SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
Major reforms in the governance of Pakistan’s education sector and an “all-hands-on-deck” approach are needed to improve the dismal situation of the country’s education sector. The dismal state of education in Pakistan has resulted in an increase in illiteracy rate; Pakistan is in the 174 position of literacy rate. The total literacy ration 46% Pakistan is too, weak. According to the expert analysis of education Pakistan, which is the 7th atomic power in the world and 1st in Muslim countries could not bring changes in education. According to Tribune “A review of the six ‘Education For All’ goals from 2000 to 2015 has been disappointing on many ends and encouraging on a few notes, with Pakistan only being able to reduce the gender gap”. According to the EFA Development Index, Pakistan ranks 106 out of 113 countries only above Eritrea, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. Similarly, despite Pakistan’s annual economic growth being 4.1 per cent, growth in expenditure on education is less than 2.5 per cent. According to the report, the primary school enrolment rate in the country has not seen a significant improvement over the last four years. Even more alarming, enrolment at high schools has actually declined slightly since 2012-2013, falling from 2,835,326 to 2,318,840 students in 2013-2014. Only 52 per cent of the countries achieved the universal primary education goal while only 10 per cent are close and the remaining 38 per cent are far from achieving it, including Pakistan. In order to achieve the goals set by the government there needs drastic changes. District governments should be made the focal point for primary and secondary education. Students from low-income households should be allowed to opt for private schools with financial support from education departments, he said. “Such a move would encourage parents from poor households to send their children to school rather than subjecting them to child labour.” Pakistan should also focus on performance-based promotion of teachers, separate training for management positions in schools and non-homogenization of teachers’ pay-scales. Until Pakistan takes serious steps to bring revolution in education, such goals could never be achieved.
pakistan.shafaqna.com
