"You know that importance of education and the right type of education, cannot be over-emphasised.... If we are to make real, speedy and substantial progress, we must earnestly tackle this question ... having regard to the modern conditions and vast developments that have taken place all over the world".
Quaid-i-Azam
Pakistan was created in the name of Islam under the outstanding leadership of Quaid-i-Azam. The Quran placed great emphasis on education. The Quaid as quoted above also highlighted its importance for the new nation. Unfortunately, despite high and repeated rhetoric, education remained the most neglected aspect of national life during the last half century. The literacy level are low, the female literacy levels are among the lowest in the world and the lowest in the Muslim countries. The emphasis in education is still on a general and liberal type of B.A. or M.A. degree. The change towards scientific and technical education has still not taken place. The quality of education is low, the teachers are under-paid, under-trained and dispirited. The students are apathetic as they see no relationship between education and higher earnings or status in the society.
A few decades ago education was sought for cultural, religious and social progress. In 1960s, the pioneering work of Schultz and Becker working on the concept of investment in human capital proved that a high level of education is a necessary condition for economic growth and no country can make significant economic progress if majority of its citizens are illiterate. The rapid progress of East Asian Countries is largely attributed to their excellent system of education.
Despite the exhortation of Quran and the Quaid as well as the international experience of education promoting rapid economic growth. Pakistan's planners continued to allocate insufficient resources for education, especially for primary education. Moreover. the money allocated was not effectively spent. The hostility of the feudals and the indifference of the educated elite (who educated their children in English medium schools in Pakistan and sent them abroad for higher education) are primarily responsible for the neglect of education in Pakistan.
As we are on the threshold of a new millennium, we must turn towards the high road of education, knowledge, leaning, sciences and technology. We are living in an age revolution through knowledge. It is only by education at all levels, specially technical education that Pakistan can enter the privileged club of developed nations.
I. HISTORICAL REVIEW OF RHETORIC WITHOUT ACTION ON EDUCATION
Over the last fifty years a number of attempts have been made to analyse the educational problems of Pakistan and to devise a proper strategy for following the advice of the Founder of the Nation. It would be pertinent to briefly describe the aims and purposes which the education policy documents of the Government of Pakistan from time to time have targeted for achievement. Since independence almost a dozen educational reports and four major education policies have been produced. A chronology of these reports and policies is given below:
All-Pakistan Education Conference 1947
The importance of education was fully realised soon after the establishment of Pakistan. The All Pakistan Education Conference was convened in 1947, at the behest of Quaid-i-Azam. He provided the basic guidelines for future education development by stressing, inter-alia, that the system of education should suit the genius of our people, it should be consonant with our history and culture and instil the highest sense of honour, integrity, responsibility and sellless service to the nation. It should also provide scientific and technical knowledge for economic uplift of the new state. The Conference therefore, made three basic recommendations: (a) education should be inspired by Islam; (b) free and compulsory elementary education; and (c) emphasis on technical education.
National Education Conference 1951
The National Education Conference held in 1951, led to the formulation of a Six Year National Plan for Educational Development by translating various objectives into physical and financial targets. Nevertheless, it failed to evoke political commitment and financial resources for achieving its objectives. However, due to sheet pressure of numbers arising out of influx of displaced persons from India, there was substantial expansion in enrolments at all levels during the period 1947-55 and increase in overall expenditure. This expansion proceeded at the cost of quality as over half of school teachers were untrained, classrooms over-crowded and equipment highly depleted. The deluge of numbers seeking admissions led the education system to expand at the cost of quality and ideological orientation of free independent Pakistan. There pre-independence colonial pattern of education underwent no structural change and was in fact further strengthened.
National Commission on Education 1959
The Ayub era saw high-level commissions to examine and guide all walks of life. Education being a very important aspect of national development received priority during this period. The National Commission on Education dealt comprehensively with the system of education and made recommendations to emphasise (a) character development through compulsory religious instructions, (b) compulsory schooling for age group 6-11 within 10 years and for 11-14 within 15 years (c) diversification of curricula to introduce technical/vocational subjects in secondary stages and enhancement of middle level technical (poly-technical) education (d) extension of degree programmes at the Bachelor's level from 2 to 3 years. The Commission's recommendations were incorporated in the Second Five-Year Plan (1960-65) which provided enhanced allocations to education as a whole and specially for primary and technical education. Quantitatively, the Plan was an exceptional success, as its implementation was upto 96 percent of planned investments. Nevertheless, the targets for primary education and technical education were still far from fulfilment. Qualitatively, curriculum revisions were made to emphasise ideology and modern concepts in sciences and technical subjects, yet these were introduced without adequate preparations and failed to give the desired results. The recommendation to prolong the BA/B.Sc. studies by another one year triggered students unrest and vitiated the whole report of the Commission. Another Commission was appointed in 1964, to look into the problems of students, manifested by the growth of student indiscipline and rapid deterioration of educational standards.
This Commission stressed the role of education in creating unity and the idea of nationhood among the people of Pakistan and inculcating the moral and spiritual values of Islam. This combined with the freedom, integrity and strength of Pakistan should be the ideology which inspire our educational system. The Commission rightly emphasised that education is a public investment which should be used as a vehicle to create a welfare state whose foremost objectives should be to constantly improve the standard of living of the common people.
Education Policy and Nationalisation 1972
Quaid-i-Azam
Pakistan was created in the name of Islam under the outstanding leadership of Quaid-i-Azam. The Quran placed great emphasis on education. The Quaid as quoted above also highlighted its importance for the new nation. Unfortunately, despite high and repeated rhetoric, education remained the most neglected aspect of national life during the last half century. The literacy level are low, the female literacy levels are among the lowest in the world and the lowest in the Muslim countries. The emphasis in education is still on a general and liberal type of B.A. or M.A. degree. The change towards scientific and technical education has still not taken place. The quality of education is low, the teachers are under-paid, under-trained and dispirited. The students are apathetic as they see no relationship between education and higher earnings or status in the society.
A few decades ago education was sought for cultural, religious and social progress. In 1960s, the pioneering work of Schultz and Becker working on the concept of investment in human capital proved that a high level of education is a necessary condition for economic growth and no country can make significant economic progress if majority of its citizens are illiterate. The rapid progress of East Asian Countries is largely attributed to their excellent system of education.
As we are on the threshold of a new millennium, we must turn towards the high road of education, knowledge, leaning, sciences and technology. We are living in an age revolution through knowledge. It is only by education at all levels, specially technical education that Pakistan can enter the privileged club of developed nations.
I. HISTORICAL REVIEW OF RHETORIC WITHOUT ACTION ON EDUCATION
Over the last fifty years a number of attempts have been made to analyse the educational problems of Pakistan and to devise a proper strategy for following the advice of the Founder of the Nation. It would be pertinent to briefly describe the aims and purposes which the education policy documents of the Government of Pakistan from time to time have targeted for achievement. Since independence almost a dozen educational reports and four major education policies have been produced. A chronology of these reports and policies is given below:
Report/Policy Year --All Pakistan Education Conference 1947 --Education Conference 1951 --National Commission on Education 1959 --Education Policy with Nationalisation 1972 --National Education Policy 1979 --Education Policy 1992 * There have been three major education policies as indicated in bold type above.The main areas of emphasis in all these reports and policies are: (a) the ideological basis; (b) national unity; (c) individual development; (d) social development (e) economic progress; (f) equality of opportunity for education; (g) emphasising vocational education; and (h), above all, improving the spread and quality of education at different levels.
All-Pakistan Education Conference 1947
The importance of education was fully realised soon after the establishment of Pakistan. The All Pakistan Education Conference was convened in 1947, at the behest of Quaid-i-Azam. He provided the basic guidelines for future education development by stressing, inter-alia, that the system of education should suit the genius of our people, it should be consonant with our history and culture and instil the highest sense of honour, integrity, responsibility and sellless service to the nation. It should also provide scientific and technical knowledge for economic uplift of the new state. The Conference therefore, made three basic recommendations: (a) education should be inspired by Islam; (b) free and compulsory elementary education; and (c) emphasis on technical education.
National Education Conference 1951
The National Education Conference held in 1951, led to the formulation of a Six Year National Plan for Educational Development by translating various objectives into physical and financial targets. Nevertheless, it failed to evoke political commitment and financial resources for achieving its objectives. However, due to sheet pressure of numbers arising out of influx of displaced persons from India, there was substantial expansion in enrolments at all levels during the period 1947-55 and increase in overall expenditure. This expansion proceeded at the cost of quality as over half of school teachers were untrained, classrooms over-crowded and equipment highly depleted. The deluge of numbers seeking admissions led the education system to expand at the cost of quality and ideological orientation of free independent Pakistan. There pre-independence colonial pattern of education underwent no structural change and was in fact further strengthened.
National Commission on Education 1959
The Ayub era saw high-level commissions to examine and guide all walks of life. Education being a very important aspect of national development received priority during this period. The National Commission on Education dealt comprehensively with the system of education and made recommendations to emphasise (a) character development through compulsory religious instructions, (b) compulsory schooling for age group 6-11 within 10 years and for 11-14 within 15 years (c) diversification of curricula to introduce technical/vocational subjects in secondary stages and enhancement of middle level technical (poly-technical) education (d) extension of degree programmes at the Bachelor's level from 2 to 3 years. The Commission's recommendations were incorporated in the Second Five-Year Plan (1960-65) which provided enhanced allocations to education as a whole and specially for primary and technical education. Quantitatively, the Plan was an exceptional success, as its implementation was upto 96 percent of planned investments. Nevertheless, the targets for primary education and technical education were still far from fulfilment. Qualitatively, curriculum revisions were made to emphasise ideology and modern concepts in sciences and technical subjects, yet these were introduced without adequate preparations and failed to give the desired results. The recommendation to prolong the BA/B.Sc. studies by another one year triggered students unrest and vitiated the whole report of the Commission. Another Commission was appointed in 1964, to look into the problems of students, manifested by the growth of student indiscipline and rapid deterioration of educational standards.
This Commission stressed the role of education in creating unity and the idea of nationhood among the people of Pakistan and inculcating the moral and spiritual values of Islam. This combined with the freedom, integrity and strength of Pakistan should be the ideology which inspire our educational system. The Commission rightly emphasised that education is a public investment which should be used as a vehicle to create a welfare state whose foremost objectives should be to constantly improve the standard of living of the common people.
Education Policy and Nationalisation 1972
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