Education and Political Interest | Editorial

Education in this country has always been exploited to serve political interests of certain groups and individuals.
Political expediencies have determined the context and direction of a number of education policies formulated—
never implemented though — by successive governments since the establishment of Pakistan.
Educational institutions, especially those of higher learning and universities, have seldom been free from political
interference. Even the locations for establishment of educational institutions in the public sector, whether schools or
colleges, are selected keeping in view the electoral or political interests of individuals or parties.
A recent report from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has revealed that at least 55 colleges had been set up by the
previous government on political grounds at places where they were hardly needed.
A government document refers to Government Girls Degree College, Haripur. It has 161 students and 126 staff
members with a monthly expenditure of Rs50,000 per student.
Government Commerce College, Dagar, in Buner district, established in 2017, has 82 students and 46 staff
members with an expenditure of Rs30,000 per student per month. The document also reveals that each of the 55
colleges was established at a cost of Rs250 million.
Most of these colleges were established in areas where there were hardly any primary or secondary schools in the
vicinity which could serve as feeder institutions for these colleges.
The K-P government has, however, framed a new policy for establishment of colleges in the future. New colleges
would only be established in localities where there are required numbers of primary or secondary schools to
provide at least 250 students admission to first year of intermediate class of the college.
According to this new policy, the buildings of the colleges already established at ‘unfeasible’ locations or areas
would now be utilised for other public purposes.

Piecing Together Pakistan’s Education Puzzle By

Maha Dania Qazi
If we wish to accomplish progress in the education sector, a major part of the effort should be to make teacher
training compulsory. Teaching capacities should be enhanced through professional training. Only then can
teaching as a profession make it’s contribution to meeting the challenges of the 21st century. This applies to
schools in both the government and private sectors.
A World Bank study (2007) shows a significant correlation between the quality of education during school years
and the quality of economic growth and social security. The quality of an individual teacher does not depend on just
having so many years of teaching experience. It depends as much or more on the individual teacher having training
and qualifications in the field of teaching.
For this to happen on a national scale it will be important to develop a culture that prioritizes the hiring of individuals
of merit and quality over other more subjective considerations. This is true of all professions including teaching.
Wherever subjective or arbitrary criteria are used for the selection and appointment of teachers the standards of
teaching and education accordingly suffer. The longer-term costs of this for society are very considerable.
The provision of good quality education at affordable cost, especially in a developing country, is a basic
governmental obligation. For that matter so is healthcare and the provision of a clean environment. Unfortunately,
in Pakistan decent levels of school education – that equip children for the challenges of today – are only available
in some private schools. The fee structures of these schools, however, rule out children from poorer families
availing of better educational services. Moreover, many private schools avoid hiring qualified and trained teachers
in order to increase their profits. There are, however, a few private schools that conduct in house teacher training
such as Beacon house.
Teacher training programs should enable teachers to understand different learning methods as all children do not
learn in the same way
The government has been trying to achieve the targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by prioritizing equitable quality education, and to increase the supply of
qualified teachers by 2030. The problem has been the attitude of private school owners and their senior
management staff who often look upon the provision of primary and secondary education as a private profit-making
business rather than a social and public obligation. There is one piece that is essential to secure a job and that
space is reserved for the favored. Accordingly, to save costs there is a tendency to underrate the need to have
professionally trained teachers who will have to be paid decent salaries. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has taken
note of this situation. The government has often spoken of an education revolution.
Bridging the educational gap has assumed the status of an urgent national priority given the ticking time bomb of
population increase and climate change. The future of Pakistan will depend on harnessing the potential of
Pakistan’s biggest asset, its children and youth. Parents of school going children should demand the constitutional
right of all Pakistanis to a decent education and at the same time be cognizant of the challenges and adopt new
modes of thinking alongside schools. Parents and educators need to encourage technological education as early
as elementary school to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It is good that robotics as a subject has been
introduced in some private schools but streamlining education across the board should be a priority, as well as
trained instructors who can keep students engaged and on task.
According to Pakistan’s National Education Policy (2018) one of the biggest challenges facing the country are out
of school children who are estimated to number around 22.5 million. If the country is to survive this is unacceptable.
Enrollment of school age children must reach as close to 100 percent as quickly as possible. There is no higher
national priority. The Prophet (SAW) said: Seek education, even if it be from China!
My recommendations are, firstly; create opportunities and allocate resources to provide training courses to school
teachers for early childhood and adolescent education and development. Such courses should include a range of
ideas, concepts, and collaborative activities to get teachers engaged with curriculum and materials. One of the big
challenges is that few teachers have been trained to know how to engage students in the curriculum or materials at
their disposal.
Teachers need external support and mentors as they begin their teaching in a new environment to help them
succeed. There is ample empirical research evidence that shows students achievement is significantly related to
professional preparation of teachers. (Darling- Hammond,2000; Ferguson, 1991a; Goe,2002; Goldhabar and
Brewer, 2000).
Even in private schools the number of students far exceeds the desired norm of 14 to 15 students per classroom.
This is because of the tendency to maximize profits at the expense of the quality and quantity of attention received
by each student. For this it is essential for private schools to raise the salaries of trained teachers instead of
building profits on the backs of underpaid and untrained teachers. A government that claims to give priority to
education must address this situation through laws and regulations.
Similarly, government schools must raise the salary of the teachers while ensuring they are fully trained. Their
training should in addition be upgraded on five year basis with certification of upgrading made mandatory at the
end of their training. This would enable teachers to market their services different schools and raise the overall
quality of education. Currently, teachers in the government sector are given security of employment irrespective of
competence and training. In return they are paid minimum salaries. This is exploitation not education. Students and
their families suffer as a result of this state of affairs.
Establish monitoring mechanisms to assess reforms at schools, and provide feedback to civil society, schools, and
government policy makers.
Teacher training programs should enable teachers to understand different learning methods as all children do not
learn in the same way. Teachers need to have a general awareness about about a child’s brain, physical growth,
and activities involving imagination linked to problem-solving. In the Elementary school and Middle school years
boys generally like to participate in group games and learn the rules, whereas girls tend to use physical and social
skills. (?)
Prioritize a curriculum that contributes to general education and economic productivity. This is in consonance with
the National Education Policy (2018) where the government seeks to prioritize skills based education to ensure
better job opportunities for citizens in the future.
Donors should be encouraged to focus more on training teachers and establishing polytechnics for skills based
learning and IT, rather than solely building facilities and schools.
Salary and grade increases should be tied to experience, upgraded qualifications and objectively assessed
performance. Teachers have traditionally had an honoured place in our society. But today this is more fiction than
fact. Their status needs to be restored in a 21st century environment which requires teachers to have access to
modern methods of training and standards of professionalism. For this to be possible informed public opinion and
organized lobbying by parents and experts will be essential.
Education For Growth By Hassan Daud
Socio-economic development and poverty alleviation are the key focus areas for our government. In the same
spirit, the CPEC base has been broadened by promoting these sectors to facilitate residents in terms of
employment and exchanges.
To give practical effect to these plans, China and Pakistan will make efforts to carry out vocational training and
improve higher-education resources to carry out design and R&D activities besides ensuring cooperation in various
sectors. The newly-established Joint Working Group (JWG) on Socio-Economic Development has been tasked to
identify and ensure the implementation of pilot projects in education by setting up smart schools and knowledge-
sharing in faculty development.
Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that we should seek knowledge, even if we have to go as far as China to
gain it. Therefore, we ought to learn from China’s journey to become one of the world’s most influential economies.
The same can be said about China’s robust and evolving education system, which is the largest in the world.
As per China’s national statistical yearbook for 2018, over 5,944,950 regular teachers are contributing to the most
diverse education system in the world, with a focus on tertiary education. In the last 20 years, China has been able
to build specialised higher-education institutions (HEIs). In order to give education and academia the respect that it
deserves, Teachers’ Day has been observed on September 10 since 1985.
I realised the gap in our education system when my two children faced enormous challenges in terms of creativity
and technical knowhow in their Chinese school during my four-year stay in China. Therefore, I believe that as
Pakistan embarks on the journey of industrial rejuvenation by encouraging foreign investment and joint ventures,
there is an urgent need to reform the education system. This will enable us to produce human resources that are
suitable for the envisaged industrial growth.
There is a growing need for a clear and correct diagnosis and the importance of education in economic reforms
needs to be re-emphasised as it is believed that knowledge and the economy are closely interconnected. By
narrowing down the causes and realising the long-term impact of such disparities, the process of reforming the
education sector would be more effective.
We cannot expect to improve economic growth with an old education system as the increasing disparities would
further delay development. Much has been said and written about the systemic issues in our education sector, with
experts viewing it as a hurdle to sustainable economic growth. In order to cater to the needs of accelerated
industrial development on an immediate basis, we need to reform our curriculum and increase accessibility to
higher technical education.
Following in China’s footsteps, we also need to start institutions such as a vocational technical college for the light
industry, a petroleum college and a railways university on the basis of a public-private partnership. The National
Vocational and Technical Training Commission (Navtec) also needs to be improved to maintain its quality and
relevance, and must introduce online courses to provide technical training in rural areas. In the short to mid-term,
specialised teacher education programmes in modern technical and vocational areas need to be introduced. The
HEC must develop professional development centres (PDCs) in all HEIs across Pakistan to train faculty and
students in specific knowledge and skill domains within the spheres of coastal and harbour engineering, tech
textile, aerospace, supply chain, industrial and logistics zone planning, railways, tourism and urban planning.
The youth has been defined as an asset and the educational system is a means to leverage this asset. If we don’t
develop our educational system, we may fail to become the leading economic power, with a promised GDP growth
rate of around seven percent.
Our regional competitors have prepared well in developing human resources. With growing connectivity and
Pakistan’s role in the region, we also need to capitalise on the increased demand for skilled workers in both
domestic and international markets, especially in new technologies. However, this will require immediate measures
at all levels from the government and private sector.
Thousands of years ago, Confucius said that: “education breeds confidence, confidence breeds hope, and hope
breed peace”. To cultivate hope in our next generation, we must develop an education system that is tailored to
face the storm of new technology while developing creativity as well as cross-cultural understanding and
acceptance.
The writer is a project management
Promoting Literacy in Pakistan By Syed Jawaid
Iqbal
Literacy is a right in itself and an instrument for achieving other rights
Literacy and numeracy skills are critical to economic development of a country as well as individual and community
well-being. It is important to spread these skills by helping people of all ages to read and write effectively or acquire
basic skills in mathematics. Early literacy and numeracy skills are the roots of career success — and it is never too
early to plant these seeds. Improvement in these skills can contribute to economic growth, reduction of poverty and
crime, promotion of democracy, increase in civic engagement, prevention of diseases through useful information,
and enhancement of cultural diversity through literacy programmes in diverse languages.
The literacy rate is very low in Pakistan. It has declined from 60 percent to 58 percent, according to the Economic
Survey of Pakistan. There are multiple factors behind this. The most important is the lack of government funding for
educational institutions. In 2017-18, the government budget allocated for education was Rs902.7 billion, which was
rather low for Pakistan — a country of over 200 million people, half of whom are not above 35.
Other than this, the low income level in Pakistan is an important factor that contributes to low literacy rates. The
feudal system is also a major player in Pakistani society which greatly influences the literacy rate.
In Pakistan’s context, literacy is defined as the ability to read and understand simple text in any language from a
newspaper or magazine and write a simple letter whereas numeracy skills refer to the ability to perform basic
mathematical calculations (i.e. counting and addition/subtraction). Even under this definition, literacy and numeracy
skills in Pakistan, both for the young and adults, need to be more widespread as these are important factors that
would accelerate the country’s development.
Literacy is a right in itself and an instrument for achieving other rights. There are many broad benefits that result
from literacy, in human, economic, social and cultural terms. Since literacy is a key outcome of education, it is
difficult to separate the right to literacy from the right to education or the benefits of literacy from those of education.
It is for this reason that in a global environment where the culture of reading is diminishing, many publishers like
Oxford University Press have succeeded in attracting more and more people towards the habit of reading and this
is particularly pertinent in Pakistan’s context
There is a strong belief among various quality publishers in Pakistan that the more children are able to read, the
better would be their educational outcomes. Developing comprehension, language and literacy skills at the primary
level can develop an enthusiasm for reading and writing, shape future educational success, and ignite a lifelong
love of learning, and thereby lead to national development. By publishing for all audiences—from pre-school to
secondary level school children, students to academics, general readers to researchers, and individuals to
institutions, these publishers serve the need to promote literacy from the basic to the highest level of education.
Quality textbook publishing in Pakistan means that well-researched content is written in the local cultural context
and resonates well with Pakistani students. These textbooks fulfill the country’s vision of spreading education,
meeting the learning needs of students, and raising educational standards.
It is for this reason that in a global environment where the culture of reading is diminishing, many publishers like
Oxford University Press have succeeded in attracting more and more people towards the habit of reading and this
is particularly pertinent in Pakistan’s context. These publishers consider it as a part of their responsibility to affect
change by enhancing the national level of literacy. Their mission is to spread literacy by providing better quality
books and ensuring that these books are reasonably priced and readily available.
It is through the high standards of quality and production laid down by these publishers that they are promoting the
mission to spread literacy in Pakistan. There is no doubt that education plays a vital role in the progress and
development of a country. Pakistan’s leading publishers realise this and are making all efforts at their end to play a
positive role in promoting and improving the future of Pakistan’s educational system by spreading literacy and
numeracy skills through quality books and the digital media.

Education Emergency | Editorial

The crisis of our school education system is much deeper than is appreciated by state authorities in Islamabad.
The good news is that there is realization of the extent of the crisis in concerned quarters, i.e. education
bureaucracies in the Centre and provinces. Towards the end of 2018, a very well drafted policy framework was
presented to the nation by the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) government. It detailed the urgent task of enrolling
22.84 million out of school children across the country, the bulk of whom should attend middle and secondary
schools but cannot because there aren’t enough such schools in the country to begin with. The framework also
recognised the need to bring up the net-enrolment rates which are among the lowest in the South Asian region.
Another aspect, not stressed enough in the framework, is the gradual withdrawal of the state from provision of this
key public good. A report compiled by Alif Ailaan has documented that almost 40 percent of the school-going
children are enrolled in private schools. Only a fraction of this percentage attends schools that cater to the elites
and the upwardly mobile middle classes, whose tuition fees have been a subject of concern for the executive and
judicial authorities of the state for quite some time. After having ordered a flat 20 percent reduction in tuition fees of
such schools in December last year, the apex court has now sought a report on the implementation status of its
ruling.
While judicial activism of this sort can provide a temporary relief to the vocal elites and upper-middle classes, the
underlying problem that has caused the mushrooming of private schools remains unaddressed. That has to do with
the state’s complete abdication of its responsibility to provide a good quality education to Pakistan’s children. The
role of the state in provision of education cannot be stressed enough given the public nature of the good. By
surrendering this responsibility to the market, the state has become complicit in an apartheid of sorts where those
with means can afford quality education for their children who get an advantage over children from poor and lower-
middle class households for no achievements of their own. This means that there are next to no chances
opportunities for upward social mobility available to children born into poor households or those born away from
cities, and that our society has become deeply fragmented along the lines of economic class.
Therefore, the authorities in Islamabad will be best advised to be sincere to the Pakistani children and initiate a
dialogue for ending this education apartheid. Temporary and ad hoc measures to cut down on tuition fees charged
by private education institutes will address only the symptoms of the deeper crisis of school education. To address
the crisis itself, the authorities will have to do some introspection, meaning they will need redo the public education
system. Educating our children is too serious a task to be handed over to the whims of the market. *

Real Education Reform By Jamila Razzaq

On listening to the federal minister for education in meetings and at events, one gets the sense that he
understands the fundamental issues facing the education system in Pakistan. His team in the ministry is also very
experienced and committed to setting a policy direction and delivering on an education improvement plan for the
country.
Individuals and organisations working towards educational development in Pakistan hope a positive outcome from
the education policy roadmap of the current government. However, they are also aware that governments in the
past have not failed on giving good policy documents. For instance, Pakistan out-performed other nations in
presenting roadmaps for MDGs in 2000 and SDGs in 2015. But as far as successful implementation for achieving
these global and national goals is concerned, it has been a valley of death for different policy frameworks and
action plans.
The four pillars of the new policy framework: out-of-school children, quality education, skill development and
uniform standards across the country respond well to the fundamentals of system improvement. After chalking out
policy roadmaps and designing detailed implementation strategies with budgeted action plans, the government’s
education team will have to accelerate progress that reflects in better learning outcomes of all students. People
who hope for change want to see solid actions and positive results.
One undeniable fact regarding the improvement of the education system in Pakistan is the enormity of the task.
The large number of reported out-of-school children and the dismal learning outcomes of in-school children need
equal and urgent attention. The education minister’s team will need to avoid a sporadic, disjointed and reactive
response. They will have to think beyond quick fixes and devise comprehensive, efficient and effective solutions
that work in different parts of the country and with different groups of children. Before diving off the ledge, a serious
review of previous policy roadmaps is crucial to identify promising initiatives and to fix the missing links. Otherwise,
the translation of vision into reality may face the same fate as that of other well-intended efforts in the past.
New policy roadmaps should not mean discrediting everything from the past. The new roadmap should rather build
upon what has already worked well. One such positive example is the ongoing education sector reform
programmes of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments, in partnership with the government of the
United Kingdom.
Significant budgetary and technical support for system improvement has been utilised for comprehensive system
reform programmes. Some miles have already been covered through establishing independent school monitoring
systems in both provinces, improved infrastructure and facilities in Punjab and the teacher induction programme in
KP. Attention and effort are required to accelerate progress on these and other similarly effective programmes.
Equal attention is also needed to identify ineffective programmes and energise or discontinue them – depending
upon their significance, need and relevance to the quality of learning at the school level.
The government’s education team can move the needle in a positive direction only by ensuring the basic elements
of quality of learning in schools. In 2016, the federal government developed the Minimum Standards for Quality
Education (MSQE). However, mere development and dissemination of standards is not enough, especially in the
absence of accessible pathways with clear milestones and proactive control by all stakeholders.
One clearly missing element in the MSQE is any consideration for quality in governance. The administrative heads
of education departments at national and provincial levels get placed on these positions without tenure postings,
and mostly for very short durations. They may also come to lead this specialised work of developing future
generations of the country with a rather general background and experience, sometimes as irrelevant as that of
leading the livestock or forest departments.
For any serious effort to improve the quality of education, the new policy framework should prioritise governance
reforms. These reforms should create the possibility for the best and brightest from within the education sector to
take up the top managerial responsibilities in education departments with a clearly laid-out accountability structure
and for a minimum tenure.
Similarly, mechanisms for reforms should not be confined to in-country or foreign exposure visits and lucrative
training programmes for middle and senior managers in education departments. Unfortunately, these two features
top the list of education governance reform initiatives designed with indigenous or foreign funds. These universally
attractive but generally fruitless solutions for governance should be given more thought for the relevance of the
proposed activity and the accountability of participants for some tangible outcome.
Governance reforms will need attention and time from policy and decision makers at the national and provincial
levels. For a really consultative reform process, staff in management and administration positions of education
departments will also need to be closely involved. Those of us who work with the education departments of
different governments in Pakistan observe the way ministers, secretaries and their secretarial staff are under
excessive demand to appear in events and meetings of foreign aid programmes and in educational institutions.
This situation can be avoided and improved with better utilisation of the precious time of government functionaries.
Development partners and education departments should coordinate and hold joint thematic events instead of
parallel events happening in different 3-5 start hotels or even different halls of the same hotels. Through an
administrative order, one immediate step should be taken: all launch, close-out, dissemination of achievements,
findings or policy seminars of education projects should be held in public colleges and schools of the respective
cities in the afternoons or evenings. Identification of venue should be done in consultation with the relevant
education office and rotated among different institutions, prioritising those requiring attention of authorities.
In this way, the minister and the donors will get to see the real schools they are working for and money will also be
saved which can be donated to the school.
This small step may have symbolic significance for grounding policy frameworks, quality standards and
development initiatives into the reality of schools. This exposure may also be unique for local politicians and
bureaucrats whose children study in private schools. Above all, it will demonstrate the government’s priority for
bringing schools to the centre of the education reform and improvement effort.

Education, Knowledge and Power By Dr Moonis

Ahmar
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony of Islamabad National University at the Prime Minister House on
December 21, Imran Khan again stressed the need for empowering the youths of Pakistan with better education.
The link between education and knowledge is understandable. No nation can seek the threshold of power unless it
excels in education and the pursuit of knowledge.
The PTI government seems to be single-minded in transforming its election manifesto into a reality by focusing on
providing good, compulsory and quality education. How can better education and knowledge cause miracles and
transform a backward and underdeveloped country to a First World country? The right answer cannot be sought
unless there is a political will, determination, hard work, integrity and brilliance on the part of those who possess
authority, resources and are in a leadership position. Rhetoric and speeches for political consumption or photo
session can never ever change the destiny of a country.
One can figure out three examples spanning over a period of five decades which are sufficient to prove the linkage
between education, knowledge and power. First, South Korea which was an impoverished country during the
1950s and 1960s but the policies enacted by those holding power gave priority to free, compulsory and good
quality education. Devastated from the Korean war of 1950-53, South Korea took another 25 years to introduce
short-and long-term policies focusing on economy, human development and education to the extent that its ministry
of education spends $29 billion and 3.4% of its GDP on education.
The second example is Singapore. It was not only the leadership qualities of Lee Kuan Yew which enabled
Singapore to emerge as a First World country only in a span of three decades, but it was because of priority given
to provide quality education that transformed a Third World country to a First World one. Singapore’s exports a
year are more than the GDP of Pakistan!
China is the third success story as far as the triangular of education, knowledge and power is concerned. With a
population of more than 1.5 billion people and the world’s second-largest economy, China spends $675.3 billion on
education as cited by its Ministry of Education. As a result, China has managed to excel in the quality of education
and pursuit of knowledge. There was a time not in the distant past that hundreds and thousands of students from
China were sent to the West for seeking higher education and now the same country is becoming a hub of students
particularly from the Third World countries, including Pakistan, to go for higher studies.
In all the three examples of focusing on education, quest for knowledge and power have one thing in common:
single mindedness of their leadership to invest in their present and future generations so that they do not carry the
baggage of illiteracy, ignorance, poverty and social backwardness. In all the three countries, free, quality and
compulsory education at the grassroots level created a critical mass which was able to transform their youths from
a liability to an asset.
Pakistan can learn several lessons from the successful models of South Korea, Singapore and China provided four
major requirements are met. First, it should be the responsibility of the state to provide free, compulsory and quality
education to all school-going children of Pakistan. Second, class and social stratification in education need to be
eliminated as the state must make sure that education is a national duty and should not be used to make money.
Unfortunately, education in Pakistan has emerged as a business in which no ethical and moral considerations are
to be seen. Except public schools, all other types of schools must be eliminated because the purpose of education
is to impart knowledge and not to judge class and social status as criteria for providing educational opportunities.
Third, modern and scientific tools of education with a focus on developing analytical approach and critical thinking
should be the priority so as to open the minds of students instead of promoting mediocre or below mediocre stuff.
Uniformity of syllabus of subjects taught at the school, college and university level needs to be ensured.
Fourth, upholding of merit and eradication of corruption and nepotism must be ensured by the policymakers in
educational institutions so that public money which is spent and invested for the promotion of quality education is
not misused. Pakistan’s predicament is that deep-rooted corruption and nepotism derails any effort which is made
to open schools and colleges or improve their standards. The three success models of development analysed
above had one thing in common: zero tolerance for corruption and nepotism, particularly in the education sector.
Imran Khan’s vision for a welfare and Madina-like state cannot be transformed into a reality unless attitude and
behaviour of people changes for the better. And it is the mindset which needs to be reformed so as to ensure
integrity, sense of responsibility, simplicity and dedication which are missing in the social milieu of Pakistan.
By converting the Prime Minister House into the National University of Islamabad, one cannot expect an
educational revolution in Pakistan because such an initiative will not eradicate elitism in the country as the
beneficiaries will not be from the lower or lower middle class but from the privileged class. Instead of adding
another elite-centric educational institution, it would have been better had the PM announced the elimination of
class-based schools in Pakistan from the next academic year and their ownership by the state. Everyone knows
the fact that education in Pakistan has been commercialised since long which means the state has given up its
responsibility to provide free, compulsory and quality-oriented education to all the nationals of the country.
If those who are controlling the instruments of power come out from their comfort zones and observe the pathetic
state of education at the grassroots level in Pakistan, it will be quite clear that a major cause of the country’s
underdevelopment and backwardness is its rust-ridden and exploitative school system. Unless, the state takes up
the responsibility of eliminating class-based education and commits to provide free, compulsory and quality
education, Pakistan would remain at the bottom of human development index and Imran Khan’s education project
in ‘New Pakistan’ will be a non-starter.

Education… The New Seat of Power | Editorial

The prime minister recently announced that the government had formally started the process of converting the PM
House into a modern university.
The Islamabad National University, to be set up in the PM House, will start as an institute of advanced studies for
research with a focus on emerging technologies.
It will eventually lead to the establishment of a university there. The Higher Education Commission has been
tasked with completing the project in three to five years. Imran made the announcement during a seminar in the
federal capital. This is another box which Prime Minister Imran Khan can tick for an electoral promise fulfilled. Soon
after taking over, Imran had set up a committee to review public buildings and their uses. The PM was to chair this
committee himself so that he could personally monitor progress on the subject. Admittedly, education is PM Imran’s
top priority.
Imran stated that the purpose of establishing a university at the 1,100 kanal estate was to reduce the gap between
the government and the public. He also stressed on the importance of “quality education” for a nation’s “progress
and development” and that this move is but a step in improving the overall level of education. By shunning the
perceived opulence of the prime minister by refusing to live in the PM House and personally monitoring the project
of converting the symbol of the country’s chief executive for promoting higher learning, he has led from the front. It
also speaks volumes about his commitment to improving the state of education in the country. This heralds a new
direction for the country whereby the state not only acknowledges the root of our emerging problems but also
moves to solve them.

Investing in Education By Zeeshan Siddique

Despite having the second highest number of out-of-school children in the world, the financing and governance of
education in Pakistan has seen little improvement.
Approximately 22 million children are out of school, yet no significant improvement in enrolment has been seen in
the last five years. To address this complexity, investments made by international financial institutions such as the
World Bank were aimed at bringing horizontal and vertical change by establishing education foundations such as
the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) and Sindh Education Foundation (SEF).
It is pertinent to mention that the World Bank is one of the largest external funders of education in developing
countries. In Punjab, the World Bank has invested around $1.7 billion in the last 10 years in the Punjab Education
Foundation (PEF) to bring children back to school and offer education with the core vision of “better quality
education through the private sector to low-income households”.
The PEF claims that it currently sponsors 8,700 private schools, which cater to 2.4 million students through its four
programmes. However, a recent study by Oxfam shows that despite this investment, there is little growth in
enrolment, equity, quality and access to education. Investment in the Punjab Education Foundations (PEF) by the
World Bank show various lacunas at the levels of policy, implementation, compliance, equity and access to quality
education, consequently raising questions about the sustainability of the programme.
Some of the areas which require immediate attention include the governance of the PEF, which operates as an
independent governing body. The School Education Department (SED) has a massive setup at the provincial level
for teacher training and the monitoring and evaluation of schools, while the PEF operates outside this structure.
Similarly, PEF schools are not accessible to students from low-income backgrounds as the tough admission tests
in these schools are not designed for children with little or no exposure to early education. Due to an incentive-
based approach which is not sustainable, children from poor or low-income families transfer from public schools to
nearby PEF sponsored low-fee private schools. This leads to low retention and enrolment rates in public schools.
Oxfam’s study notes that the quality of education in PEF-sponsored schools is low, with most teachers in these
receiving low salaries, sometimes even below the minimum wage. Additionally, little investment is made in training
teachers. PEF-sponsored schools are also exacerbating gender disparities with few girls enrolling in their co-ed
schools. The study also finds that the public education system is relatively more responsive than the PEF
programme in Punjab. School councils in public-sector schools ensure a degree of social accountability, while no
such mechanism has been established for PEF-sponsored schools despite public funds having been spent on the
programme.
There is a need to urgently bring improvements in the PEF programme to ensure inclusiveness, accountability,
accessibility and quality of education. Some of the steps which may be taken include merging the PEF with SED to
ensure accountability and minimise overlaps in mandates. This would also ensure a more uniform framework for
measuring learning achievements at the district level.
Accessibility may also be improved by creating more realistic admissions tests, which also allow students with
limited exposure to early education to enrol. To address the gender disparity, a gender unit may be established
which provides technical assistance to the PEF to improve gender responsiveness within planning and budgeting
Wold Bank investments must nurture human development and provide quality education. However, it has been
observed that tests in these schools are promoting rote learning. Secondly, allocations need to be enhanced on
teacher training to ensure to improve quality of teaching. It is essential to incorporate citizens’ voices to bring more
accountability and transparency in financing PEF-supported schools. This would promote social accountability and
help school administrations gain the trust of citizens and offer better educational services.

Our Glorious Educational Heritage By Rasul

Bakhsh Rais
It was delightful, memorable and a very proud moment for the alumni of the University of the Punjab — founded in
1882 — to gather on December 8 in the Faisal Auditorium. This author has the privilege of being a graduate of the
1970-72 Master of Arts class in Political Science. After 45 years, seven of us showed up, frankly it was difficult to
recognise at least one of them. Among the attendees were also those who were a few years senior to us and came
in droves the last weekend. The numbers of graduates of much younger generations with fresher memories of one
of the greatest places of learning and the only university of Pakistan at the Independence were greater.
As we walked towards the entrance of the Faisal Auditorium, I met many prominent people who used to be
students at Punjab University in my student days. The first I met was Asghar Nadeem Syed, a noted scholar of
humanities, dramatist, writer and a great teacher of classics. As we walked together, I saw Professor Syed Qamar
Abbas, a historian, gentleman, humble and one of the most profound scholars of the subcontinent who has left a
deep mark on teachers, colleagues and students. It was a great pleasure to see Professor Mehdi Hassan, a
progressive teacher, activist, journalist and scholar. I have the privilege of serving as a lecturer at the University of
Punjab with him and many other notable teachers and scholars who have gradually faded off in the mist of time.
Those were ‘the best of time’ of openness, great ideological schism, debates and true freedom of thought.
Pakistan transformed itself as a very different country in the wake of anti-Ayub Khan movement. Self-awareness
and activism of youth, high democratic spirit often visible in print and in the streets and multiple ethnic, religious,
social and political movements shaped that period. While for the true democratic intellectual, and young generation,
very much influenced by global counter-culture movement, it was an age of ‘freedom’, for some on the right of
ideological spectrum, it was chaotic, as they saw the tradition under attack from intellectual modernity. The
ideological controversies, and even some form of conflict, were signs of creativity, intellectual hybridity and
progressivism. Both sides lost, and the country and society lost a great deal with the imposition of third Martial Law
(1977-88).
It was interesting to see some of the leaders on the opposite side of ideological lines in those days addressing the
audience. Notable among them were Fareed Paracha of then Jamiat-e-Tulaba, and now of Jamaat-e-Islami and
Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas, a prominent left-wing student leader. Abbas was candid and a bit bitter saying he came
with dreams but was disappointed by how a particular religious political party captured the university, leaving a
lasting legacy on the intellectual atmosphere of the campus.
The sight of men and women of letters, artists, poets, journalists, bureaucrats, politicians, judges, and more
remarkably very renowned scholars and teachers was an endless joy. Having travelled widely in the world and
being in hundreds of scholarly gatherings over more than four and half decades, never have I seen such a
distinguished gathering of prominent people from every significant walk of life.
Professor Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, the new Vice-Chancellor, took the initiative of reviving the alumni association and
creating linkage between the alumni and the university. The next step should be what the alumni can do for Punjab
University — provide funds, establish chairs, grant scholarships and develop libraries. That will be the best way to
show gratitude to the alma mater.

Reforming HEC After 18th Amendment By Faran

Mahmood
We see people spouting opinions and more like pointing accusations towards the 18th amendment of weakening
the federation, especially in the present scenario of financial “doom and gloom” where provinces have ample
resources at hand while Islamabad is left in dire straits.
Though the body politic needs to face up to this trend towards fiercely aggressive language wielded by some
quarters against this historic amendment, the fact is that the devolution process itself has had a mixed record at
best. While many issues are pending with the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) and the Council of
Common Interests (CCI), determining a new constitutional role for the Higher Education Commission (HEC)
remains a test case in this regard.
The HEC was founded under the auspices of Musharraf regime and is still functioning in view of the provisions of
the original HEC Ordinance 2002. As per ruling of the Supreme Court in 2011, the 18th amendment would have no
effect on the functioning of the HEC and in case of any conflict, the ordinance shall prevail. This effectively means
that any notification of devolution could not supersede the ordinance of the commission. Due to this judgment, the
CCI has expressed reservations from time to time in giving a green signal to provincial higher education
commissions.
A deep dive into the 18th amendment’s text reveals that the federal government has the mandate to oversee
matters pertaining to higher degrees from abroad such as issuance of equivalence and managing foreign
scholarships by virtue of entry No 16 in the Federal Legislative List (FLL) Part-I, but issues related to education
planning and standard setting for higher education, research, scientific and technical institutions fall within the
purview of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) vide entries Nos 7, 11 and 12 of FLL Part-II.
There is another legal obstacle to the devolution of higher education subject. If a university has multiple campuses
in different provinces like Comsats University, they can’t be regulated by provinces. The federal legislature can
exercise extra-territorial authority as per the Constitution but no such extra-territorial authority has been conferred
to provincial legislatures. This means a large number of universities will still be regulated by Islamabad even if the
powers were devolved to provinces.
Many parliamentarians are of the view that the authority of standard setting for higher education should be
exclusively vested in the Federal HEC whereas provincial HECs should be empowered to perform monitoring and
evaluation functions as this will slice up some of the fiscal burden on the federal government. However this opinion
also clashes with the spirit of 18th amendment.
These issues are very grave and need to be addressed urgently. The HEC can’t continue running under the 2002
ordinance issued by a dictator and its role need to be clarified in order to refute narratives such as ‘provinces
versus centre.’ Accountability of the HEC is also a big question mark as the HEC has wasted billions on half-baked
megaprojects such as establishment of new universities that were later scrapped. It is also debatable if the HEC
has the mandate to claim exorbitant fees for attestation of mere photocopies and for issuance of equivalence
certificates. However, Islamabad is still in a state of denial even after eight years. HEC devolution is a complex
puzzle but our parliament seems unaware of the extent of those problems. Unfortunately, problems that are
studiously ignored only grow worse with time.
If there is a useful lesson from years of fretting over devolution of the HEC, it is that such implementation needs
better preparation and more clarity about intentions — not just at the top end of the scale. The new HEC chairman
said, “If we have confidence that provinces can implement standards adequately, we can delegate powers to them
in spirit of the 18th amendment. So the way forward to overhaul our higher education system is through a
meaningful dialogue among all stakeholders and through capacity building of provincial HECs. Transparency and
autonomy will be important otherwise the higher education reform agenda may get overwhelmed by a familiar
internecine patronage politics.”

The Higher Goals of Education By Dr. Asad Zaman

Currently, syllabi in Pakistani universities follow those of the educational institutions of the west, and are oriented
towards providing students with the job-skills they need to earn money. This trend has become even more extreme
over the past few decades as the burden of debt on students in USA has risen to nearly a trillion dollars, due to
increasing commercialisation of the education sector. Pakistani university students’ families also assume a huge
economic burden in the name of equipping their children for the demands of the increasingly specialised job
market. In all of this rush towards progress, morality plays no role in the curricula of educational institutions, a state
of affairs that seems natural to those of us who have grown up under amoral educational regimes.
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On deeper examination, it becomes clear that morality was in fact deliberately excluded from western curricula in
the early part of the 20th Century. The reasons for this shift, and its consequences, have been detailed by Julie
Reuben in her book: “The Making of the Modern University: Intellectual Transformation and the Marginalisation of
Morality.” According to Reuben, in the 1920s the college catalogues of even the most prestigious western
universities opened with statements about their mission to build character among students. The purpose of
education was understood by all as developing and grooming personalities, creating leadership skills, and instilling
cognizance of civic and social responsibilities. This mission was increasingly abandoned since the 1960s, and
today, no official documents speak to the responsibility of providing students with moral guidance.
To make the same point on a more personal level, I recall my experience as a freshman at MIT in 1971. It was an
exciting time, leaving home for the first time to drink from the fountains of knowledge at the source. We were all
innocent and young, enthusiastic about the infinite possibilities and pathways open before us. One night, a group of
us spent all night discussing the meaning of life and other deeper questions – which path should we choose? What
were the most worthwhile directions where we should spend our efforts, using the precious moments of our
youthful and boundless energies? As morning dawned, it became clear to all of us that we did not have a clue
regarding this most important of questions that we all face in our lives. Accordingly, we decided to consult one of
our professors — surely the knowledge that we sought would be available from the deep wells of wisdom to be
found at one of the world’s leading universities.
Accordingly, a small group of students went to one of our professors and asked him about how we could learn the
answers to the bigger questions that life poses — what we should be doing with our lives? The answer he gave us
satisfied us at the time; it was only much later that I realised that we had been deceived. He told us that experience
shows that we must first learn the answers to the small questions, and only later would we be able to tackle the big
questions. It seemed like a perfectly sensible answer, and we were satisfied to learn our calculus, chemistry, and
computer programming, as the small steps we needed to take, in order to prepare for the bigger ones. It was much,
much, later that I realised that he did not have any answers for us — the bigger questions were no longer on the
syllabus of a Western education. Because the goods we were looking for were not in available in the shop, we
were sold an inferior bill-of-goods, marketed as the pathway to what we were looking for. But in fact, regardless of
how much math, chemistry, physics, biology, or economics, politics and social science you study, you will not learn
the answer to the questions about how we can make the most of our few precious moments on this Earth.
The deep damage that this kind of education, expunged of morality and values, is inflicting on society can be
gauged by many measures. A Western education trains students to build bombs, to calculate costs and benefits,
but does not train them to understand that the best that life has to offer cannot be quantified or measured in dollars
or pounds. In fact, human life is infinitely precious, and every baby is born with the potential for extraordinary
achievements. However, because they were not trained to understand the value of life, the graduates of the finest
educational institutes in the West designed bombs and machinery for mass murder of innocent civilians, did
scientific research on torture, and many other kinds of inhumane experiments on human subjects. I can personally
testify to a loss of idealism and moral values that I and my fellow students experienced in the strongly amoral
atmosphere prevalent at campuses throughout USA. Our conversations as first year graduate students in the
Economics department at Stanford University revealed that all of us were motivated by the desire to improve the
economic conditions of the poor, and to create prosperity for the people. However, the Economics program taught
us that rational behaviour is selfish, and survival of the fittest in the jungle of cut-throat competition creates the
maximum welfare for all. Accordingly, by the end of our Ph.D.s, we abandoned our idealistic dreams, and became
focused on personal advancement through careers and jobs.
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Today, our most urgent need as educators is to focus on building the character of our students. There is no doubt
that values should not be imposed on others, and the meaning of life cannot be conveyed in a lecture.
Nonetheless, this does not mean that we should sterilise our classrooms of meaningful discussion about the most
important questions we face in life as human beings. There is a rich intellectual tradition, both in the East and in the
West, of philosophers, mystics, and thought leaders who have grappled with the bigger questions. We fail our
students if we only provide them with a technical education without exposing them to deeper knowledge about how
to live, and how to excel as a human being. The Western education that we seek to imitate trains the minds, but not
the hearts. What our students achieve depends very much on the greatness of the visions we can inspire them
with. In this quest, our poets Iqbal, Rumi and others will be of far greater value than the conventional textbooks.

Out of school | Editorial

THE figure is sobering: nearly 25m children in Pakistan currently do not go to school. This means that unless
sincere measures are taken by the federal and provincial governments, as well as civil society, a whole generation
of youngsters will grow up without the education and life skills needed to survive in a cut-throat world. Speaking at
a news conference in Islamabad on Monday, the federal education minister said that the state will make all-out
efforts to bring these children into the classroom. Noble as this goal may be, the state needs to unveil a concrete
plan aimed at reducing the population of out-of-school children, reduce dropout rates, etc — ie it must come up
with innovative solutions where earlier governments have not been successful. The girl child fares even worse than
her male counterpart. According to a new Human Rights Watch report, the vast majority of out-of-school children
are girls. It says, for example, that by the ninth grade, only 13pc of girls are still in school. That is an appalling
figure that needs to be immediately remedied.
Where solutions are concerned, there is, of course, the issue of increasing government spending on education.
Currently, Pakistan spends less than the 4pc to 6pc of GDP recommended on education. But beyond investing
more funds in the education sector, there needs to be focus on learning outcomes. Getting children into school is
one thing; making sure they are being taught — and taught well — subjects that will help them succeed in life is
another. The education minister also hinted at improving quality in state schools, and talked of a uniform system of
education. While uniformity in the syllabus may be important, it requires further debate amongst the federating units
in the post-18th Amendment scenario. What both Islamabad and the provinces should immediately focus on is
increasing enrolment and improving standards. Because the public school system has failed, parents who can
afford it send their wards to high-fee private schools, while the poor have no option but to enrol their offspring in
madressahs. True, the private sector has a role to play (without extorting money from parents), but it should not be
a replacement for quality state schools that equip children with the tools to learn and thrive, and welcome both boys
and girls equally in a conducive atmosphere.