Primary education: Varsity chiefs asked to show the way for schools

The members will come up with concrete recommendations to fix the education system.

LAHORE:

The provincial government has constituted a committee comprising vice chancellors of four public universities to improve the primary and secondary education system in the province.

Government College University Vice Chancellor Muhammad Khaleequr Rahman has been appointed the convener of the committee.

Its members include the King Edward Medical University vice chancellor, the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) vice chancellor and the Information Technology University vice chancellor.

The committee would give a roadmap to improve the education system at secondary and higher levels.



“Educationists are of the view that we need to improve systems at the school level so that students are well prepared for university programmes,” one of the members said.

“The weaknesses need to be fixed… whether in curriculum or teacher training… only then will the universities be able to help the students shine.”

He said no timeframe had been given to the committee. “We will start working soon and try to come up with concrete recommendations to fix problems in the education system,” he said.

The committee member said many talented and bright students came from public schools in the past but not many parents sent their children to these schools nowadays as the standard of education had dropped.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Khaleequr Rehman, the committee’s convener, said it was important that students were “polished” at schools.

“If a VC can visit a school and deliver lectures once or twice a week it will certainly have a great impact,” he said.

“If I go and teach at Central Model School not only the kids will learn but the morale of teachers will also go up…in doing this we will also be paying respect to the [school] teachers,” Rehman said.

The VC said the committee would hold its first meeting soon.

“I am very confident that this committee will do a good job,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26^th, 2013.