The country faces multiple challenges in educating its children. Increasingly, children are not getting the necessary education in order to be successful in life. Lack of political will to make education a priority, shortage of qualified teachers, lack of access to technical and vocational education, and lack of transparency in the examination system are just some of them. Nevertheless, there are some important things the government can do to improve the situation.
Lack of political will to prioritize education
The lack of political will to expand education is a persistent obstacle to educational expansion. This problem is rooted in the fact that the Executive Branch is not interested in addressing the educational needs of its citizens. It is not surprising that education suffers in such a situation. Moreover, the Executive Branch lacks the appetite for conflict and patronage, which hampers educational progress. Despite this intuitive argument, it remains a persistent obstacle to educational expansion.
The lack of political will to prioritize education in Pakistan is exacerbated by the fact that income in Pakistan is not distributed equally across society. As a result, poverty is widespread in rural areas and marginalized ghettos. Furthermore, it is often difficult for the poor to petition the state or bargain with its government to get an education.
Lack of qualified teachers
One of the biggest challenges facing Pakistan’s education system is the lack of qualified teachers. Many teachers are not committed to their professions and lack pedagogical expertise. Most follow outdated curricula. As a result, the quality of education is often low, and Pakistan has been plagued by low educational standards. The government is working to improve the quality of education in Pakistan.
There are some positive steps that can be taken to address the teacher shortage in Pakistan. One step that can be taken is to increase teacher salaries. In Pakistan, teachers earn about six times as much as average Punjabis. This measure of economic distance is not conducive to student learning. In addition, teacher salaries in Pakistan are not related to student achievement. Therefore, increasing teacher salaries will not necessarily improve student learning.
Another solution to the teacher shortage is to reform the teacher recruitment process. A recent survey revealed that 43 per cent of government school teachers have received no formal training in the past five years. This has contributed to low learning outcomes in public sector institutions. The Alif Ailaan survey also found that nearly 1.4 million teachers work in government schools. Yet, more than half of the government teachers do not have any knowledge of the national curriculum. In addition, a third have not been offered any training in teaching assessment techniques.
Although the average pupil-teacher ratio is acceptable across the country, the situation varies tremendously among public schools and districts. Inadequate subject specialists also pose a challenge in improving student learning outcomes. These challenges further compound the lack of qualified teachers in Pakistan. The country needs to take steps to ensure that teachers receive the proper training needed for their profession.
Lack of access to technical and vocational education
Lack of access to technical and vocational education in the country is one of the most pressing issues facing the country today. Pakistan ranks last among the poorest countries in South Asia when it comes to TVET. As the world’s economy becomes more interconnected, it is increasingly important for young people to be educated in different fields in order to become more employable and successful in life. In fact, most western countries place great emphasis on TVET, which provides school leavers with professional knowledge and skills.
Despite having 3,798 TVET institutes in the country, the sector still has a limited capacity. It can only accommodate around half a million trainees a year. TVET programs are outdated and often do not cater to the needs of employers. This, in turn, has a negative impact on both youth looking for meaningful employment and employers seeking competent employees.
TVET is also in need of reform. Its curricula must be modernized to accommodate rapid technological advances and emerging labour market demands. The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission should design a new school vocational training program that will provide practical skills training at the high school level. The objective should be to revamp the vocational training system to help combat poverty and rising unemployment.
In Pakistan, a significant percentage of students attend public universities. While most pursue courses in engineering and technology, others pursue general studies and arts. The number of US-based institutions in Pakistan is relatively small, but is still a significant market. Despite these limitations, there is opportunity for U.S. schools to compete against the Cambridge system schools in the country.
Lack of transparency in examination system
In Pakistan, the examination system is based on an autonomous body known as FBISE. The ministry of federal education appoints the FBISE as the body that organizes, develops, and controls secondary education. The institution conducts examinations in affiliated schools throughout the country. However, the quality and impact of external examinations are not well studied.
Students are unable to know how their answers are grade and how they were assess, due to the lack of transparency. This lack of transparency leads to mistakes and ambiguities in the assessment process. Students who have high expectations for their scores could affect negatively by such mistakes. A poorly implement assessment system may also lead to students’ demotivation and discouragement.
For example, the Lahore Board in Pakistan has replace candidate names with fictitious roll numbers and then store a record of the matching numbers. This process repeats daily at each examination center. All of these measures are programme into the system, and a superintendent of a testing center only needs basic IT skills to manage the system.
A public examination system should run by qualify personnel and be free from corruption. It should not allow external interference and the passing of unauthorized material. In addition, it should not lose the answer sheets of students or alter the marks awarded to them.
Lack of accountability
Lack of accountability in education in Pakistan is a critical issue, especially in rural areas where the quality of education is often questionable. A recent study by the International Growth Centre suggests that accountability in Pakistan is severely lacking. The findings were based on a randomized control trial in 240 primary schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It showed that learning levels in Pakistan are considerably lower in rural areas than in the rest of the country.
In Pakistan, schools do not receive adequate investment and government spending on education is far below recommended levels by UNESCO. As a result, there are many professionals working in education who describe a culture of disengagement by the government from national to provincial to local level. The government needs to hold accountable for the quality of education.
Despite such conditions, the government has a responsibility to provide decent education to all children. It can do so by increasing its education expenditure in line with the UNESCO-recommend levels, as well as strengthening the oversight of provincial education systems. For example, the government should require accurate data on the educational attainment of girls, and set targets.
The education system in Pakistan has drastically transform in recent years. The government’s abdication of responsibility has led to a proliferation of private schools, largely unregulated and of wildly varying quality. Because most families do not have access to government schools, the private sector has thrived in the absence of accountability. These low-cost private schools may have poorly qualified teachers and idiosyncratic curricula.
Lack of accountability of educational institutes
Accountability is a key component of the accountability framework. Currently, accountability is mostly focuse on test scores, with very little attention pay to other criteria, such as teacher quality. However, there are some improvements that can make to improve the system. For instance, teacher engagement in accountability processes could improve teacher motivation and commitment. Participation in accountability processes also encourages teachers to view policies and evaluations as legitimate.
Accountability is a virtue. It is the quality of being responsible, accountable, and reliable. Accountability can require on legal, political, social, or moral grounds. In education, accountability refers to reporting and monitoring the activities and outcomes of an institution or an individual. There are two paths to accountability in education:
Technical and vocational education has under-emphasize in Pakistan. Many institutions lack the infrastructure, training tools, and teachers. A well-educated population is a valuable asset in any nation. On the other hand, an unskilled population means more unemployed people, and this can have a negative impact on national development. Furthermore, an educated and productive population is crucial to the resilience of a nation and helps to mitigate the impact of climate change.
This research aimed to understand the mechanisms that influence teacher participation in professional development activities. Using qualitative research methods, we conducted interviews with key stakeholders and observed the participants in their natural settings. The participants included teachers, school leaders, government education officials, and professional development providers.
