While hearing a case on Sept 10
related to education, the Chief Justice of Pakistan remarked that education was
the fundamental right of every Pakistani child as per constitutional provisions.
He deplored the status of public schools, many of which have turned into ghost
institutions.
Statistics show that despite the billions of rupees of expenditure through
various public budgetary heads and donor-funded programmes, the performance and
impact of government schools is fast depleting in the country. There are several
core factors to be considered in this respect.
When Pakistan came into being, there was virtually no educational divide, at
least in the major urban centres. The offspring of the privileged and
dispossessed went to the same schools. Government schools and welfare trust-run
facilities were a prominent category. The curriculum-based divide seldom existed
and people had faith in the working of the examination boards. As a result, a
generation that had deep roots in society was trained and educated. This
generation cared for public causes, participated in welfare, philanthropic and
development activities and understood the woes of fellow beings.
Many prominent diplomats, bureaucrats, scientists, public leaders and men and
women of letters hailed from this background. The nationalization of schools,
fiddling of state institutions in curriculum setting, evolution and rapid rise
of private schools in cities and eventual affiliations with international
examination systems created a schism in the educational landscape that has
drastically divided the society into various castes and slabs. The elite and
privileged now only subscribe to flashy and trendy schools many of which have
become sought after brands. In other words, education has become a tradable
commodity not a public service that benefited folks across the board.
Earlier, the school master was not an isolated individual. He was a universally
respected figure of society. The government school in any hamlet, village,
cluster or town was a commonly cherished place, socially subscribed to by the
entire community. The school master was a dedicated individual who chose to
adopt the field of education as a mission not as an enterprise for reaping
profits. With his meager emoluments, he would contentedly discharge his services
with selflessness and with the aim of making his pupils learn and perform.
During the early 20th century and after, scores of literature references and
anecdotes inform us about the nation-building role these tens of thousands of
school masters played with very limited resources. Most of them were very
competent and capable people. For example, Mohammad Sharif Toosy, a head master
from a school in Wazirabad, was an ace columnist before Partition who was
invited by Mr Jinnah to live in his house and write a vital communication
document related to All India Muslim League about the justification of the
Pakistan scheme. The founder of Pakistan had so much confidence in this
apparently ordinary school teacher that he is reported to have offered Toosy to
join Dawn in a senior editorial capacity in 1943. However, the able school
master politely declined and went back to Wazirabad to continue his teaching
work there.
After the creation of Pakistan, the same tradition continued. Locational
remoteness seldom eclipsed the dedication and spirit of school masters. But
during 1970s and after, the tide turned. The appointments were made with nascent
political intervention, bypassing merit and the desire to teach. When quality in
teaching declined, the edifice of education also crumpled. Ghost schools,
absconding teachers and disconnected administration are some of the common
sights along government-run outfits.
That billions of rupees are spent on school education every year without
achieving targets of quantity and benchmarks of quality makes it a grave
concern. The status of buildings and infrastructure is also infested with
multiple problems. According to a recent report of Sindh Ministry of Education,
12,794 schools are shelterless 34,386 are without electricity 26,669 do not have
boundary wall protection 23,349 do not possess a lavatory block and 25,237 have
no access to drinking water. One can imagine that in such pathetic conditions,
even a basic system of education cannot deliver. Remedial efforts have been
initiated usually on a fire fighting basis which is not sustainable. Multiple
programmes by Sindh Education Foundation, donor-funded Sindh Education Reform
Programme and small scale initiatives by NGOs to assist government schools are
some examples.
However, the rot is far too greater in scale than the combined impact of these
initiatives.
Some educational experts criticise the sub-low status of the curriculum. There
is no denying the fact that the school curricula have been tampered by
successive regimes. Messages and contents aimed to promote self-serving
propaganda have been shamelessly incorporated. The so called Islamisation
project of General Ziaul Haq was amply reflected in various textbooks during the
1980s. In addition, falling competence level of school teachers is also a reason
for not achieving the cardinal objectives that every school curriculum normally
possesses. The affected are the pupils who receive sub-standard education
without even realising the future disadvantages they are likely to experience in
their lives.
No magic solution can cure these deep-rooted ailments. A credible and
transparent mechanism of teacher’s recruitment and facilitation is a core
requirement. The government can consider devising a competitive examination,
selection and training process to lift up the status of this most vital cadre of
academic staff. School buildings and premises may be designed and developed
through an effective means of public private partnership. A civil society led
monitoring mechanism may be founded to keep a performance check in various
districts on a regular frequency. With unrelenting efforts, the revival of
quality education in government schools can be guaranteed surely.