district education committee.
The district education committee promotes cultural exchange between the district education committee and the district education department so that the locals learn more about the culture and heritage of the district.
The district education committee organizes workshops and seminars throughout the year in all districts in Pakistan to encourage students and parents to enroll their children in a particular institute. The district education committee organises a seminar in itself and invites other local and foreign experts to attend the event and then gives presentations.
Similarly the district education committee organizes a conference at first on behalf of the district education committee which is attended by professionals and parents of students, and later on district education committee organises a discussion forum where different stakeholders like administrators, students and their families talk to each other.
The district education committee organises workshops on all levels of life cycle in Pakistan and helps youth with vocational education in different fields to get involved with work related to self employment, marketing and sales, transport, and healthcare. The district education committee organises a workshop for the residents of Lahore city on entrepreneurship and business and leads discussions with the residents to help youths to understand and appreciate business and how to run a successful business. The district education committee organises a seminar on community service by giving youth the benefit of employment and a job during lockdown and supports community development projects in different villages.
The district education committee organises workshops on leadership, delegation, communication skills and social skills in different fields and encourages young men and women to take part. The district education committee organises conferences on leadership, delegation and human resource management in various centers and organizations all over the country (UoP). The provincial education committee organises meetings and lectures in the district education committee and then passes these meetings to the deputy commissioners of the provincial education committee for final approval of the meetings.
The district education committee organises annual forums and talks on issues related to education of children and youth.
