National teachers moot: Devolving education was a disaster, says Iqbal

More rhetoric, less concrete proposals floated.

ISLAMABAD:

Though a large number of teachers and government representatives converged on the capital on Thursday to deliberate falling standards of education and other related issues, no concrete proposals were offered by anyone.

The national teachers’ conference was organised by the Alif Ailaan, a campaign that aims to bring education to the forefront of public discourse in Pakistan.

The moot aimed at providing a forum to government schoolteachers to present the issues they face and the reforms they want in the education system.

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said that the government was working on a proposal to cancel the devolution of education under the 18th Amendment and make it a federal concern again.

The minister said that in today’s world, brains eclipsed brawn, but “our clerics are [still] thinking of grabbing mosques of rival sects instead of contemplating on research and innovation”.

He said that in his dissenting note on devolution of education to the provinces under the 18th Amendment, he predicted the move would be disastrous, and it proved true.

“We are looking to undo it to bring uniformity in curriculum. Otherwise, we will end up being a nation with multifaceted education systems,” he said.

He urged teachers to encourage students to ask questions in the classroom and be agents of change.

At the end, the minister drew the ire of some teachers when he said fake degree holders have also crept into their sacred profession through political affiliations. As soon he left the podium, the teachers took strong exception to his remarks, saying it was the politicians who have played havoc with the profession by making political appointments.

The teachers discussed the “Charter of Education”, co-drafted by representatives of over 22 teacher unions and senior educationists. The charter urged the government to relieve teachers of special duties and arrange regular vocational and professional training for them. The signed document was presented to the minister.

He said that they were introducing education systems where political interference will have no place.

Punjab Teachers’ Association President Rana Liaqat urged the government to take concrete measures to improve education standards instead of just passing publicity remarks.

Another teacher from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa shared the story of retired teacher who died a few days back after failing to get her pension on time to pay for her treatment.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 27^th, 2013.