One of the bigger challenges for Pakistan is a lack of quality education and good teachers
PESHAWAR: Every year, the United Nations celebrates October 5 as World Teachers’ Day. Held annually since 1994, the World Teachers’ Day marks the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/Unesco recommendation concerning the status of teachers. This recommendation sets a benchmark for the rights and responsibilities of teachers.
Every year, Pakistan has also celebrated World Teachers’ Day. Events are held and teachers are remembered and appreciated for their contribution to society. Lots of promises are made, at the time, by the ruling government but nothing has actually been done.
Teaching is one of the most respected professions in the country, yet ironically it is also one of the most poorly-paid.
There are more private-sector teachers than compared to the public sector. Both sectors have their issues. Teachers in the public sector complain of the lack of merit in their promotions, the absence of a clear career path as well as highly poor working condition. In the private sector, most of the teachers have complained that they do not get paid on time, even after working countless hours. Private-sector teachers are deprived of basic facilities and have no incentive to do better. The working conditions in most schools in both the public and private sectors are poor with crumbling infrastructure.
We need to improve the working conditions of teachers drastically. Not only should their salaries be set much higher but there should be standardisation of work pay and allowances for both the private and public sector teachers. There is a lot of money in education and it is wrong to believe that the sector cannot afford quality. One of the biggest challenges for Pakistan is the lack of good teachers. But we can attract competent people if we pay them well and on time. We need to introduce a system which rewards those who deserve it. It is the need of the hour to work together in this regard and tackle the issue because our future generation depends on this.
Ansar Ahmad Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2019.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
