It is incumbent on those engaged in policymaking to focus on quality of education in public-sector institutions
ISLAMABAD: The education sector continues to be a victim of utter neglect. The quality of education in public-sector educational institutions of our country is deplorable. Its unfortunate that even after almost seven decades of our existence, no one at the helm has ever bothered to keep tabs on this critical issue and resolve it with a sense of commitment and responsibility. The situation in other South Asian countries is not any better either. According to a World Bank report, surveys from India and Pakistan confirm that the performance of teachers is abysmally poor in mathematics and language tests based on the curriculum they are supposed to teach. It wouldn’t, therefore, be inappropriate to say that ensuring quality in education is one of the most critical challenges that South Asian countries are confronted with today.
One of the areas prioritised by the World Bank report on quality education is that learning outcomes should become the central goal of education policy. Student learning in South Asia is lagging behind when it comes to conforming to international standards. According to some assessments, the report says, about one-third of primary school students lack the minimum level of numeracy and literacy skills needed to further their education in higher classes. The report emphasises that “schooling is successful when it enables students to lead fuller lives — as individuals and as labour market participants. For this to happen, merely spending time in school is not enough; there has to be a significant gain in cognitive and non-cognitive skills.” Yet another area prioritised by the report is “teacher effectiveness and accountability”. The report highlights that level of motivation and methodology of teaching are two important determinants of teachers’ effectiveness. Teachers in Pakistan are found deficient on both these counts. They are a highly demotivated group. It seems as if the teaching profession has been thrust upon them. The reasons for this demotivation are obvious and need no further elaboration.
The gravity of the situation makes it incumbent on those engaged in policymaking in the education sector in the country to put their heads together and find out as to what should be done to deal with this gargantuan challenge; a challenge that continues to unabatedly confront Pakistan.
M Fazal Elahi
Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2016.
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