Research Assignment

Submitted To: Ma’am Munazza

Submitted By: Sana Zafar
Registration No. 750-FE/BSEF(4)S20
 Critical Analysis of “Problem of Education in Pakistan”

Abstract:
Education plays a very important role for the development of any country either it is in the form
of political, social or economic. As Pakistan is developing country so there are many critical
issues that Pakistan is facing since its inception therefore system of education is failed to deliver
according to the aspiration of nation. This all happen due to various reasons that this paper will
describe as well as give solution to solve these issues through various techniques.

Key words:
Education, critical issues, solution

Introduction:
Education is the key of success for any country. It gives the sense to manage things accordingly.
Education not only realize people to do their duties well but also hive opportunities to enhance
their abilities. As the education promotes economic development so people become prosperous
and play their respective roles in the overall development of Pakistan. As Pakistan is a
developing country and its economy is weak so there’s lack of political stability in the country.
Besides, the country is in the deep grip of increasing political turmoil, expanding terrorism,
incessant sectarian violence, social instability, and economic degeneration. All these problems
are directly or indirectly the offshoot of a weak, polarized and non-unified education system.

The problems associated with the education system of Pakistan are lack of adequate budget, lack
of policy implementation, defective examination system, poor physical facilities, lack of teacher
quality, lack of implementation of education policies, directionless education, low enrollment,
high scale dropouts, political interference, outdated curriculum, corruption, poor management
and supervision, lack of research, and lack of uniformity. The above mentioned problems could
be solved by formulation of rational policies and plan and by ensuring proper implementation of
the policies. Education is a nourishing force. It is the constructive factor for any society.
Education enables people to work for their development and growth. Hence education brings out
the hidden potentialities of individuals and develops them.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION

The education system of Pakistan despite of towering claims and plans faces the following
problems which are critically analyzed below;

 Lack of uniformity
The system of education in Pakistan according to Iqbal (1981) is not based on uniform
principles. Different systems of education are simultaneously working in the country. The
curriculum is also not uniformed which has given birth to different schools of thoughts. For
example there is a world of difference between the attitudes of students coming out from the
public educational institutions, Deeni Madaris and the few private elite institutions. This trend
has accelerated the pace of polarization in the society. According to Zaki (1989) this is the result
of divisive Pakistani education system. This system has created a huge gap among the nation and
even has deeply penetrated into the cultural veins of the nation. The recent wave of terrorism and
the increasing sectarian division are the logical consequences of this divided system of
education.

As a result of this current polarized system of education there has occurred a great social
division in the society on political, social and economic grounds rather than unity among the
people which is cutting knee deep the ideological and social foundation of the nation leading
towards further divisions on linguistic and regional grounds which can poetentailly damage the
social cohesion and fabric of the society.

 Educational Direction:
A sound education system is essential for every nation of the world [8]. Every nation develops its
generation on the basis of vigorous training and education on social, political, economic and
ideological grounds. Pakistani education system due being directionless and weak has not been
able to develop and guide its people on sound political and social grounds. There is lack of
cohesion in the system and it is more prone towards general education which does not bring any
skilled manpower to the market. Resulting there is increasing unemployment. This situation may
promote sense of deprivation among the masses. Due to this there is cultural and political unrest
in the society. Besides, there is lack of educational opportunities for science and technology. In
this way the development of thinking, reasoning and creativity of students is not being polished.

 Educational Curriculum:

Curriculum is the tool through which the goals of education are achieved. The curriculum of
education in Pakistan does not meet the demands of the current times. It is an old and traditional
curriculum which compels the learners to memorize certain facts and figures without taking into
consideration the reality that education is the holistic development of an individual. It places
much emphasis on the psychology of the learner as well which cannot be negated in the process
of teaching and learning. The objectives of education must be developed the psychological,
philosophical and sociological foundations of education. The present educational curriculum of
Pakistan does not meet these modern standards of education and research. Hence this curriculum
is not promoting the interest of the learner for practical work, research, scientific knowledge and
reflective observation, rather, it emphasizes on memory and theory.

 Development in teaching profession:

Training is essential for quality performance. Teaching is a challenging job. There is lack of
training opportunities for teachers in Pakistan. Although there various teacher training institutes
in the country. These institutes are either not well resourced or being poor run due to lack of fund
and trained human resource such trainers and administrators. There are no proper training
standards in the available training institutes around the country. Most of the training institutes
have been closed down due to lack of funds. The courses being run in the teacher education
intuitions are outdated and very traditional which does not enhance the skills, motivation and
quality of teachers.

 Quality of Teachers
Teacher is the backbone of education system. The quality of teachers in Pakistani schools is
deplorable. According to a UNESCO report, the quality of the teachers and instruction in schools
is of low quality. This situation is grimmer in remote parts of Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan
where even there are no teachers available in schools. Research has found that teachers do not
use new methods and strategies of teaching and learning. Majority of the teachers do not know
about lesson planning which renders them incapable of dealing with various problems in the
process of teaching and learning. Teachers encourage cramming of the materials by students.
Students do not know the use of libraries in educational institutions.

Thus the reading habits are decreasing among the students. Teachers are highly responsible for
all this mess. It is their professional responsibility to guide the students towards book reading.
Teachers rely on lecture methods which do provide an opportunity to students to participate in
the process of education as active member. They only note does the information and memorize
this just to pass the examination.

 System of Exams:

Examination is the evaluation of student’s learning. It should be based on qualitative and

quantitative techniques to comprehensively evaluate the performance of students. The standards
must ensure validity and reliability of the procedures used in the assessment process. The basic
aim of assessment is to evaluate the performance of students. The examination system of
Pakistan is not only outdated but it also does not have the quality to evaluate the performance of
learners comprehensively. The examination system of Pakistan tests only the memory of
students. It does not evaluate them in all aspects of learning.
Moreover, the examinations are influenced by external and internal forces which have
encouraged the trend of illegal practices such as unfair means. As a result of this the examination
system promotes rote learning and cramming which negates the role of high intellectual power of
learners in the education process such as critical thinking, reflection, analytical skills and so on.
It does not measure the actual achievements and performance of students.

 Internal and external influences

Education system in Pakistan is not free from external and internal influences. Externally the
system has been made hostage to political interference and internally it is plagued by the
bureaucratic manipulations. There is a greater favoritism and nepotism in matters of transfers,
appointments and promotions.
  Lack of resources

Education resources such as books, libraries and physical facilities are important for smooth
running of educational process. There are despairingly no facilities of books, libraries and
reading materials in all educational institutions of the country. Besides, there are overcrowded
classrooms, inadequate teachers and ill-equipped laboratories. This entire grim situation has
resulted in a despair and low standard education system.

 Policy implementation

Since the inception of Pakistan a number of education policies were created. There has been lack
of political will on the part of successive government to implement the policies vigorously. The
policies were highly ambitious but could not be implemented in true letter and spirit. There has
been problem of corruption, lack of funds and gross inconsistency in successive planning on the
part of various political regimes in Pakistan. Moreover, in the overall policy formulation teachers
have been ignored. They are regarded as unimportant element which has led to alienation
between the teachers and the system of education.

 Low budgetary allocation for education

Finance is considered the engine of any system. The education system of Pakistan has been
crippled mainly due to scarce finance. The successive governments have been giving less than
2.5 percent budget to the education sector which is not sufficient for the growing educational
needs of the nation in the present changing times. In many of the developing regional countries
such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh the budgetary allocation for education has increased. But in
Pakistan it is declining day by day.

According to International Crisis group, Pakistan is amongst the 12 countries in the world that
spent less than 2 percent of their GDP on education sector [3]. With this insufficient budgetary
allocation, the country is hardly going to meet the targets of universalization of primary
education as a signatory to the Dakar Conference’s MDG goals by 2015 and onward.

 Corruption
Among other causes, corruption is the main contributing factor which has deeply affected the
education system of Pakistan. There is a weak system of check and balances and accountability
which has encouraged many criminal elements to misappropriate funds, use of authority illegally
and giving unnecessary favors in allocation of funds, transfers, promotions and decision making.
According to Transparency International, Pakistan is included in the list of the most corrupt
countries of the world. Due to low salaries, teachers in search of decent life standards and to
keep their body and soul together attempt to unfair means in the examination and matters relating
to certificates, degrees and so on.

RECOMMENDATIONS

 There should be sufficient budgetary allocation for education in the national GDP. This
will provide the system with resources to take fresh breath of life.
 There should be quality institutions for the professional development of teachers form
primary to higher levels. For this purpose the existing system of teacher education
institutions must be provided with funds qualified human resources to run programmes of
training for teachers on periodical basis.
 The system of accountability must be strengthened and all the professionals associated
with the system of education should be educated to own their responsibilities on
individual and collective basis. This help in creating a sense of ownership of the system
and its functions.
 Curriculum should be evaluated on annual basis. In this regard a vast survey could be
conducted to seek opinions of teachers, parents and community regarding their
expectations and observations. In this light of this and the expert recommendations of the
educations researchers the curriculum goals should be redefined and the such curriculum
should be prepared which caters to the psyche and needs of the society and the country
without any discrimination of cast, color and creed.
 There should be as less political interference as possible. This will allow the system to
function smoothly and without any discrimination. Frequent political intervention creates
gaps in the system which has led to corruption and other evils.
 Polices should be implemented without any delay of time and resources. There should be
a strong political will on the part of the government to implement polices without any
delay. Poor policy implementation has led to creation of gaps and trust deficit on the part
of the public and government agencies.
 Examination system should be made free form the mafia of unfair means, corruption and
illegal gratifications. For this purpose the system of supervision and inspection could be
improved both physically and theoretically. The government should enhance the salaries
 and the education professionals so that their tendencies are not diverted towards evil
means of getting favors and support.
 The culture of research should be promoted within educational institutions. For this
purpose the pace of research oriented programs in teaching and learning should be
accelerated in educational institutions around the country especially at higher levels.
Government should increase the volume of funding to higher education commission for
this purpose.

REFERENCES

1. Zaki W. M., “Evaluation of Education Plans and Projects”, Islamabad, National Book
Foundation, 1989.
2. Save the Children & UNICEF “Disciplining The Child Practices and Impacts”, NWFP:
School & Lietarcy Department, 2005.
3. Rehman H. and Khan N., “The flaws in Pakistan’s Education System”, Abasyn Journal
of Social Sciences, vol/issue: 4(1), 2011.
4. Louis D. H., “The crises of Education in Pakistan”, Lahore, Vanguard Book Ltd.,
1987.
5. Iqbal M., “Education in Pakistan”, Lahore, Aziz publishers, 1981.
6. Qurashi I. H., “Education in Pakistan”, Karachi, Ma,aref LTD, 1975.
7. Sayan, Fida, and Hussain, “Pakistan existing education system”, 2008. Retrieved from
Retrieved from [Link]/pak/edu on dated 2012, July 18.
8. Naseem J. Q., “Problem of Education in Pakistan”, Karachi, Royal Book Company,
1990.
9. Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Education. “National Assessment Findings”,
Islamabad, National Education System, 2006.
10. SPARC, “State of Pakistan’s Children”. Islamabad: SPARC, 2005.