Iqbal had raised concerns during debate on the devolution of education under the 18th Amendment. PHOTO: FILE
The government is considering revising the Education Policy 2009 after the devolution of several ministries and its role in new scenario.
Minister of State for Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education Balighur Rehman told The Express Tribune that they are considering revision of the policy even though all the provinces endorsed it after the passage of 18th Amendment in 2010.
The Education Policy 2009 was the last policy formulated by the Pakistan Peoples Party government, and following devolution, the provinces have started asking for a review of the policy.
“We are doing so for more coherence, clarity of goals and addition of new reforms,” he said.
Rehman reckoned that there were several points in the policy that need to be revisited, for instance, the target of spending seven per cent of tax gross domestic product (GDP) on education.
He said the target was a bit unrealistic because in most of the developing countries the number is four percent. “This year the government is expecting tax to GDP ratio of about nine per cent so how could it be possible that seven per cent is spent on education,” he said, adding, “Even the United Nations figure is four per cent.” And this is what this government intending to implement, the minister remarked.
About other steps in the policy revamp, he said they would be focusing on technical education and vocational training across the country.
According to Rehman, the review will be made with the help of the provinces, the ministry at federal level, the newly-formed advisory body on education and the interprovincial education ministers meeting.
Besides, he added that the formulation of the National Curriculum Council was underway with the help of provincial education ministers. He said the next meeting of ministers will be held in July.
The last such meeting was held in Islamabad in February, with the provinces agreeing to work in cooperation with the federal government for uniform curriculum and formulating minimum standards of basic functions in education.
On the other hand, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has also written a letter to all the education ministers and chief ministers of the four provinces to address uniform curriculum, issue of language, Millennium Development Goals, ethics and value instruction in schools. “The forum of interprovincial education ministers with a permanent secretariat can be a solution to this problem,” he had concluded.
Iqbal had raised concerns during debate on the devolution of education under the 18th Amendment, while Rehman had been of the view that at least some elements of education should stay with the centre for national cohesion and unity.
On the other hand, in recent standing committee on education sessions, senators Afrasiab Khattak and Raza Rabbani strongly opposed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz efforts to “undo” the devolution of health and education.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2014.
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