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Education system in Pakistan is governed by Federal Educational Ministry and provincial governments. It is mandatory in the Constitution of Pakistan to provide free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 5-16 years and promote adult literacy.
The education system in
Pakistan is generally divided into five levels:-
1) Primary (Grades one to Grade 5)
2) Middle (Grades six to Grade 8)
3) High (Grade Nine to Grade 10) Also known as Secondary
4) Intermediate (Grade eleven to 12) Also known as Higher Secondary
5) University (Undergraduate and Graduate degree)
(14 to 16 Years of Education)
1) Primary Level of Education
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The standard national system of education is mainly inspired from the British
System. Pre-School education is designed for 3-5 years old and usually consists
of three stages (Play Group, Nursery and Kindergarten (KG)). After pre-school
education, students go through junior school from grade 1 to 5. Only 80% of
Pakistani children finish primary school education.
2) Middle Level of Education
After passing grade 5 Examination which is conducted by the Punjab Examination
Commission Lahore, students are promoted in to Middle Level ie grade 6 to 8. At
middle level single-sex education is usually preferred by the community but
co-education is also common in urban cities of the Pakistan.
Subject Taught at Middle Level of Education:
At middle level of education the eight commonly examined subjects are Urdu,
English, Mathematics, Arts, Science, Social Studies, Islamiyat and sometime
Computer Studies. Some institutes also give instruction in foreign languages
such as Turkish, Arabic, Persian, French and Chinese. The language of
instruction depends on the nature of the institution itself, whether it is an
English medium school or an Urdu medium School.
3) High/Secondary Level of Education
After passing grade 8 Examination which is conducted by the Punjab Examination
Commission Lahore, Students are promoted to High/Secondary Level ie grade 9 to
10 which is also known Secondary School Certificate (SSC). Students are required
to pass a national examination administered by a regional Board of Intermediate
& Secondary Education (BISE). Upon successful completion of these two
examination, they are awarded a SSC Certificate. This locally known as
“Matriculation”.
Subject Taught at Secondary Level of Education:
The curriculum usually includes a combination of eight courses including
elective subject such as (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Computer) as well as
compulsory subject such as (Mathematics, English, Urdu, Islamiyat and Pakistan
Studies).
4) Intermediate/Higher Secondary Level of Education
The students are promoted to grade 11 after passing of grade 10. Upon successful
completion of grade 11 and grade 12 Examination by the BISE, students are
awarded the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC). This level of education
is also called the FSc/FA or “Intermediate”. There are many groups that students
can choose for their 11 and 12 grades, such as pre-medical, pre-engineering,
humanities and commerce.
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Subject Taught at Intermediate/Higher Secondary Level of Education:
At Intermediate level each group consists of three elective and as well as three
compulsory subject of English, Urdu, Islamiyat(grade 11 only) and Pakistan
Studies (Grade 12 only).
6) University Level of Education (Undergraduate and Graduate degree)
After earning HSSC (Higher Secondary School Certificate), students may study in
a professional college/University for Bachelor’s degree courses such as
engineering (B.Engg/BS Engg), medicine (MBBS), dentistry (BDS), veterinary
medicine (DVM), law (LLB), architecture (B.Arch), pharmacy (Pharm-D) and nursing
(B.Nurs). These courses require four or five years of study. There are some
councils and boards that will handle all the educational matters in these cases
and they are known as the PMDC, Pakistan pharmacy council and Pakistan nursing
council. Students can also attend a university for Bachelor of Arts (BA),
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc), Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com).
At university level there are two types of Bachelor courses in Pakistan: Pass or
Honors. Pass degree requires two years of study and students normally read three
optional subjects (such as Chemistry or Economics) in addition to almost equal
number of compulsory subject such as English and Pakistan Studies. Honours
degree required three or four years of study, and students normally specialize
in a chosen field of study such as Microbiology (BS Hons. Microbiology).
After successful completion of B.A,B.Sc, students enrolled in Master degree
programme that require 2 years education to get the Master degree. Masters in
Philosophy (M.Phil) is available in most of the subject and can be undertaken
after doing Masters. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) education is also available in
selected areas and is usually pursued after earning a M.Phil degree. Students
pursuing M.Phil or PhD degree must choose a specific field and a university that
is doing research work in that filed. M.Phil and PhD education in Pakistan
requires minimum of 2 years of study. |