I would like to suggest the following approaches for improvement of the education system in Pakistan. These approaches can be implemented by the government later on but its pre-requisite is the good governance by our politicians:-
1. Gradual Approach
Most of our policies have crescendo approach as every new government changes its policies according to its choice. The variation in policies must be discouraged. Most of our policies are a sudden jump to achieve the targets. For example the present government has decided to bring at par public sector schools and private sector schools within one year. It is an uphill task. We should take some required steps for implementation of this policy. It was the duty of the government that all the requisite steps should be taken before its announcement. All of sudden schools and colleges could not be stressed for adopting English as a medium of instruction.
first of all curriculum must be designed such so that the student become able to understand and speak English. Furthermore, the professional teachers and the required advance facilities along-with their up-gradation should be provided to schools/colleges in villages of the backward areas.It was therefore, necessary the English as a medium of instruction should be begin from the primary classes.
2. Brain Gain
It will be highly fruitful if the Higher Education Commission encourage the position holder students of intermediate level by sending them to foreign developed countries under their strict observations and conditions, to acquire higher education with full benefits and facilities and bound them to return back after completion of their study. For example China adopts the same strategy to meet the global competitiveness and achieve its goal.
3. Hiring of elite school’s Professional teachers for teaching
It is suggested that faculty of private schools like City, Becon, Roots etc. may be hired in spite of providing from government sector in remote areas. In this way the will be responsible to improve the systems of those schools along with preparing reports over various issues related to the area and the school problems.
4. Recruitment of Teachers must be on merit
Teaching is the toughest profession and it is not easy as much it is considered in our country. The selection of the teachers on the basis of nepotism and favoritism must be discouraged. The policy must be formulated on the principle of of right person on the right place. As in the developed countries the cream of the people adopt this noble profession whereas in our country the only those persons come in this field who failed to get job in any other field. The selection of teachers must be on merit through Public Service Commission. The salaries must be enhanced, other extra benefits and facilities may be given to the teachers which will cause an attraction and they also do their job with full devotion. Concepts developed by teachers from very early life used by one in whole life. A good teacher play an important role in grooming the students. In this way better result can be achieved for improvement of the education .
5. Training of Teachers
Government should improve the training system with comparing its training mode with training of elite schools teachers. Or government should hire the trainers from elite school’s trainers to improve whole training program. In this way a very simple girls and boys having qualifications from public sector schools able to become excellent teachers after training thorough elite school trainers, therefore government should use this existing resource to improve teachers standard. Through refreshers courses it can also be improved.
6. Training of Parents by Establishment of institute and adult literacy schools
There is no concept of the training of parents in our country whereas in developed countries besides teacher’s training there is strong concentration on parents training. As the children passed only 8 to 6 hours with teachers and remaining 16 hours with parents. It is the psychoy of children learn from all sorts of activities and experiences in their life therefore there is a dire need to improve their all teachers (parents are real teachers). Parents should be trained that how should they behave with their children in different matters, how could they create tolerance and democratic attitude in their children. Connecticut Commission on Children develops PLTI (parents leadership training institute) in 1992 in USA to enable parents to become leading advocates of children. Government should go through the documents of PLTI and other such organizations and develop parents training institute. Being illiterate and having rigid customs Pakistani parents are unable to guide their children and to develop tolerant minds. Most of the parents unable to understand the tracks of their children and strictly push them towards own wills and which causes destruction number of generations in our country. In childhood parents mostly use unparliamentary language with children and mostly punish them without any fault. Parents do not care that how much their attitude effects children moral life. Hence government should put special concentration on this matter.
Besides illiterate parents can get educated through promotion of adult education. In this respect the opportunities may be provided to the parent by establishment of institutes for adult education. Resultantly , the parent can play a vital role for improvement of education.
7. Betterment of parent’s teacher’s coordination
While teaching in elite schools for several years and then in orphan school for one year I observe in both environments that there is strong lack of teachers and parents coordination. Teachers mostly blame parents and parents always blame teachers. However, they should sit together to understand the real problems of students. Most of the parents thought that teacher do not like their child, and they willfully neglect, him and do not give him position. Such attitude of parents should be improved through training. In public sector schools, parent’s teacher’s coordination is about absent. Private schools have their proper calendar for parent’s teachers meeting but public sectors do not give any importance to this matter. Public schools should strictly bind to manage PTMs and submit reports on them.
8. Adoption of Unified curriculum
Integrated curriculum should be developed after considering curriculum of elite schools and public sector schools as well as Madrassa’s curriculum (to integrate Islamic education in curriculum and reduce madrassa system). Besides this repetition of various concepts should be minimized for example, students have to study about seasons both in social studies and science. They have to study about Seerat-e-Nabi both in Urdu and Islamiyat. Repetition increases text burden on students without increasing knowledge. Therefore subjects should be integrated in one broad category, to minimize number of subjects by increasing quantity of knowledge delivery. Integrated curriculum is more beneficial for improvement the standard of education.
Very informative Post Sir