Contents

1. School Education ....................................................................................................................................... 3

2. Enrolment in school .................................................................................................................................. 3
3. Private education ...................................................................................................................................... 4
4. National Curricula ..................................................................................................................................... 4
4. 1 Primary education .............................................................................................................................. 4
4.2 Middle level education ....................................................................................................................... 5
4.3 Secondary Education........................................................................................................................... 5
4.4 Higher secondary education ............................................................................................................... 6
5. Assessment and Documentation .............................................................................................................. 6
5. 1 assessment ......................................................................................................................................... 6
5.2 Documentation ....................................................................................................................................... 7
6. Degree Structure ....................................................................................................................................... 7
6. 1 Undergraduate degree – Bachelor......................................................................................................... 7
7. Distance Learning – Open Universities ..................................................................................................... 9
8. Islamic Education .................................................................................................................................... 10
9. Higher Education..................................................................................................................................... 11
9. 1 Quality Assurance Programme ........................................................................................................ 11
 Education System Pakistan

The division of responsibilities between the provinces and the center are defined by the

Constitution of 1973. The Federal Ministry of Education has the overall responsibility for the

development and coordination of national policies, plans and programmers in education

including curriculum development, while implementation of the policies is the responsibility of

the local administration. Each province has its own Department of Education. Educational

institutions located in the federal capital territory are administered directly by the Ministry of

Education.

Pakistan experienced difficulties in improving educational provision in the 1990s with, for

instance, insufficient school buildings, lack of essential facilities, untrained or poorly trained

teachers in remote areas, lack of classroom resources and unavailability of textbooks. The

country is now trying to reverse the situation through a so-called bottom-up and top-down

strategy, giving priority to both basic education and higher education. The actual political basis is

the National Education Policy (1998-2010) accompanied by Education Sector Reform strategic

plans and the Education for All plans linked to the Government's Poverty Alleviation Strategy.

The goals are ambitious, for example, to achieve universal primary education (UPE) by 2010, to

reduce gender inequality by 10% annually, to raise the completion rate within primary education

from 50 to 70%. In terms of quality, the plan is to improve the quality of learning processes

through the introduction of learner centred pedagogy, including measurement of learner

achievement level. Pakistan is also trying to enhance and develop the quality of higher education.
1. School Education

Primary and secondary education is provided by public and private schools as well as by Islamic

madrasahs (see chapter 5 for more information about Islamic madrasahs). School education is

organized in a 5+3+2+2 model: Primary stage (5 years); middle stage (3 years); lower secondary

stage (2 years); and upper secondary stage (2 years). Education starts at the age of five. Pre-

school classes known as Katchi were discontinued during the 1980s. They were reintroduced

with the National Education Policy 1998-2010. According to information from the Ministry of

Education, Pakistan has passed a law on compulsory education (eight years of schooling). Some

provinces also have laws regarding this. Implementation of the law is dependent on support from

all the provinces, which has not been secured so far. Schools normally close for ten weeks from

the beginning of June until mid/late August. Winter holidays usually run from mid-December to

early January.

The Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) controls the 26 boards of intermediate and

secondary education. The boards, one federal and the remainder provincial, affiliate schools,

implement, regulate and monitor schemes of studies and curricula, and hold Secondary School

Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) exams. Three technical

boards are responsible for vocational and technical education.

2. Enrolment in school

Pakistan had a total of around 155,000 primary schools in 2003-04 with an enrolment of around

19.8 million pupils and 432,000 teachers. Boys' schools comprise around 74,000 institutions,

while girls' schools and mixed schools make up the remaining 81,000 institutions. In government
schools in urban areas 51% of the pupils are boys, while the rate in private schools is about 60%

and 69% in rural areas.

3. Private education

Before 1972, private educational institutions constituted a substantial proportion of the total

educational system of schools and colleges. In 1972 the Pakistan government nationalized all

private educational institutions. Because of a lack of funding for public education, private

educational institutions were again permitted to operate from 1979. The government even

encouraged private enterprises to open educational institutions in rural areas. Non-Governmental

Organizations (NGO) could contractually take over government schools for a prescribed time-

period. Enrolment in private schools is now in the order of 42% of total enrolment and 37% at

the middle school level. At the secondary and higher secondary level, the enrolment in private

education is 30% and 64% respectively. Permission to set up educational institutions is granted

either by the Ministry of Education or the respective Provincial Education Department.

Registered private schools have to follow a government-prescribed curriculum. Enrolment in

private schools is predominant among urban middle and upper income families. Private schools

are considered in general to exhibit better performances than government and state schools, but

the quality of education varies.

4. National Curricula

4. 1 Primary education

Primary education comprises Grades I-V. The language of instruction is either Urdu or the

regional language. The curriculum includes reading, writing, arithmetic, general science, social

studies, Islamic education, and physical education.

4.2 Middle level education Middle level education lasts from Grades VI-VIII. The

curriculum includes the compulsory subjects of Urdu, English, mathematics, sciences, social

studies, and Islamic studies. Non-Muslims are exempt from Islamiyat-Islamic Studies. Instead

they are taught Moral Education.

4.3 Secondary Education

Secondary Education lasts from Grades IX through X. Students can specialize in science,

humanities, or technical streams. Compulsory subjects for all are English, Urdu, Islamiyat,

Pakistan studies and mathematics. In addition, students study the following subjects within the

different streams:

• Science stream: Physics, chemistry and biology/computer science/technical subject

• Humanities stream: General science and two elective subjects/one elective subject and one

technical subject

• Technical stream: General science and two technical subjects.

However, rural areas often offer a limited choice of subjects due to lack of staff and facilities,

such as science labs in science streams. Only 35% out of 9,200 secondary and higher secondary

schools in Pakistan meet the minimum requirements of an equipped laboratory according to

official statistics published in the Education Sector Reforms: Action Plan for 2001/2002 to

2005/2006. The government plans to construct new science labs in about 3,000 schools during

2001-2011. The technical education stream was introduced at the beginning of this century. The

aim is for the technical stream to be available in 1,200 secondary schools, 10 in each district,

preferably five male and five female schools. The technical education stream addresses itself to
those pupils who enter the labour market after Grade X. 34 emerging technology streams are

planned for introduction along with appropriate teaching materials. Students passing the

examination at the end of Grade X are awarded the Secondary School Certificate.

4.4 Higher secondary education

Higher secondary education, sometimes referred to as the "intermediate stage", lasts from Grades

XI to XII. It often takes place at university colleges or similar. According to the UK NARIC,

army public schools, divisional public schools, autonomous colleges and some private sector

institutions are commonly recognized as being more prestigious than government schools. The

earlier term faculty of arts/sciences for higher secondary education is still often used, e.g. in

admission materials from higher education institutions. Regional Boards are granted some

autonomy on the subjects and combinations they may offer.

5. Assessment and Documentation

5. 1 assessment

Pakistan has introduced a continuous assessment and examination system. Pupils are assessed

through course work, class participation, and examinations. However, promotion from one grade

to another is automatic. Examination is conducted by the boards. It consists of question papers

comprising different sections: objective questions, short answer questions and long answer

questions. The final mark is determined by the final set of examinations. Those who fail their

national examinations at the first or "Annual" sitting by three subjects or less are able to retake

the failed subjects, usually for a maximum of two "Supplementary" sittings. If no subjects are

passed after the third and final supplementary, the entire set of examinations must be repeated,

according to information from the UK NARIC. Pass percentages vary according to the district,
gender of the candidate as well as the stream chosen. Statistics from the different boards show

that the highest pass percentages are found within the pre-medical and pre-engineering groups

and within the science group.

5.2 Documentation

The final qualification awarded is either the Intermediate Certificate or the Higher Secondary

School Certificate. The student receives a certificate/diploma with the marks obtained issued by

the relevant Board. The Inter Board Committee of Chairmen might attest the certificate.

6. Degree Structure

6. 1 Undergraduate degree – Bachelor

Traditionally, the Bachelor degrees in arts, science and commerce have been of 2 or 3 years

duration following 10 years of schooling and 2 years of secondary study. This structure, referred

to as 10+2+2 or 10+2+3, is the old Indian structure and goes back to the time when Pakistan and

India were one nation sharing the same educational system.

The 2-year degree, referred to as Bachelor (Pass), consists of three major subjects studied to an

equal extent. The 3-year degree is referred to as Bachelor (Honours). Three subjects are studied

with one major subject chosen for the last year.

Three Bachelor degrees are based on a previous Bachelor degree (Pass or Honours). These are

Bachelor of Law (2 years), Bachelor of Education (1 year) and Bachelor of Library Science (1

year).

The professional bachelor degrees in agriculture, engineering, pharmacy and veterinary medicine

are obtained after 4 years of study. Architecture and medicine require 5 years. Among the

professional programmes, engineering and technology are the most popular.

4-year bachelor degrees have also been introduced in other fields since private, often

Uninfluenced, universities have established themselves in Pakistan. In addition, The

International Islamic University has been offering 4-year bachelor degrees for many years, for

example in the field of economics.

Post-graduate degree - Master One subject in the fields of Arts, Science or Commerce is

studied for 1 or 2 years. The duration of the programme depends on the previous degree (to make

a total of 4 years). The eligibility requirement is a bachelor degree in a relevant field as specified

by the university. The professional master degree is 2 years following a professional bachelor

degree in the same field. A thesis is not always required in order to obtain a master degree. This

depends on the regulations of the individual university or department.

Research degrees - Master of Philosophy (M Phil) The Master of Philosophy is a 2-year

research degree usually involving course work as well as a thesis. The eligibility requirement is a

master degree.
Research degrees - PhD a PhD is a 3-4 years research degree, usually requiring a master degree

as entry level. Some universities, such as the research-oriented Quaid-e-Azam University,

require an M Phil for admission. Students with an M Phil finish their PhD in 2 years.

7. Distance Learning – Open Universities

Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) was chartered in 1974 and is the only Distance learning

University operating in Pakistan. Today students are educated in four faculties at all levels from

Bachelor to PhD. The university also awards diplomas at lower levels as well as secondary and

higher secondary school certificates. The university is funded by government grants and funds

through enrolment fees etc (15%/85% respectively). Education is given through distance studies

and on-line, but the students also meet their teachers regularly in study centers all over the

country. Lab work takes place in 35 different locations that the university manages. Most

programmes are taught in Urdu, with the exception of post-graduate courses, which are taught in

English.

The requirement for degree-level studies is a certificate proving that the applicant has finished

his or her studies at the preceding level. Provided this requirement is met, there is open

admission and no selection of students. However, at post-graduate level and above, admission is

based on selection and merits. Students who have received a Bachelor degree at AIOU are

eligible to apply for post-graduate studies at any other university. Despite the open admissions

procedure, graduates are eligible to universities all over the country. Master level programmes at

AIOU include 1 year of coursework and 1 year of thesis work.

8. Islamic Education

The madrasah system or deeni madaris - religious education institutions focusing on religious

law, teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, classical logic, literature and the Koran - operate in

parallel with the formal education system. Madrasah or deeni madaris have existed for centuries

in the Islamic world, including in Pakistan. The assessment of the function of the madrasah

schools varies. The report “Pakistan, education” by the EC Rapid Reaction Mechanism

Assessment Mission, (2002) argued that the schools might open up and collaborate with the

outside world. In March 2006, an article in Le Monde Diplomatic pointed out a few radical

schools but stressed that the rest of schools primarily serve a religious and educational purpose.

At independence in 1947 there were about 245 madrasahs in Pakistan. The number of madrasahs

has increased since the rule of General Zia ul-Haq (1977-1988). In April 2002, the Minister of

Religious Affairs estimated the number of schools to be about 10,000, with 1.7 million students.

This number however is contested; different sources name figures from 600,000 to 2 million

students.
9. Higher Education

In addition to the establishment of a quality assurance system, many of the other tasks that HEC

has implemented contribute to the development of quality in higher education in the country; for

instance, the standardization of 4-year undergraduate programmes and programmes for

curriculum development where HEC is responsible for overseeing curriculum revision work at

all levels in higher education. Also noteworthy is the programme for faculty development, where

substantial emphasis is placed on developing a strong base of faculty members holding PhDs.

This involves development of scholarship programmes for students to attain PhD degrees both in

Pakistan and abroad. Refresher courses mainly for young teachers have been initiated. These

courses are of three months' duration and cover teaching and learning skills. Programmes for

hiring foreign academics to teach and do research in the country are also of great importance for

the development of quality in education.

9. 1 Quality Assurance Programme

According to information from HEC's website, the mission of the Quality Assurance Programme

is to provide an integrated quality and assurance management service for higher learning. The

objectives are:

• To analyses the gaps in the context of quality of higher education in Pakistan

• To meet the challenges of global compatibility in higher education

• To improve the standards of higher learning in cross-cutting areas

• To develop a viable and sustainable mechanism of quality assurance in the higher education

sector of the country

The Agency shall regulate and facilitate the work of the Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs)

which will gradually be organized in all Pakistani universities. In the first phase, ten QECs will

be established at ten different universities. The remaining universities will be catered for 32 in

the next phases. The QEC will serve as a focal point for Quality Assurance in higher learning.

The following universities were selected for the establishment of QECs:

1. University of Karachi, Karachi

2. Liaqat University of Medial & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Sindh

3. The University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir

4. University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 5. University of the Punjab, Lahore

6. University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore

7. University of Peshawar, Peshawar

8. University of Baluchistan, Quetta

9. Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad

10. National University of Science & Technology, Rawalpindi