For the love of education: Malala school yet to live up to namesake’s standards

KARACHI:

Pakistan’s youngest Nobel laureate loves Physics. However, at a public school named after Malala Yousufzai in Saddar, the class six students only know 30% of their science and 13% of their math curriculum.

In 2013, Sindh Education department’s reform support unit, in collaboration with the Institute of Business Administration in Sukkur, had conducted large-scale Standardised Achievement Tests based on the national curriculum in all 23 Sindh districts to gauge the students’ learning outcomes in math, science and languages prior to class six.



The statistics this survey revealed about the standards maintained at the school named after Malala, in particular, and the rest of the schools in Sindh were dismal to say the least. The expected learning outcomes in Sindh’s public schools stood at a cumulative score of 22%, with 32% in languages, 19% in science, and 15% in math, shared Saba Mahmood, who heads the Sindh Education department’s reform support unit.



These students in the province are considered the fortunate ones as they are among 60% of children aged between five and 16 years who go to school. The remaining 40%, who are around 4.1 million in number, are currently out of school, according to the recently formulated Sindh Education Sector Plan 2014-2018.

Naming the school

The Government Girls’ Secondary School on Mission Road where over 400 students study, according to the Secondary Education Management Information System records, was renamed ‘Malala Yousufzai Government Girls’ Secondary School’ on February 6, 2012, soon after she defied the Taliban’s decree against education in Swat.



This initiative taken by the former provincial education minister, Pir Mazharul Haq, looked good on paper but it hasn’t amounted to much despite the institution’s elevation to a higher secondary school after she was shot and injured by the Taliban.

Taking Peace Prize forward

Pakistan People Party’s co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari believes that the Nobel Peace Prize, which Malala won on Friday, is not only a “recognition of Malal’s courage in standing up to the bigot and narrow-minded but also a stinging rebuff to the extremists and militants who reject girls’ education.”

However, Alif Ailaan’s campaign director Mosharraf Zaidi wonders if this prize will end up changing the status of education in Sindh - the province having the second largest number of ghost schools and teachers.

“The track record of Pakistani leaders shows they are pleased to engage in photo opportunities with Malala because she is an international star,” Zaidi pointed out. “ But they do nothing to fulfil their duty to all other Pakistani children. The country is already suffering because it is poorly educated. The future is bleak unless there is immediate action.”



He added that Malala could only do so much; the real work and responsibility lies with the elected leaders. “With or without the Nobel Prize, young Malala Yousufzai is an inspirational Pakistani,” said Zaidi. “Unfortunately, the attention Malala has received will not be enough to shame Pakistani leaders into doing more for education.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2014.