Education: a case of disregard, ignorance and lack of determination.

Following the political rallies and speeches of political leaders over the past few years individually, one is forced, compel to yet again come to the unlikable conclusion to no one cares about education. There seems to be no policy road map about how to educate our country’s masses.

There seems to be and give the impression that no commitment to finding a long-term solution to our education requirements. One is forced to conclude that education is not a priority. One is forced to realize and understand that for the youth of this country the viewpoint looks unwelcoming. One can hammer in these statistics, facts, and figures as much as possible but does not make a great difference. 

We are only sending three to four percent of our children to higher education, and our high school enrollment rate stands at fewer than 25%. Yet, what is even more striking as always is that there never seems to be much difference among the majority educated and uneducated.

I would like to focus on the quality of the education that is being provided to our children at the secondary and intermediate levels. Article 25-A of the constitution of Pakistan describes that The state shall provide free and compulsory education to all youngsters the age of five to sixteen years in such a way as may be determined by the law of the country.

Regrettably, most of our lawmakers and political leaders do not care about this issue and this subject matter, it is a serious matter. They do not have a bestowed concentration in it.

Three fundamental changes are required in our public sector education system books, exams, and teachers. Other issues such as big buildings or grounds and so on are issues that I will not disagree with, but they are the somewhat icing on the cake and not the cake itself. The examination system is awful. What kind of exams asks the same questions like those given in the book? The exams that we manage most of our youngsters.

The examinations have become simple tests of memory and not tests of concepts and understanding. Besides, it is not just that exams are different for different boards in the country, but they are also marked in the most unprofessional of ways. The conduct of exams is also one, which promotes cheating and encourages unfair means of gaining an advantage. What is needed is one examination board or maybe two organized at the federal level. An exam board, which is recognized globally and locally.

It is forever and a day depressing when on international university websites you can see that FA/F Sc. students are believed to not have the basic criteria to pursue undergraduate studies abroad. One exam board will mean that all children all over the country will be studying a single curriculum, and no individual will be dishonestly benefited by giving papers from one board not the other. It will also ensure exam quality, and the focus of this board requirement to be testing understanding, not rote learning.

The board should be run by a professional organization for example the HEC, which can enlist its examiners and ensure expertise in exams carry out. I would be grateful for the steps the Aga Khan board has taken in this regard, but regrettably, it has not been adopted commonly. The government needs to endorse and approve this federal exam board and make it compulsory throughout the educational institutes of Pakistan.

The quality of books available from diverse boards in the country is unsatisfactory. The simplest of mistakes have not been fixed in years of revisions and the importance and stress on rote learning remain observable. Having one curriculum, which will be set by the suggested exam board, will mean and signify that quality books can be produced cheaply. Initially, there will be no need to produce many books for the same subject just because they are to be used in different provinces.

This will bring down expenses and the money can be spent on producing better quality books. To be honest, currently one does not even need to produce new books when so many quality books are available in the marketplace. One book or group of suggested books by the board will ensure substandard or below equality, books are not being used. This will also assist end the “key books” market, which flourishes, on the examination systems test of questions in the book.

Thirdly, when the exams begin focusing on understanding more willingly than rote learning, teachers will be forced to change their teaching pattern. The examination board must likewise be responsible for the arrangement of teacher training workshops around the country to increase teaching quality levels.

Examiners from Cambridge international exams hold teaching workshops around the world, including Pakistan, to help improve teaching standards. Why can’t we do the same in our homeland? Until or unless the teaching paradigm in Pakistan changes from rote learning and by the book to creative thinking and perceptive, we will only be producing “clerks” as the public speaking goes not future leaders, innovators, and thinkers.

These three things originally must change if we are to see progress not only in education but also in the country as a whole. However, miserably all of this comes down to the political will, determination, and motivation of our lawmakers and political leaders. Maybe, there should be a law passed which states that our lawmakers and political leaders can only educate their children in public sector institutions, perhaps only then we will see the political will we require to refurbish the education system in Pakistan.