EDUCATIONAL RENAISSANCE

EDUCATIONAL RENAISSANCE IN PAKISTAN & FORMATION OF THE TALENT’S POOL

Introduction

a.       Education is a living system that gets impacted by the environment within which it exists. These environmental factors can be domestic as well as international. Changes in technology, business systems and general global environment, all require the response from change in the education system. The element of continuity and change remains perpetual and it is up to a society to determine its pace and direction to remain in phase with the global environment.

b.       The loss of uniformity in our educational system is best evidenced in the lack of beneficial and synergetic linkages between the Technical, Vocational, Professional and scientific education sub sectors. If Pakistan has to become a talent rich country, it needs to integrate and get all the four with the national educational system, which is adversely lacking. Although Govt. endeavored but instead of blending they made four Iceland, which had not only hampered the optimum educational benefits but also slow down the demographic transition.

c.       The unity of objectives of our educational efforts - is it in the public or private sector - is spelt through the over-arching principles of access, quality, affordability and relevance. The educational system should have been used as a tool of social progress and of all round development in an increasingly globalized and competitive world.

d.       English is an international language, and important for competition in a globalized world order. Urdu is our national language that connects people all across Pakistan and is a symbol of national cohesion and integration. In addition, there are mother tongues / local vernaculars in the country that are markers of ethnic and cultural richness and diversity. The challenge is that a child is able to carry forward the cultural assets and be at the same time able to compete nationally and internationally. Our labour force is constantly becoming victim to European, USA, Canada & UK policies in-spite of shouldering against the War of Terrorism. Demographic transition to these countries is drastically reduced, which will affect economical stability of Pakistan in near future. While considering Globalization and Competitiveness, we do forget Arabic which is a language of Arabian Peninsula where most of the Pakistani labours are employed since last four decades & still it is largest market for us.

e.       There are solid reasons for the reaffirmation. New research provides convincing evidence of education’s contribution to both economic and social development, which can be achieved simultaneously because the processes of economic growth and social development are interlinked. There are close links between equity in educational opportunities and equitable income distribution and income growth. If the education system is constructed on a divisive basis the divisions it creates can endanger long run economic growth as well as stability of society. An unjust society creates an unstable society and an unstable society cannot sustain stable long term growth.

OBJECTIVES: Our OBJECTIVES are:

1.            COHERENCE IN EDUCATION The objective of the unity of Education (Technical, Vocational and Professional, scientific or general education) is the preparation of a self-reliant individual, capable of analytical and original thinking, a responsible member of his community and, in the present era, a global citizen. It is imperative to identify and, possibly define, the touchstone for development of the child as a member of society. Each culture has its own ethos that bears relevance for its individual constituents. The challenge today is to secure values without regressing into unnecessary anachronism and parochial insularity. The other relevance of education is its ability to provide an opportunity to earn a living. Education should be able to increase the earning potential of the individual who is literate; irrespective of the eventual vocation opted for. Almost 60% to 70% students leave school due to examination drop-out or economical reason at Secondary School level. Our teaching at the primary, secondary and higher secondary level shall become more relevant to the needs of the labour market in order to better prepare those students not continuing further studies. This could involve short assignments with the local enterprises and institutions or “job shadowing’ approaches to familiarize students with the work environment. A career guidance and service shall be introduced at primary & secondary level.

2.            RECUPERATION OF LITERACY Literacy leads to lifelong learning process and thus contributes significantly for sustainable human development. It empowers individuals, groups and nations to participate effectively and positively in the development of the society and the economy. The progress of a country largely depends on the number and quality of its literate population. . There are multiple causes of low literacy: social taboos, poverty, child labour, and illiteracy of the parents/families and institutional weaknesses. Efforts to combat illiteracy have been half hearted, disjointed and not suited to local conditions and requirements. Pakistan like many other developing countries is in dire need to educate and train its human capital on urgent basis. This is the only mean to develop and expand the potential capacity of its economy. It is strongly felt that the needs and consequent learning process for youth and adults are different from those who study in formal system. The consideration necessitates
Ø Development of a specific curriculum.
Ø A different set of learning material.
Ø Teaching methodology for Non-Formal Education.
Ø Adult literacy progrmames.

3.    EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

a.   Early Childhood Education (ECE) confers benefits to the child’s cognitive development and better social and emotional adaptation. Neurological studies have found that children’s brain development has particularly high potential around age-3, when appropriate stimulating learning environment, which can just as well be playing activity, can increase the physical size of the brain itself. In economic terms, there are long-term positive effects of ECE on employment, labour force participation and earnings. The broader social impacts include better health, lower incidence of antisocial behaviour and greater civic participation.

b.   Improvements in quality of ECE shall be based on a concept of holistic development of the child that provides a stimulating, interactive environment, including play, rather than a focus on regimes that require rote learning rigid achievement standards. The ECE age group shall be recognized as comprising 3 to 5 years. At least one year pre-primary education shall be provided to ECE shall be ensured within the next ten years.

c.   Assessment system currently suffers from several deficiencies in promoting quality education. The one with more sinister outcomes is the practice of rote learning which stops the mental growth of the child and blocks innovative learning. Efforts have to be made to address this issue and need for inculcating critical and analytical thinking skills for producing life-long independent learners have to be emphasized. These can be used to measure overall system efficiency as well as individual students’ performance for movement in the education system. Assessment mechanism should be such that analytical thinking and critical reflections are tapped and encouraged. Multiple assessment tools in addition to traditional examinations shall be explored, to ensure the right balance between the uses of formative assessment approaches combined with the collective approach of high-stakes examinations.

4.    EDUCATION IN EMERGENCIES Pakistan has endured large scale emergencies in recent years and along with other aspects of life, education has suffered greatly through inadequate planning. Pakistan’s education system has not recognized the need for preparation of individuals and groups to grapple with the demands of emergencies through organized and effective responses. Credible rehabilitation and disaster management plans need to be put in place to ensure early restoration of education service. School education must prepare pupils for organized, ameliorative responses.

5.    QUALITY OF EDUCATION Defining quality is elusive but some parameters will need to be drawn. There is an impending need to debate and agree on what constitutes quality at each stage of education and the system overall. Improving quality requires action in the areas of teacher quality, curriculum, textbooks, assessment approaches, and in learning environment and facilities. It is experienced that close to 2/3rd of children’s performance in early schooling depends on factors outside the school, namely on the home environment, the socio-economic status of parents, parents education particularly the mother’s, and the learning resources available at home, of the remaining 1/3rd, teacher quality and leadership at school are believed to be the more important factors. Most of the inputs in the system have an impact on quality. However, there are five- six basic pillars that have the major contribution. These are curriculum, textbooks, assessments, teachers, the learning environment in an institution and relevance of education to practical life/labour market. The reform of teaching quality is of the highest priority.

6.    QUALITY OF TEACHERS There is a consensus that the quality of teachers in the public sector is unsatisfactory. Teaching has become the employment of last resort of most educated young people specially females. We have to select exceptionally good teachers who have teaching aptitude with ability to handle maximum subjects of a class and can speak English fluently. So we should preferably have one teacher one class for Primary Section.

7.    CURRICULUM Curriculum is the guide that delineates the learning path of a student. Normally a curriculum should have the teacher as the Center but textbooks development appears to be the only activity flowing from the curriculum. Curriculum development shall be objective driven and outcome based. It shall focus on learning outcomes rather than content. It shall closely reflect important social issues; provide more room for developing the capacity for self-directed learning, the spirit of inquiry, critical thinking, problem-solving and team-work; and local contextual material. Curriculum shall emphasize the fundamental rights guaranteed to the citizens of Pakistan, so that each individual shall develop within himself/herself and the society at large, a civic culture be strong enough to withstand any extra constitutional interference which threatens those rights. Environmental education shall be made an integral part of early education. Curriculum shall include health education. English, Urdu, Islamiat and Social Study like subjects should have stories of great people who had dedicated their life for the social, environmental, technical, medical and educational betterment for humanity, in order to initiate psychological inspiration of our students. Practical learning has more weightage over theory. To improve the curriculum consultations with teachers, administrators, educationists, curriculum experts and students; field visits to collect feedback from teachers and students and preparation of a uniform curriculum format consisting of standards, benchmarks and learning outcomes are the vital parts.

8.    LINGUISTIC AMALGAMATION Urdu being National Language could not get its right place due to its non-acceptance as scientific and technological language, not only at world forum but also as official language of Pakistan. Regional languages also hampered the developments of National Language. This eccentric situation adversely affected our educational progress. The upper class preferred English as educational language and flourished in all walk of life. Thus an inherent barrier took place between two (Urdu & English) educational systems. Though Educationists proclaim that education must be imparted in mother tongue. On the other hand they forget that it is only pertinent for developed countries, under-develop countries had to get education in an internationally recognized language in which scientific and technological development is taking place. Urdu being the language of soldier of past has ist marvelous ability like English to amalgamate others languages, i.e glass, barrel, railway station. Loudspeaker, oxygen, carbon dioxide, factory, flour-mill etc. So it seems possible to use maximum English words in educational teaching so that communication gap between the two languages is bridged. Spoken language hurdles can easily be jumped through vocabulary.

"And among His Signs, Is the creation of the Heavens, and the Earth, and the differences in your languages and your complexion are the signs for those who have knowledge. (Al-Kitab, Al-Rum-22)".

9.    REMOVAL OF STRUCTURAL DIVIDES

a.    Pakistan’s education system manifests parallel systems of public and private provision and within the private sector there is an English medium provision. These systems are largely divided on the basis of income status of parents and language of instruction. Performance in two sectors differs significantly in quality. Within the private sector are the English medium schools, generally of better quality but expensive and not well regulated. These divisions are in large measure a failure of governance of the system. Altogether, they are sowing the seeds of long run fissures that bode ill for both economic growth and social cohesion in the future.  

b.      Every parent, desire that his child should rise to the Zenith of his profession. To achieve this they admit their child in a School. The parents who are well-aware of the importance of quality education they admit their child into top graded School according to the standard of teaching (not building). School (irrespective of medium of language) can be classified into various grades.

Grade-A Schools. Where teaching is based on modern and scientific principles. Students are guided and taught according to their physical, social, emotional and mental age. These schools provide adequate adjustment of children to the learning environment at every level of education. These types of school never completely restrict to the syllabus oriented education. Educationists devise new methods to widen the student's horizon according to their interest. The rate of success of students in to the Entrance Tests for various Professional Colleges is 80% to 100% .

Grade-B School. These types of Schools restrict to the syllabus, compel students to learn every chapter by heart and also provide some understanding to the students. Though these types of school try to generate some influx of activities in students to widen their horizon through controlled co-curricular activities. However the rate of success of students in to the Entrance Tests for various Professional Colleges is 40% to 60%

Grade – C School. These types of school totally restrict to the syllabus oriented education. Students are required to learn every chapter, lesson and formulae by heart without any understanding or logic. Teachers are only bothered to read-out the lessons to students, in order to show their activities. They over burden students with Home Tasks. The only responsibility regarding checking of Home Tasks toward teacher is to just place a tick( ) with red pen on every page, without correcting the mistakes. The rate of success of students in to the Entrance Tests for various Professional Colleges are is 10% to 30%.

Grade-D School. These schools are govt. sponsored village schools where the sole aim to construct the school is just to provide employment to politically affiliated people. Mostly these are Urdu medium schools. The rate of success of students in to the Entrance Tests for various Professional Colleges depends upon the interest of influenced persons/Quota System which never crosses 5%.

10. TALENT’S POOL In Pakistan the best jobs, whether in the public or the private sector, are beyond the reach of those who lack proficiency in the English language beside requisite education. Inspite of this bitter fact, the selection of school for their child by the parents depends upon sociological development of the parents. If parents are aware of the importance of quality education and contribution of schools, then economical adjustments are made by the family within their means and they admit their children in to Grade-A or B Schools. Since English is an internationally recognized educational language, therefore parents go for English Medium Schools. Where as, in the past most of the parents were not aware of the importance of English medium of teaching, or were not economically well off to bare the expenditure of English Medium Schools, or their children were not able to get admission due to less seats in Grade-A on B Schools, Now desire to convert their Talented Children (who are giving 70% or above results in Annual Examinations) from “Urdu Medium of Teaching” to “English Medium of Teaching”, find it difficult. These Talented Students, if be given chance then there are possibilities that they would certainly excel in future. Can, we provide chance to these Talented Students and when? Yes why not! It can be done through dedicated efforts. But Question arise that which is the ideal class from where one must start conversion? I believe it is class 6th. Since all cadet college select “The Talents”.

11. QUALITY IN TEXTBOOKS AND LEARNING MATERIALS Basing on our objectives we can do Improvement in the quality education at all levels through easily understandable subject of better quality and other learning materials according to our environments, at affordable prices.

Aims :          The aim of YES (Youth Educational Society) is to suggest the Development of:

ü  Comprehensive Educational Renaissance System (CERS), in which the term education should include Technical, Vocational, Professional, scientific and general education.

ü  Curriculum for (CERS), which in a way segregate the students of various fields considering their aptitude.

ü  The syllabus, specially designed from class-1 to 8th to cover Secondary School Certificate Exam of Science & Technical Education Boards. In 9th & 10th specific Technical Training in Electrical, Civil, Paramedical, Electronics & other subject to provide skilled labour for industries, hospitals & other fields.

ü  The syllabus, specially designed from class-6th to 10th to cover Secondary School Certificate Exam of the talented students, transforming from “Urdu Medium of Teaching” to “English Medium Technical Teaching”, for preparing the students in development countries for advance studies.

“EDUCATION PROVIDES JOB, BUT TECHNICAL EDUCATION ENSURES BEST JOB WHICH ENHANCES THROUH EXPERIENCE.

STOP using word “VOCATIONAL” for EDUCATION call “TEHNICAL” EDUCATION.

Join YES (Youth Educational Society) after understanding our Methodology to build future Pakistan. So that Technically Educated midline force is developed to alleviate poverty level.