ISLAMABAD: One of the problems plaguing our education system is the shortage of qualified and committed teaching staff in government-managed schools and colleges. Pakistan spends less than two per cent of its budget on education. In any case, the bulk of the budgetary allocation for education is eaten away by administrative expenditures including salaries for teachers and administrators. This is an alarming situation. The quality of education imparted in Pakistan is being affected and it seems that the government is doing nothing about it.
No doubt, the private sector is doing what it can to contribute to filling the gap between demand for and supply of education. However, private schools are expensive and usually beyond the reach of most middle and lower-income Pakistani families. So, what is the solution? For one, volunteerism could help the situation of shortage of teaching staff in government educational institutions. And who could volunteer to teach? For starters, I would say that many civil servants who retire at the age of 60 are probably fit and willing to teach in educational institutions. In fact, some of these retired civil servants are quite qualified for teaching in schools and colleges.
Many bureaucrats attend foreign universities for higher education at the expense of the state. However, this training is not properly utilised. After obtaining a degree in economics, an officer may spend most of his time in non-economics related departments. However, after retirement the services of such a civil servant could be used for educating the new generation. Foreign training data is available with the Establishment Division, the Economic Affairs Division and various provincial governments.
The United Nations has launched a volunteer programme for Pakistan. But vacancies of volunteers for education are rarely advertised. Our educational authorities could contact the UN’s Pakistan office in Islamabad in this regard. We must try and come up with all kinds of solutions in this regard because the issue of education and literacy is crucial if a country like Pakistan is to move forward on the road to progress.
Asghar Mahmood
Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2012.
