Some good news on the education front!

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
1

The govt of Pakistan is raising education spending to 4 percent of the GDP! This after being embarrased enough into taking action.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/01/26/top9.htm

By Khawar Ghumman

ISLAMABAD, Jan 25: The government has decided in principle to increase spending on education to 4 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the next financial year. Education spending currently stands at 2.7 per cent.

This was stated by Federal Education Minister Lt Gen (Retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi while talking to students of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, who called on him on Thursday.

Talking to Dawn an official of the ministry said both President Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had given the green signal to the education minister for the increase. “There can be some final adjustments during budgeting but in principal it is agreed that somewhere near 4 per cent of the GDP would be allocated,” said the official.

The government, at international forums, feels embarrassed for not meeting the Unesco’s minimum requirement of four per cent of the budget sanctioned to the education sector.

Despite commitments, successive governments have failed in providing education sector its share resulting in poor-quality education.

According to the Unesco, Pakistan is second after Nigeria in the world with the highest number of `out-of-school’ children. According to details there are 6.5 million out-of-school kids wherein, 80 per cent were never enrolled, 10 per cent dropped out, while the remaining could get to school at some later stage.The ministry has taken all on board in the ongoing curriculum review in reference to the NWFP and Balochistan provinces, said Javed A. Qazi.

Students also inquired the government’s initiative in FATA and as to how it was providing educational facilities with the prevailing unrest in the region.

The national curriculum is free of any biases, hate and sectarianism, while medical technology and computer science have been introduced to make it compatible with the rest of the world, the education minister said.

2

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

Let's hope they stick to it, and the money doesn't get eaten up.

3

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

Im sure a good deal of it will be eaten up. I mean one aspect of education spending is that it should get to the people its intended for, and with Pakistans weak institutions, im sure it will have a hard time getting there.. But at the same time, increased funding will help, even if the end result isnt exactly outstanding.

4

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

A good decision but may not be implemented accordingly due to the reasons described above.

5

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

ouch…how can a nation progress like this..
we have to get our priorities straight

6

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

Well, Musharaf govt has taken some steps in the right direction… The higher education policy is pretty well thought out, and state schools may soon be changing the curicullum and setup in accordance with a report called the White papers… These have some very good suggestions.
And now they are pushing education funding to where it should be, in line with most developing countries.

7

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

^^ When human rights are not enforced properly (child labor/abuse, animal rights etc.) what is education useful for? My bold words should indicate that not many children might end up going to these schools.. and even those who have the opportunity to might choose to stick up with private schools (not all of whom might be standard) or keep earning money by working since there hasn't been satisfaction with many of the government's efforts in the field of education *so far.. *the first step the government should take is keep hope in their population, that they WILL improve the education standard.. many people might still think this is yet another non-implemented ranting like many have been in the past if I amn't wrong >> many of those people could be wrong this time but since they don't trust the government this whole education plan can still be rendered useless

8

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

after eight years, it hardly seems like a priority

9

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

explain what this govt has done that was not done by previous regimes?
I am not just talking policy and plans, and ‘pushing’ funding.

what has been done.

a simple answer like.

8 years ago it was like
a
b
c
d

now teh govt has implemented and shown results in

a
b
c
d

otherwise it just ends up being like the ‘gay’ page of jang newspaper.. you know the one filled with BS bayaans from politial leaders,..rulers and opposition both.

hum yeh karein gay
hum woh karein gay

etc etc

I would also like to know what the previous govts did i.e. accomplished..wat did zia accomplish , what did nawaz accomplish what did bb accomplish. Not only am i interested in what did or did not get done since 99, i am also interested in finding out what was accomplished in teh decade prior to that.

your insights would be appreciated

10

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

Good idea, but how can you compare how many things the previous govt's in the 90's did compared to the current one, when they were in power for 1-2 yrs, compared to 8 yrs?

11

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

its not a question of comparison, its a question of what as a nation we have accomplished in this arena since Zia's times, or even before. all i want to see is what was accomplished, not zabani jama kharch..plans. hey I am in strategic planning myself, and I say this openly, a strategy not implemented or implementable is not worth the paper its written on.

I mean plans developed in one regimes time should not just be tossed out, we seem to have this start stop mentality in our leaders that the previous regime either did nothing good, or we are going to redo everything therefore no momentum is built. That atleast is my impression.

when it comes to educational plight in pakistan, I have no favourites, I think everyone has failed.

12

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

Its not about whats been done… Its about whats being done…
The White papers were on the Dawn site, and its reccomendatons were really revolutionary, and if implimented the way they shouldm could bring a difference…
The Higher education plan as studied by some analysts is a good dierection to be going in, although im not sure what the plan actually entails…
I do know that some Pakistani universties put more researc this years, and this seems to be a direct relation to the Musharaf govt plan. This plan I know is already functioning, so it not Hum karain gay, but hum kur rahai hain.
I cant guarantee that any of these things will work out, but you cant deny that they are moving in the right direction…
A little positivity is in demand, negativity doesnt get anyone anywhere.

13

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

Better late then never no?
Still, Musharaf govt has been foolish in many ways… It took a lot of Bayzthi before they could take such action… So not treally giving the govt to much credit.. But still its a good move even if its a late move.

14

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

Well, there are many challenges not doubt, but my intent is to show that Pakistan is moving in the right direction as far as education goes, assuming they actually do raise the investment in education.

15

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

PaKpatriot1 stated

*Its not about whats been done... Its about whats being done... *

Its both..., and more..

1)what has been done .. implemented showing results
2)what is being done right now .. in process of implementation or just implemented
3)what is planned but not started .. planning is complete, implementation has not begun yet but will begin
4)and last is, plans of what could possibly be done.

the items are listed in order of priority

This plan I know is already functioning, so it not Hum karain gay, but hum kur rahai hain.

could you elaborate, when you say its functioning, what have the outcomes been.

** but you cant deny that they are moving in the right direction...**

I would like to be at a state I cant deny, right now I am on the fence. Your educating me would help me become a believer as well, so please, share.

A little positivity is in demand, negativity doesnt get anyone anywhere.

I am not being negative at all, I am asking some tough questions.

and reaching back in time, recent past ..what is happening with the madrassa reform

reaching back in further past, whatever happened to the entire nai roshni program.

16

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

Let us not forget Musharrafs predecessors' regimes were not rocked by crisis after crisis. Nawaz Sharif had just one crisis of Kargil on his hand and he screwed up badly. Musharraf has steered Pakistan through crisis after crisis, which arguably would affect or delay his domestic policies taking effect. A leader is not judged by only results but by circumstances at hand as well.

17

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

guys, lets hld everyone accountable. 8 years, 2 years, whatever, what was accomplised in that time. what was implemented in that time..

as a nation we can not stay stuck in personality politics. because then we give our favourite wrsteler carte blanche to do or nto do anything, deliver or not deliver anything, make excuses for why they were unable to do something.

lets hold them all accountable, lets see who did what. period.

Its embarassing that it took Musharraf govt this long to address this issue, its embarassing that the madrassa reform seems to have vanished in thin air, and its embarassing that I cant find any real progress in the entire decade of 90s, and forget about the 80's because there we actually backtracked.

In the end you know, I do accept that the current govt has had a lot of major international crises to deal with.. muc more than any govt in recent past, however, in that case, the fed education minister, provincial education ministers and their staff, should have been fired, because why have people in offices who are not goign to accomplish jack.

if you dont have funds to plant trees, why have a gardner stand there with a pick and shovel looking around on where he may plant a tree?

18

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

My opinion is if they can take care of ghots schools in rural areas and put ACTUAL schools there that would be the best investment and biggest improvement.

[quote]

According to the Unesco, Pakistan is second after Nigeria in the world with the highest number of `out-of-school’ children.

[/quote]

Is it a surprise that we stand in Nigeria's neighrbood in so many rankings?

19

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

Im not sure yaar, your gonna have to do your own research…
As far as higher education is concerned, I first heard about this from an article by Shahid Javed Burki… This was partially confirmed by an article I posted a few weeks back on improvement in colleges.
The White Papers that I mentioned were covered by an article in Dawn a few weeks ago… It made such recomendations as making the childs native language as the mode of education up a certain grade level etc… Among others..
Another article I read mentioned that the govt was looking into these suggestions..
The govt is also changing the Text book content and sylabus…
So I see some improvement here… I really dont have the time to go back and find these articles, but I will try and find them if possible.

20

Re: Some good news on the eductation front!

dude u dont have to do researc on my behalf, its just questions that anyone can answer if they know or they have access to such info.

I realize that a few years can not undo the damage of decades, but there should be consistent improvement year over year regime over regime, if that is not happening, then Pakistani people need to ask why.