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ASSIGMENT N0 1 EDUCATIONAL POLICIES

AND PLANNING.NAME ;FARZANA KHAN
TERM;MED IST
Q1;DO YOU FEEL NEED AND IMPORTANCE
OF PLANNING IN EDUCATION AND ALSO
DISCUSS VARIOUS FACTORS AFFECTING
EDUCATIONAL PLANNING?
ANS;;;NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF
EDUCATONAL PLANNING;;
FIRST WE SHORTLY DISCUSS WHAT IS
PLANNING?
What Is Planning?
When government officials, business leaders, and citizens come together to build communities that
enrich people's lives, that's planning.

Educational planning is very important becauce:

(1) It ensures success of the institution. It takes into consideration the important issues,
conditions, constraints and factors in education. Its focus is on future objectives, vision
and goals. It is proactive in nature in that it emphasizes perception and ability to apply
theory and profit from it in advance of action.
It clarifies goals and the means to achieve those goals. Thus it eliminates trial-and-error
process, reduces chances of failure and ensures success. In other words, it provides
intelligent direction to activity.
2..ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES.
Throug properand good planning we can easily achieve a specific objectives,

(3) The scarcity of financial and other non-material resources poses a challenge to
education. Planning is a response to such challenges and explores the possibilities of
alternative uses and optimum utilization of limited resources.
(4) Effective and efficient planning saves time, effort and money.
(5) It is a co-ordinated means of attaining pre-determined purposes.
(6) Education is a public service demanded by the public and supplied by the
government. For any government effort of such a large magnitude as education,
planning is absolutely necessary.
(7) Educational planning is one of the components of the overall national socioeconomic development. The over-all planning has to provide the objectives of education
and the finances for educational development for accomplishing these objectives.
8.Useful activity needs preplanning
Every useful activity needs pre-planning It has been proved by researches that only
those activities are successful which has a sound planning
9-compition=competition is very necessary element considerd between different nations
and people.Due to good and sound planning a N ation can easily compute with other
Nations10-Technological DevelopmentEach and every country wants to develop their technology .they want to be superior
among the other Nations-Due to good planning a countrybcan develop teir technology
for their betterment-in social set up ,education industry and even in the polities.
Rapidly occurring changes
As we see that changes are oocured in the world in every part either in social setupthe old and tradional pattern in every field of life are taking new shapes-

Planning is also an important part of the educational process. For a student with special needs,
education planning includes developing an Individual Education Plan (IEP). An IEP arises from
holistic person-centered- planning but is more specific to the school setting. The IEP identifies
appropriate learning goals for your child and describes adaptations to the environment or to teaching
methods that will enable your child to learn. It also includes a description of the services that will be
provided to achieve the goals it outlines. It may involve community service providers.
Over time, the way you plan may change. For example, as students get older, its important to
include them as much as possible in the planning process. Ideally, students should participate in IEP
meetings. Planning works best when both parents and students are active and valued participants in
the process.
VARIOUS FACTORS AFFECTING EDUCATIONAL PLANNING
1-NATURE OF CLIMATEIt is also an important factors when climate is not in the favour If a half constructed school building
is destroted by floods or storms then our remaining half budget will not fulfil planning2-Education economists analyze both what determines or creates education and what impact
education has on individuals and the societies and economies in which they live. Historically at
the World Bank a great deal of emphasis has been placed on determining outcomes to
educational investment and the creation of human capital. The primary mission of the economics
of education group is to identify opportunities for improved efficiency, equity, and quality of
education and promote effective education reform processes
2;;; Funding and

budgeting
This includes all the money allotted toward salary, infrastructure, purchases, benefits, maintenance,
and every other expenditure for a specific period of time. This period of time is called a fiscal year.
By definition, a fiscal year is the length of time that a budget is supposed to last for an educational
year.

4-;The human factor

Outsourcing and in-sourcing workers means finding enough people to man the different needs-based
services that either provide the education, protect the premises, or maintain the grounds. Think of the
amount of teachers needed to educate. Add to that the slots for the people who will support the
mission of the organization by providing the teachers with what they need. Then, think about the
other stakeholders in the community at large. All of these factors are equally important in the long
run.

5--Laws

There are such things as educational laws that protect both students and educators. As such, legal
protection is also an expenditure to think about. Laws also dictate work hours, hourly wages,
licensing and workman's compensation among many other things.

6=-School Board regulations

While educators meet and plan for curriculum and standards, the school board acts as a major
political force that curbs, moderates and votes in favor or against changes made to the educational
system. In some states the school board has as much power as to fire and hire superintendents and
principals. Some school boards have the power to forbid the teaching of some things over others. As
they are members of the community voted in by other board members, there are allegiances and
circles of trust that directly affect educational planning.

7=-The community
The community must be taken into consideration as far as the services it will need, the type of
infrastructure it can support, the resources that can be found, and the demographics of the clients. A
high-risk community cannot support or be educated by an institution that cannot meet its immediate
needs. This in no way implies that high-risk communities (where there is high crime and minimal
parental support) cannot be rehabilitated through education. It CAN. However, to get to a point of
total change, small steps of immediate importance must be met. These include safety and security,
meeting nutritional needs, addressing special populations, language services, and much more.
8=.RESOURSES-Resourers is a factor which is directly proportional to the successfulness of
planning.The available and expected resources are always responsible for determminig-It is true that
many of our good Nations plan could not be put in implementation
9=-Needs in emergencyNeed is the 2nd strongest factor affects the planning .Emergency need of the society or the
personssometimes changes the direction of the planning-So planning disturbs due to the generation of
unexpected new and emergency needs10=-OFFICAL POLITICS OF GOVERNMENT;
This factor is very much affecting factor of planning-For example when Bhutoo came into being
Govt,he gave his own policy but when Zia ul Hug came he stopped all those works and gave his own
policy-So all the Leader have their own policies which is very affecting factor for planning policy-

QNO2;HOW WILL YOU SET GOALS AND PRIORITIES FOR PLANNING AND
EDUCATIONAL PLAN?DISCUSS ALSO IMPLEMENTATION OF PLAN IN DETAILANS; WE SET GOALS AND PRIORITIES FOR PLANNING IN FOLLOWING WAYS

Setting goals and planning how to reach them is essential in nearly every one of life's
endeavors. Whether you are starting a business or trying to complete college, you have to

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prioritize what it is that you want to accomplish and establish a plan for getting there.
Regardless of the goals you have, you can take the basic and simple steps to reach-This
stage is also very important and some time it is called direction changing stage.

Establishing Clear Goals

When you are setting out to reach a goal, whether it be monetary or otherwise, it is
important to ensure that your goals are as clear and as specific as possible. Goals that are
overly vague or too broad do not give you the focus you need to achieve them. The
University of Virginia recommends asking yourself a series of questions in establishing your
goals. First, ask yourself why you are hoping to achieve your goal. If your motivation is not
clear, you might not fully strive to accomplish the goals in the first place. You also need to
ask yourself what the goal is and how you will go about achieving it. Finally, ask yourself
what the consequences are for not meeting your goals. This serves to reinforce your
motivation if the consequences are particularly detrimental.
Hierarchy of needsHierarchy of needs very from place to place from person to person etc.There is no yard stick
for person to person etc,There is no yard slick for determination of Hierarchy of needs at
global level.There also very with passage of time.

Establishing Priorities
When you are seeking to accomplish multiple goals at the same time, it is necessary to
prioritize and determine which goals are the most important and why. Doing so helps you to
maintain a clear focus on reaching the most important goals first and taking the steps to
ensure that you do. Setting priorities also helps you to avoid becoming overwhelmed if you
have multiple goals you are trying -

Planning
Once you know your goals and priorities, you can establish a clear path to reaching them.
Planning to meet your goals involves writing the steps that you can take to reach them.
Establish from three to five steps that you can take to accomplish each goal. For some goals,
this is not enough steps. The more detailed and specific you can be in establishing your
plans, the simpler it will be to follow each step to reach your goals. If your steps are too
broad, you will have to redefine them more specifically later anyway, so doing it right the
first time eliminates extra steps

Choose your values. Your values are what you hold near and dear to you. They can
be principles, standards or beliefs that you find most worthwhile. You probably already have
a core set of beliefs that guide you. Think about what is most important to you.

Analyze your values, interests, and skills. Are there things that have influenced
your thinking and behavior? Think about what you enjoy and what you're good at. What
about the skills you've learned from full- or part-time jobs, volunteer experiences, or school

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and social activities. There could be a connection between your activities and skills and
your values. Will any of these skills help you get where you want to go?

Set realistic goals. To make your dream future your reality, set some reasonable,
short-term and long-term goals for yourself based on your top values. You're more likely to
get where you want to go if you set a goal and commit yourself to it. To increase your
chances of success even further:
Choose some logical steps toward your goal.

Take each step and fill out the details. Include the what, when, where and how
for each step.

Now it's time for action. Do your plan.

o
o

Keep your plan close by, so you can see how each action step is working and
make improvements to the plan as you go.

Do some research. Think about your dream job, and then learn more about it. Find
out how other people in that field developed the career you want. Do a job shadow. Go to
work with someone to find answers to questions like these:
What kind of training, education and skills are required?

What are the real-life work conditions, the work environment and the work

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schedule?

What are the likely rewards (for example, salary, fringe benefits, room to
grow, retirement plans)?

Are these rewards important to you?

Would other rewards be more important to you?

Based on the work you've just done, define your life mission and start living it with every
decision you make. Soon you'll be able to look back and see how far you've come.

Establish your priorities

Once you know your mission, be brutally honest with yourself: Are the activities that take
up most of your time really moving you towards your goals? If not, it is time to set some
priorities that support your goals, and make sure they get plenty of your time and attention.
Time is a precious commodity; basically, you use it or lose it. The good news is that we all
have the same amount of time every day, so use it to your advantage. Since there will
always be plenty of diversions to distract you from your goals, practice staying in the
driver's seat when it comes to time management. Remember putting off for tomorrow the
things you can do today is procrastination. Procrastination is wasted energy.
Here are some time management tools that can bring a sigh of relief to your busy college
life.

Use task lists and a calendar to manage school, family, and social
responsibilities. You have enough important facts and figures to remember right now
without committing your ongoing calendar to memory. Use a time management tool to
coordinate all of your daily, weekly, monthly tasks, obligations, social events, tests --and
anything that is important for you to do.

Understand the difference between important and urgent. Important tasks

must be done; urgent tasks must be done NOW. Some things can be taken care of
tomorrow, later this week, or next week. Really!

Work with your natural rhythm, not against it. Everyone has specific periods of
peak productivity, so capitalize on your best time of day. If you're a morning person, plan to
tackle the most difficult tasks before lunch. Likewise, if you're a night owl, don't force
yourself to study or work on complicated projects until late afternoon or evening.

Accept that you just can't do everything. Don't be a popularity addict. It may
feel good in the moment to be "in demand," but wouldn't it feel even better to achieve the
life you really want? Limit your commitments by choosing activities that you truly enjoy and
are consistent with your goals. Practice saying no without feeling guilty; the mastery of the
tactful decline is a skill that will come in handy throughout your life!

Take care of yourself by paying attention to your physical, emotional and

financial health. The same rules still apply: eat well, get plenty of sleep, exercise
regularly, and build time into your schedule for relaxation. Take proper care of your body
and it will take care of you. Remember that stress, although it can't be seen, can cause a
lot of damage - don't overtax your emotions with too many commitments. Also, pay
attention to your financial health as well. Be realistic about your money, create a realistic
budget and stick to it. Using a spending plan to control your finances can actually
All schools want their students to succeed. But schools can only make a lasting difference
when they focus on specific goals and strategies for change. School improvement planning
is a process through which schools set goals for improvement, and make decisions about
how and when these goals will be achieved. The ultimate objective of the process is to
improve student achievement levels by enhancing the way curriculum is delivered, by
creating a positive environment for learning, and by increasing the degree to which parents5
are involved in their childrens learning at school and in the home. What is a school
improvement plan? A school improvement plan is a road map that sets out the changes a
school needs to make to improve the level of student achievement, and shows how and
when these changes will be made. School improvement plans are selective: they help
principals, teachers, and school councils answer the questions What will we focus on now?
and What will we leave until later? They encourage staff and parents to monitor student
achievement levels and other factors, such as the school environment, that are known to
influence student success. With up-to-date and reliable information about how well students
are performing, schools are better able to respond to the needs of students, teachers, and
parents. A school improvement plan is also a mechanism through which the public can hold
schools accountable for student success and through which it can measure improvement.
One of the first stepsa crucial onein developing an improvement plan involves teachers,
school councils, parents, and other community members working together to gather and
analyse information about the school and its students, so that they can determine what
needs to be improved in their school. As the plan is implemented, schools continue to gather
this kind of data. By comparing the new data to the initial information on which the plan was
based, they and the publiccan measure the success of their improvement strategies.
Real change takes time. It is important that all partners understand this as they enter into

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the school improvement planning process. Incremental improvements are significant, and
they should be celebrated, but they do not constitute lasting change. School improvement 6
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING HANDBOOK plans are therefore best designed as threeyear plans: year 1 is taken up with the planning process year 2 is the first year of
implementation year 3 is the year in which implementation continues. During initial
deliberations, or as time goes on, schools may wish to extend their plan for additional years
to ensure that they maintain their focus and reach their goals. In any case, school
improvement plans should be considered working documents that schools use to monitor
their progress over time and to make revisions when necessary to ensure that the plans stay
on course. In developing their schools improvement plan, the principal, staff, school council,
parents, and other community members work through a variety of activities focused on
three areas of priority: curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement.
For each of these areas, schools establish the following: a goal statement performance
targets areas of focus implementation strategies indicators of success time lines
responsibility for implementing strategies checkpoints for status updates opportunities
for revisions. Appendix B contains a sample school improvement plan. About this handbook
For school improvement planning to be successful, it must involve all school partners. When
we refer to schools in this handbook (schools should ), we mean the entire school
community. The principal, as the person responsible for administering the school and for
providing instructional leadership, is ultimately responsible for improvement planning. But
the entire school community should be actively involved in all stages of the process:
planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating progress. We have therefore written this
handbook for principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members
who participate in the process. The handbook is intended to be a practical guide for schools
that are already involved in the improvement planning process, as well as those that are just
beginning. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the areas that should be considered for improvement
and the roles that various partners can play in making the process a success. Chapters 4
through 8 outline step-by-step activities that help schools develop their first school
improvement plan, implement it, evaluate its success, and revise it to ensure continuous
improvement. The appendices provide additional resources. Each school and school
community has unique needs and characteristics. Schools may find, as they work through
the handbook, that they want to modify some of the premises, steps, and activities to
ensure that their final plan reflects their specific needs. 7 EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT
COMMISSION For example, the sections on effective schools and the role of the principal do
not reflect the centrality of the Catholic church and faith in the work and goals of schools in
the Catholic systems. Catholic school boards will want to work with their Church, their
parishes, and members of their Catholic community to ensure that the materials and
activities used to develop improvement plans reflect their purpose. Similarly, Frenchlanguage boards will want to work with members of the French cultural community to adapt
sections of this handbook so that they adequately reflect the important role that schools in
the French-language systems play in preserving and strengthening French language, culture,
and institutions. Diversity is evident in a multitude of other situations across the province.
Schools in multilingual, multicultural settings face certain challenges unique to their
settings, while schools in isolated parts of the province face a completely different set of
challenges. Secondary schools play different roles and face different challenges than
elementary schools. In addition, secondary schools have not yet completely implemented
the new curriculum. Because our pilot projects in school improvement planning were all with
elementary schools, we may have overlooked conditions or factors that secondary schools
will want to take into account in their improvement planning. We anticipate that each school
will adapt the processes in this handbook to its own needs. In several parts of the text, we
have noted where such modifications would occur. All district school boards should take the
initiative and work with staff, school councils, parents, and community representatives to
develop guidelines that will help schools modify their plans to reflect the unique cultural,
linguistic, religious, and other demographic features of their school communities. A CD-ROM

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version of this handbook is being distributed to each school in the province, along with the
print version. For the convenience of those involved in school improvement planning, several
pieces of information from the text of the handbook, including forms, have been reproduced
on the CD-ROM as separate items. Some of the items are available in word-processing
formats (both Word and WordPerfect) so that schools can alter them to suit their individual
needs. These pieces of information are also available as separate, downloadable items from
the Education Improvement Commissions website, http://eic.edu.gov.on.ca. A complete list
of these items appears on page 2 of the handbook. 8 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING
HANDBOOK Together we can effectively make the changes needed to improve student
performance. 9 EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION What Areas Should Be Considered
for Improvement? 2 10 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING HANDBOOK The overall objective
of school improvement planning is an enhanced level of student achievement. To effect real
change, however, the process needs to focus on specific priorities. Student performance
improves when teachers use curriculum-delivery strategies that specifically address the
needs of their students, when the school environment is positive, and when parents are
involved in their childrens education. In planning improvements, therefore, schools should
establish one priority in each of these three areascurriculum delivery, school environment,
and parental involvement. In effect, the planning process involves answering the important
questions: What will we focus on now? and What will we leave until later? Curriculum
delivery Curriculum is the foundation of the education system. The Ministry of Education has
published curriculum policy documents that set out expectations for student learning in each
grade and subject area. The expectations describe the knowledge and skills that students
are expected to develop and to demonstrate in their class work, on tests, and in various
other activities on which their achievement is assessed.6 The policy documents also
contain achievement charts (rubrics) that help teachers assess the level of each students
achievement in relation to the expectations. The achievement levels are brief descriptions
of four possible levels of student achievement. These descriptions, which are used along
with more traditional indicators like letter grades and percentage marks, are among a
number of tools that teachers use to assess students learning.7 To set a goal for improving
the way curriculum is delivered, principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other
community members participating in the improvement planning process must understand
the expectations set out by the ministry and how well the students in their school are
achieving those expectations. Strategies to help schools set a curriculum delivery goal are
described beginning on page 20. School environment Effective schools share a set of
characteristics that add up to an environment that fosters student achievement.8 By setting
goals to improve a schools environment, principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and
other community members can make their schools more effective places in which to learn.
Highly effective schools share the following characteristics: a clear and focused vision a
safe and orderly environment a climate of high expectations for student success a focus
on high levels of student achievement that emphasizes activities related to learning a
principal who provides instructional leadership frequent monitoring of student progress
strong home-school relations.9 In assessing the effectiveness of their own school
environment, schools and their improvement planning partners may wish to add to the
seven characteristics described above. For example, schools in the Catholic systems will
want to extend this list to reflect the Catholic vision of the learner, the pastoral priorities of
the local parish, and diocesan priorities. Schools in the French-language systems will want to
consider their role in enhancing students understanding of French language, culture, and
institutions, as well as the central role their school plays in the culture of their community.
Strategies to help schools evaluate and set a goal for improving their environments are
described beginning on page 24. Parental involvement Research tells us that parental
involvement is one of the most significant factors contributing to a childs success in school.
When parents are involved in their childrens education, the level of student achievement
increases. Students attend school more regularly, complete more homework in a consistent
manner, and demonstrate more positive attitudes towards school. They also are more likely

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to complete high school.10 Parental involvement helps a child succeed in school and later in
life. To ensure parents are informed about and involved in their childrens education, schools
must foster partnerships with parents. Because parental involvement is one of the most
significant factors in a childs success, it is crucial that all schools set a goal in their
improvement plans for increasing it. Strategies to help schools understand the needs of
parents in their communities and set an improvement goal in this area are described
beginning on page 31. 11 EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION We are finally on the
same team. Who Are the Partners in School Improvement Planning? 3 Everyone involved in
or interested in the operation of schools has a role to play in the improvement planning
process. District school boards and superintendents of education play important roles in
setting directions and in supporting and monitoring school improvement plans. The most
important work, however, takes place within the school community itself. As we said in
chapter 1, an effective school improvement plan results when principals, teachers, school
councils, parents, and other community members work as a team to establish priorities, set
goals for improvement, implement strategies to achieve those goals, and evaluate progress.
In this chapter, we describe who should be involved in school improvement planning, and
outline the roles each should or could carry out at each stage of the process. District school
boards District school boards help set direction and provide support for the school
improvement planning process. They should: establish vision and mission statements for
the board and board improvement plans, and communicate them to schools so that schools
can use them as a context for their improvement planning encourage school councils,
parents, and other community members (for example, in the Catholic systems, the parish) to
participate in the development of board and school improvement plans establish policies
to ensure that school councils, parents, and other community members have meaningful
roles to play in developing, communicating, monitoring, and evaluating school improvement
plans support the development of team and leadership skills for school council members
through training, conferences, and forums (and, in the Catholic systems, retreats)
implement mechanisms to hold superintendents of education and principals accountable for
progress towards the goals set out in school improvement plans. It is also imperative that
boards understand, through annual reports from superintendents, the goals being set by the
schools in their jurisdictions. Boards can incorporate common school goals into their own
strategic plans and allocate resources in ways that meet the common needs and priorities of
their schools. 12 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING HANDBOOK Superintendents
Superintendents must encourage schools in planning improvements, facilitate their
strategies, and monitor each schools success. They should: develop a thorough
understanding of the nature and characteristics of each school ensure professional
development and training opportunities are available to school staff, school council
members, parents, and other community members to help them develop effective
improvement plans support school councils, parents, and other community members in
becoming full partners in the improvement planning process by communicating with them
regularly (for example, attending meetings of school council chairs) use principals
meetings to provide principals and vice-principals with professional development
opportunities and to model strategies (for example, teamwork) that principals can use in the
improvement planning process ensure that principals and staff receive the information (for
example, the boards strategic plan) and the resources (for example, professional
development opportunities) they need to carry out the improvement planning process
ensure that schools use accurate and comprehensive information (for example, student
achievement data, summaries of responses to parent surveys) in developing their plans
provide support to principals when and where needed as schools implement their plans
provide opportunities and venues such as the following for schools to work together to
resolve problems and share best practices: regional or family-of-schools meetings
newsletters electronic discussion groups work with staff development personnel to
ensure that their work increasingly focuses on helping schools achieve their improvement
goals review school improvement plans with principals regularly, and request regular

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updates on implementation of the plans. Principals Principals are the key players in the
school improvement process. They play a wide variety of roles to ensure that the
improvement plan and its implementation are successful. One of their most important
responsibilities is to ensure that improvement plans reflect the characteristics of their own
school and its community. In Ontarios Catholic education systems, for example, principals,
superintendents, and teachers should work in partnership as faith leaders to ensure that
school improvement plans reflect Catholic beliefs and values. In the French-language
systems, principals should ensure that improvement plans maintain the schools focus on
celebrating and enhancing students understanding of French language, culture, and
institutions, and that the plans recognize the central role that the school plays in
francophone communities. In general, principals roles in school improvement planning fall
into three main categories, as follows: 13 EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION I believe
that all partners in the education of children must have a clear understanding of their roles
and must be committed to making a school improvement plan work. I am convinced after
having been part of the planning process that this will happen. Communication Principals
should: clearly explain the school improvement planning process to staff, school councils,
parents, and other community members help staff, school councils, parents, and other
community members understand their role in the process and invite them to participate
provide the community with a school profile detailing the nature and characteristics of the
school ensure that everyone involved in the process receives regular communications
about the improvement plan and the schools progress communicate the final school plan
to all members of the schools community. Professional development Principals should:
encourage staff to lead the development and implementation of the plan provide
leadership and professional development/training opportunities to staff, school council
members, parents, and other community members involved in the process, and support
them in developing and implementing the plan establish professional development goals
with staff that focus on the goals and strategies in the school improvement plan ensure
that professional development activities that focus on achieving the schools improvement
goals are part of every staff meeting. Leadership Principals should: develop and circulate a
parent survey to provide parents with an opportunity to describe their feelings about the
school and the ways in which they would like to be involved in their childrens education,
and ensure that parents have adequate time to respond to the survey tally the results of
the parent survey and provide it to those involved in the planning process to help them
determine the goal for enhancing the level of parental involvement regularly collect
classroom information on student achievement, use this information in discussions with
teachers about adjusting and improving their teaching strategies, and ensure that this
information is also used by those developing the school improvement plan lead school
improvement planning meetings of staff, school councils, parents, and other community
members regularly assess staffs implementation of the school improvement plan
provide support and ongoing professional development for staff members as they pursue the
strategies set out in the plan ensure that the school budget reflects and supports the
plans goals and implementation strategies continually gather information on student
achievement and communicate it to the schools community as part of the plans monitoring
and evaluation process. 14 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING HANDBOOK Last but not
least, principals should lead their school and its community in celebrating successes
achieved in the pursuit of the schools improvement goals. Appendix C lists characteristics
that effective principals share. Principals, teachers, school council members, parents, and
other community members may want to reflect upon these characteristics as they consider
improvement goals for their schools. School boards may find the list useful in developing
professional development opportunities for principals. Of course, the characteristics in the
list may be modified or augmented to suit the unique nature of each school. Teachers Since
the ultimate objective of school improvement planning is to improve the level of student
achievement, the person who has the greatest impact on students during the school day
the teacherplays several critical roles in the school improvement planning process.

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Teachers should: actively participate and assume leadership roles in establishing priorities,
setting goals, and formulating implementation strategies for the plan work closely with
school councils and parents to implement the plan ensure that classroom strategies for
improvement address the needs of students at all levels of learning assess students in a
variety of ways and develop strategies for improving the level of student achievement
support the evaluation of the plan by providing up-to-date information on student learning,
the school environment, and parental feedback set and pursue professional development
goals that focus on the goals and strategies identified in the plan. School councils, parents,
and other community members In June 2000, the Ministry of Education signalled its intention
to ensure that parents voices are heard in matters related to their childrens education.
Through a regulation to be developed under the Education Act, the ministry will require that
district school boards and principals seek the advice of school councils in a number of areas
including the development of school improvement plansand report back to the councils
on how their advice has been taken into account. We believe that school councils, a majority
of whose members are parents, must be actively involved in the school improvement
planning process to ensure that the priorities of the whole school community are reflected in
the schools plan. Parents and community members who are not members of school councils
may also wish to participate, and should be encouraged to do so. In partnership with the
schools principal and teaching staff, school councils should: participate in establishing
priorities and setting goals and strategies for school improvement regularly encourage
parents and other community members (for example, through school council 15 EDUCATION
IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION newsletters or at parent meetings) to participate in the
improvement planning process review the schools progress in implementing the plan with
the principal discuss the plans goals and provide updates on the schools progress at
council meetings and in the councils communications with the community work in
consultation with the schools principal to build partnerships with social service agencies,
recreation departments and facilities, community groups, businesses, and industries to help
implement the plan. In addition, school councils in the Catholic systems should: work in
consultation with the schools principal to build partnerships with the parish provide
leadership in and resources for faith education encourage parental, staff, and parish
involvement in establishing good home-school-parish links. School councils in the Frenchlanguage systems should: inform the schools community about French-language cultural
activities that are available to students and their families provide the school with resources
to promote French-language cultural activities in the community. Other school councils may
wish to modify or augment the above list of roles with other activities that reflect the unique
needs of their schools. Students Secondary school students and students in Grades 7 and 8
may also play a part in school improvement planning. They could: participate in setting
goals and strategies help communicate the plan to the student body communicate the
plan to their parents participate in strategies to reach the schools goals. 16 SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT PLANNING HANDBOOK 17 EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION How Do
We Begin? 4 This chapter describes the first stages of the school improvement planning
process: creating a school improvement planning team; assembling and assessing
information about student achievement, the school environment, and parental participation
(that is, the context for the plan); and establishing priorities for improvement through a
series of activities. Principals play a crucial role in these early stages. They facilitate the
formation of a planning team, which will be responsible for establishing priorities, and they
ensure that the information required for effective planningsuch as aggregated report card
marks, the results of assessments conducted by the provinces Education Quality and
Accountability Office (EQAO), and a summary of responses to the parent surveyis collected
and made available to the team. Forming a school improvement planning team Principals
should make every effort to inform teachers, school council members, parents, and other
community members about the improvement process in a way that welcomes their
participation. In elementary schools, all teachers, members of the school council, parents,
and other community members who wish to participate should be part of the planning

14
process. Secondary schools, which usually have large teaching staffs, should ensure that at
least one representative from each department is part of the planning team, as well as the
school council, parents, and other community members who want to participate. In addition
to offering their valuable perspectives and abilities, teachers will be able to help other
members of the team understand data on student achievement as well as the potential
value of and challenges involved in various improvement proposals. It is vital that the team
be representative of the schools community. Principals should work hard to persuade
parents who represent a range of the school communitys demographic profile to participate
in the planning exercise. Other members of the community may be able to offer valuable
insights and perspectives, and their participation should also be encouraged and actively
sought out. Principals in the Catholic systems will want to include parish council members on
the team, and principals in the French-language systems will want to include leaders from
the local francophone community. 18 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING HANDBOOK I
enjoyed working with a keen, dedicated group of parents and teachers who represent all
levels of the school. Finally, secondary school students should also be represented on the
planning team. Principals should encourage their involvement in the process, and perhaps
seek out those who are student leaders, urging them to play a role. Principals in elementary
schools may wish to involve interested Grade 7 and 8 students with the teams work. All
participants should have a positive attitude towards the process and understand that they
must work as a team. Scheduling meeting times for the planning team that are acceptable
to both staff and parents may be a challenge. One solution is to organize parallel processes,
whereby staff meet during after-school staff meetings and parents meet in the evening. The
advantage of this arrangement is that it allows more parents to participate. To ensure that
one group does not make decisions without hearing the views of and having a discussion
with the other group, certain teachers could volunteer or be delegated to participate in both
the after-school staff meetings and the evening parent meetings. The school improvement
planning team has the task of analysing data and information about the level of student
achievement in the school, the effectiveness of the school environment, and the level of
involvement of parents in their childrens education. Based on their analysis, team members
make decisions about areas that need to be improved (priorities). As figure 1 indicates, the
planning work should take place between September and January of year 1. 19 EDUCATION
IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION Time Lines Activities Responsibilities (Year 1) September Send
out parent survey (see Appendix E) Principal Assemble class profiles (or begin to collect
student All staff work as a basis for developing class profiles)11 October Analyse parent
survey Principal Create school profile Principal/staff November Analyse results of EQAO
tests for inclusion in Principal/staff December planning process Collect student work for class
profiles All staff Analyse report card marks Principal/staff Establish curriculum delivery
priority Entire planning team January Establish school environment priority Entire planning
team Establish parental involvement priority Entire planning team Figure 1. Setting Priorities:
Time Lines, Activities, and Responsibilities Parents concerns and ideas were aired from the
perspective of student improvementwe all were working towards one common goal.
Understanding the context Before the planning team begins developing a school
improvement plan, all members of the team, including parents, must be aware of and
understand certain key pieces of information that school boards communicate to staff and
the public: the boards vision statement the boards response, as set out in its boardwide improvement plan, to the EQAO test results the boards strategic plan, which sets out
its short- and long-term goals for the district. In addition, everyone on the planning team
should become familiar with the nature and characteristics of the school and its community.
Many schools create a school profile that describes these characteristics in a way that is
easy to understand. Reviewing the school profile and discussing each area helps everyone
involved in the planning process understand the school, and it sets a context for the
improvement plan. A school profile could include information about the following: student
demographics enrolment trends languages spoken in the home the schools mission
statement the schools program priorities programs and services offered by the school

15
(for example, guidance and library services) school facilities class sizes the rate of
student turnover or transfer other relevant information. Schools in the French-language
systems would use the last category above to include information about the relationship
between the school and local French-language cultural organizations. Schools in the Catholic
systems would include information about the links between the school and its parish.
Schools in all four systems will have other relevant information that will help the readers of
the profile get an accurate and complete picture of their school. After gaining an
understanding of both the boards goals and the schools characteristics, the planning team
is ready to begin setting priorities for a school improvement plan. Setting priorities As we
stated in chapter 2, school improvement plans are organized around three key areas:
curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. The improvement
planning team must establish one priority in each of these three areas. The following
activities will help planning teams establish these priorities. 20 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
PLANNING HANDBOOK Priority for Enhancing Curriculum Delivery Step 1 Collecting
information The principal must ensure that the planning team has the necessary information
to identify which area of the curriculum (for example, mathematics, reading, or writing) is
most in need of improvement. He or she must also ensure that the information collected is
reliablethat is, that it was gathered on the basis of the expectations and achievement
levels defined by the Ministry of Education. All teachers must understand, and have a
common understanding of, the ministrys policy requirements. The principal should therefore
collect the following information for the planning team: Results of the EQAOs annual
assessments of students in Grades 3, 6, and 10: These assessments are based on the
Ontario curriculum and achievement levels. The results are public information, and EQAO
produces a report on each school. The school report contains a wealth of information that is
not available elsewhere. Report card marks: Report card marks must reflect a clear
understanding of the ministrys expectations and achievement levels. Appendix D outlines
activities that are designed to help teachers understand the expectations and generate
reliable report cards. The report card marks made available to the planning team will not, of
course, be individual students marks, but aggregated marks, by grade and/or by subject.
Class profiles: Class profiles are collections of student work that have been compiled at
specific checkpoints during the year. We suggest that November/December, March, and June
are appropriate checkpoints for elementary schools, and the end of each term is an
appropriate checkpoint for secondary schools. Class profiles give both teachers and
principals up-to-date information about student achievement and provide them with a basis
for developing teaching strategies for improvement. They also provide principals with a
basis for assessing whether teachers have a clear understanding of the ministrys
expectations and achievement levels. In year 1, schools may not yet have developed class
profiles based on reliable data. It is important, however, that they begin the process of
collecting this data so that they can develop and maintain class profiles. Appendix D outlines
activities designed to help principals and teachers create accurate class profiles. 21
EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION Priority for Enhancing Curriculum Delivery As a
parent, the opportunity to sit across from teachers and dialogue about student achievement
has been invaluable. Priority for Enhancing Curriculum Delivery 22 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
PLANNING HANDBOOK Results of board-administered, national, and international tests:
Some schools participate in tests, such as the Canadian Test of Basic Skills, that are given to
all students by their board. Other schools participate in national tests, such as those
administered by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, through its School
Achievement Indicators Program. Schools may also participate in international tests, such as
the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. If a school has participated in such
tests, the results provide additional useful information for the improvement planning
process. Step 2 Discussing the information An open discussion, using all the information
about student achievement that has been collected, allows all partners on the planning
team to assess the schools strengths and weaknesses in the delivery of curriculum, and
determine a priority for improvement in this area. The two activities described below will

16
help participants with this important exercise. Activity 1 A facilitator (the principal or a
school board consultant) leads the planning team in a discussion by asking questions that
focus on information about achievement. This discussion gives everyone an opportunity to
understand the information and its value to the school improvement planning process, and
to participate in the decision-making process. The facilitator asks the following questions:
Is there anything in the student achievement information that you do not understand? If
so, what would you like clarified? Is there anything about the information that you find
surprising? Is there anything that concerns you? How does the information fit with your
feelings about how the students at this school are doing? Does it seem to differ from what
you have experienced in the classroom or in the home? Did our students do as well as we
expected them to do? Priority for Enhancing Curriculum Delivery 23 EDUCATION
IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION What are some of the differences between the EQAO results
and the report card marks of our students? What explanation can you offer for these
differences? Activity 2 The purpose of this activity is to establish the area of priority in
curriculum delivery. Participants break into small groups seated at separate tables in the
room, each equipped with a flip chart and markers. The facilitator asks the groups to
articulate the schools strengths and weaknesses in curriculum delivery, as follows: On the
basis of the data we have just examined: In which areas of the curriculum are our students
performing well? (A possible answer could be problem solving in mathematics.) List the
answers under the heading Strengths on your flip chart. In which areas of the curriculum
are our students performing poorly? (A possible answer could be reading.) List the answers
under a column entitled Weaknesses on another page of your flip chart. Why do you
think our students are performing poorly in those areas? The strengths and weaknesses
must be derived from the measurable data on achievement that the group has examined.
While the weaknesses will ultimately furnish the priority for improvement, it is important at
this stage to discuss the schools strengths as well. A discussion of weaknesses alone could
make participants feel that the school is not doing anything well. By listing what is done well
and posting the information, a positive tone is set for the discussion. All groups post their
strength charts together and their weakness charts together. All participants take 5 to 10
minutes to reflect on the charts and to ask each other for clarification. While everyone does
not have to agree on each strength and weakness, everyone should understand each one.
Participants then spend a further 5 minutes grouping similar strengths and similar
weaknesses. When this task has been Priority for Enhancing Curriculum Delivery 24 SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT PLANNING HANDBOOK accomplished, two lists are developedone showing
all of the strengths listed by the groups and one showing all of the weaknesses. Participants
then reflect on the following two questions posed by the facilitator: Which of these
weaknesses are most important to you? Of the most important, which one should be dealt
with first? The facilitator directs the groups as follows: Think Consider the questions above
by yourself. On a sheet of paper, record three weaknesses. Pair Work with the person next to
you and jot down your responses. Agree on and record three weaknesses. Share Work with
the whole group at your table to combine similar weaknesses and finally to choose three
agreed-upon areas of weakness. Each group posts its list of three weaknesses. All
participants work to combine similar weaknesses, and a new, final list of weaknesses is
posted. Step 3 Deciding on a priority (dot-mocracy) The facilitator distributes red dot
stickers to the team members. Each member receives a number of dots equal to one third
the number of weaknesses. All team members vote, using the stickers, for the areas of
curriculum weakness that they believe should be addressed first. Members must use all their
dots, but they may not use more than one dot per weakness. The weakness with the most
dots becomes the priority for enhancing curriculum delivery. Example: City Centre
Secondary Schools priority for enhancing curriculum delivery is to improve students writing
skills. Priority for Improving the School Environment Figure 2 (see pages 27 to 31) sets out
the characteristics of effective schools. Research shows that students in schools that share
these characteristics achieve at high levels.12 Staff and parents can take actions to improve
the school environment, even in the face of negative forces. Armed with awareness of these

17
characteristics, they should examine the practices of their own school and identify areas for
improvement. Schools may wish to modify the worksheet in figure 2, which is adapted from
an American source, to suit their individual situations. For example, schools in the Catholic
systems will want to include home-school-parish relations and, where applicable, the
schools role in promoting the Catholic faith. Schools in the French-language systems will
want to include the schools role in preserving French language and culture in a minority
setting. Step 1 Collecting information The principal must collect material that will help the
planning team determine a priority area for improving the school environment, such as
information on the following: student suspensions student attendance figures, including
both lates and absences behaviour/conduct, including the frequency and type of
inappropriate behaviour homework completion rates level of participation in student
activities kinds of student awards given out surveys of staff, students, parents, and other
community members on the subject of the school environment. Many schools will be able to
think of other student-related data that would be useful to the improvement planning
process. For example, schools in the French-language systems will want to design surveys to
collect data about their students involvement in activities and institutions in the local
francophone community. Schools in the Catholic systems will want to design parent and
student surveys about whether and how the school environment 25 EDUCATION
IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION Priority for Improving the School Environment Priority for
Improving the School Environment 26 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING HANDBOOK could
be complemented or enriched by stronger connections to the local parish. The planning
meeting that focuses on the school environment should allow for individual reflection, as
well as small and large group discussions. The object is to allow the planning team to
establish a priority that focuses on enhancing the learning environment, thereby improving
the level of student achievement. Step 2 Discussing the information Before the meeting
begins, the facilitator should prepare in the following ways: Using the responses to the
parent survey (see Appendix E), write the strengths of the school as perceived by parents on
one piece of chart paper and the weaknesses on another. Reproduce figure 2 in the form of
handouts for team members. Write each of the following characteristics of effective
schools on a separate piece of chart paper: clear and focused vision for learning safe and
orderly school environment climate of high expectations for student success high levels
of student achievement through an emphasis on learning activities instructional leadership
of principal frequent monitoring of student progress strong home-school relations.
Activity 1 The team breaks into small groups. The facilitator distributes copies of the
effective schools worksheet (figure 2), explains the worksheet, and asks participants to
discuss it with one another as follows: Think Spend a few minutes quietly reflecting on each
of the characteristics of effective schools (reflect on the headings, not each item under the
headings). Using the worksheet, respond to the questions: What are we currently doing well
in our school? and What are we weak in? We all felt a sense of ownership throughout the
process. Priority for Improving the School Environment 27 EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT CO

18

QNO3;DISCUSS PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES IN EDUCATIONAL PLANNING IN

PAKISTAN-

ANS-PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES IN EDUCATIONAL PLANNING IN PAKISTAN

It is mandated in the Constitution of Pakistan to provide free and compulsory education
to all children between the ages of 5-16 years and enhance adult literacy. With the
18thconstitutional amendment the concurrent list which comprised of 47 subjects w
Pakistans education system faces many well-known problems. At the primary and
secondary level, both access and student achievement are lowby international standards
as well as the standard of meeting Pakistans broad development challenges, and future
outlook is pessimisticwith Pakistan likely to fall well short of the Universal Primary
Education Millennium Development Goal (MDG) by 2015. 1 Teacher preparation and teacher
attendance at schools are inadequate. Stubborn inequalities in access, quality, and
educational outcomes persist across gender, across income, between urban and rural
schools, and among the countrys four provinces. These inequalities create some startling
disparities: for instance, Punjabi urban males completed primary school in the early 2000s at
a rate of 65%; but only about 10% of rural Balochi or rural Pathan females did so. 2 New data
on these disparities provide some encouragement but there is still a long distance to go in
eliminating them (cf. section Inequality of opportunity).

19
The higher education system fares no better, in spite of strides made in the last decade (cf.
section An evolving system). Enrolment stands at less than 4% (including two-year colleges)
of the age cohort, a statistic that compares unfavorably with countries such as India at 11%
and Malaysia at 32%.3 The problems this sector faces are legion: low quality of faculty, low
student motivation, rote learning, outdated curriculum, student discipline in public
universities, lack of funding, lack of research, and so forth. As a result, a large majority of
Pakistani graduates emerge from universities without the technical or social skills needed for
them to be strong contributors in the workplace or society, either in Pakistan or on the global
stage.
Vocational education in Pakistan is even more marginalized. Less than 1% of the population
has ever received technical education or vocational training. For those who have, quality has
been uneven. More than 3/4 of the graduates have some foundational skills but no
marketable skills for employment. Poor administration, lack of interaction with industry, and
the outdated infrastructure of public institutions have been blamed. 4 Such issues, along with
those that bedevil the other levels of education, explain why Skilled Workforce Indicators
such as poor work ethic and inadequate education rank as two of the top 10 most
problematic factorsThese problems are not new or unknown, and various Pakistani governments have tried,
with questionable resolve, to respond. Pakistan in fact has a long history of failed reforms
and educational development plans. As early as 1959, the National Commission on
Education produced a report that outlined the problems in Pakistans educational system
and recommended reforms. By and large, the problems identified in that report remain and
have persisted through the Government of Pakistans educational policies of 1970, 1972,
1979, 1992, and 1998. These problems have also survived more than eight five-year
development plans that, among broader development efforts, aimed at resolving the
problems in the education sector.
Only these problems are now graver than ever before. In a world in which many countries
(including many in the developing world) are moving ahead quickly in terms of their
economic and social development, Pakistan risks falling ever further behind if it cannot
educate its young people effectively. Moreover, the challenges to Pakistans education
system are about to multiply, given that the number of young people is projected to rise
significantly in the coming decades. The current education system in Pakistan is for the most
part unable to educate the existing and the coming large numbers of students so that they
are fully functionally literate, are able to contribute productively to the economy, and are

20
fully aware citizens, able to constructively contribute to overcoming the countrys vast
development challenges.
Given the rather dismal history of educational reform in Pakistan, a pragmatic question is if
anything can be done, and if it has any reasonable chance of success. We believe the
answer is a qualified yes, as several forces both within the educational system and in the
broader polity in Pakistan have come together to create a window of opportunity for
education reforms to materialize.
The first of these forces is the rising expectations of the Pakistani public. 5 Pakistans
educational deficits along with the countrys inability to provide productive work to all
those who are educated have led to widely unfulfilled expectations (c.f. indicators in the
section Unfulfilled expectations). Partly because of technology and global connectedness,
the generation that grew up in the last decade, the one that is growing up now, their
parents, and business and leading thinkers are much more aware of global currents, and of
their own disadvantage with respect to other countries. Rising economic insecurity has
added to the anxiety of parents and youth about their future. Pakistans rapidly growing
population has made these problems all the more acute. Although the share of 15- to 24year-olds is currently at its peak and will be declining in the coming decades, the absolute
size of that cohort is projected to grow from about 38 million today to about 43 million in
2035. Young people, and indeed all age cohorts, will increasingly expect and demand that
the country rapidly improve access to, and the quality and relevance of, its education
system at all levels.
The second is a rapidly evolving political system in which major actors are adjusting to new
expectations. Pakistans checkered history of governance in which the military ruled the
country for more than half of its 66-year history never allowed democratic norms to
stabilize. Interim civilian governments, with limited exceptions, were typically weak and
insecure. In the limited time and perceived autonomy they enjoyed, their focus was mainly
on rent extraction and personal gains, in part because few expected to go back to the
electorate to seek re-election based on performance, as the military was often a more
important power broker.
This has now changed. The last decade saw several major changes, and this decade is
poised to see even more. The publics power is increasingly the deciding factor in who
comes to and remains in power. For instance, in spite of several sea-changes in Pakistans
polity (e.g., liberalization of the media, investment in higher education) brought about by the
last military government (1999-2007), its end was brought about largely through popular
discontent. The democratic government from 2008-2013, in spite of being the first
democratic government in Pakistans history that completed its tenure, and in spite of
making important legislative gains including declaring primary and secondary education to
be a fundamental right and provision of education as an obligation of the state (Article
25(A)) 6 largely neglected services 7 and was emphatically voted out by the electorate. The
signal from the public was widely interpreted as a vote of no confidence in the performance
of the previous government in service delivery. Consequently, the new government appears

5.

21
overtly conscious of the fact that it must deliver, rather than just declare, and be seen to
deliver on services demanded by the Pakistani public, including education for Pakistans
children.6 How well they can do remains to be seen.
The new government also knows that it will be kept in check by a highly active judiciary. The
higher judiciary which was historically a spectator in the Pakistani state system and was
mainly pliant to the military, validating its multiple coups and otherwise rubber-stamping its
extra-constitutional decisions has, since 2007, aggressively held public officials to account.
This has two significant implications for implementation of reform in the education sector.
One, with the passing of Article 25(A), it is possible for the public to go to court about being
denied basic education, and two, government and bureaucracy now know that that
misconduct and corruption in implementation may result in serious and public
consequences.
The third driving force for change is the rise, over the last decade, of a hyper-active
Pakistani media that regularly highlights the dysfunction within Pakistani institutions. It has
provided a forum for voicing popular discontent on various issues, including education.
Already there are aggressive campaigns for voice and accountability in the education sector
led by NGOs and the media, 8,9 that highlight citizens and the states responsibility to get
every child in school, improve quality of schools, expose ghost schools, and highlight other
educational issues. Media have also put on notice politicians and other leaders in terms of
accountability, with media reports regularly providing the basis for court cases filed against
bureaucratic malpractices. Political leaders, higher courts, and civil society activists are all
adjusting to this sharp spotlight of public accountability. The system is far from perfect, and
an often over-exuberant media can at times behave as regressive (e.g., sometimes stoking
hysteria about curricular reform), but the point is that political leaders know that there is a
new reality and that they can no longer hide behind a cloak of obscurity if service delivery or
reform implementation is marred by corruption.
There are also other new, and potentially powerful, symbols of change. Malala Yousafzai, the
Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 but survived, has become a focusing icon
for gender equality in education not only in Pakistan but globally. The events after her
shooting, recovery, and rise to the global stage have challenged perceptions and expanded
the discourse in Pakistan about girls education in particular, and education in general.

22
The forces for change are there, but it is not yet clear how much the government can focus
on education, versus other highly visible and charged problems, such as the economy,
energy, and security crises. Yet it is imperative to get education securely on the agenda of
federal and provincial governments and to ensure it stays there, because the problems
Pakistan faces in its education system have the potential to affect nearly all aspects of
Pakistans society, economy, political system, and relations with other countries. As such,
the array of groups that have a stake in significantly improving the education system is quite
large. It comprises the government, young people, employers, nongovernmental
organizations, workers and their organizations, and bilateral and multilateral donors,
lenders, and other organizations.
Pakistan does have considerable strengths to draw upon in making major, salutary changes
to its education system. What is less clear is whether leaders who have the will to do
something about the education system also have the political skill to take advantage of
these strengths and effect lasting change at the scale needed. But without major, near-term
improvements in the quality of education offered, in access to that education, and in
particular participation by girls Pakistan may stagnate in its economic and social
development, continue to experience significant challenges to its democracy, fail to build on
its strengths, continue to suffer considerable internal strife, and ultimately weaken itself in
relation to neighboring countries. Pakistan is not doomed to follow this scenario. But it will
need to act quickly, if it is to realize its enormous potential and satisfy the growing demands
of its people for better lives.
The rest of this chapter examines the current state of education in Pakistan and the
challenges it faces. It then focuses on what needs to be done, discusses the obstacles and
challenges that get in the way of reform, and what can be done to overcome them.

1. The current state of play: unfulfilled expectations, educational deficits,

inequality of opportunity, an evolving system, disruptive changes
2.1. Unfulfilled expectations
Pakistani youth are particularly dissatisfied with the educational system. A British Council
report in 2009 documented several concerns commonly expressed by Pakistans next
generation.10 92% believed improving the educational system is an important issue and
women were particularly concerned about the future of their children. Almost half believed
they did not have the skills for the modern labor market and many expressed their inability
to find an opportunity to gain essential skills. Those who were qualified struggled to find
decent employment while battling discrimination and corruption. All of this was expressed as
a simmering sense of injustice and hopelessness. In the British Council report, only one in
ten expected an improvement in the near future. 11

10.

23
Pakistans business and leading thinkers are no less dissatisfied. Indicators about education
from the annual Executive Opinion Survey by the World Economic Forum are dismal. These
surveys ask corporate executives throughout the world about their businesses and the
social, political, and economic environment in which they operate. Some of these questions
focus on the knowledge and capacities of their workforces and the formal and informal
institutions that augment those skill sets. Table 1 summarizes the answers provided by
Pakistani business leaders to these questions. Almost 1 in 2 business leaders is dissatisfied
with the ability of the educational system to support a competitive economy. 6 out of 10
express dissatisfaction with the quality of primary schools and 1 in 2 with the quality of math
and science education. Further, these numbers have stayed roughly steady, and in some
cases deteriorated over the last four years of the survey.
Table 1: Responses from the World Economic Forums Executive Opinion Survey
about the state of education in Pakistan
2010

2011

2012

2013

218

131

110

130

Sample size

At least moderate
satisfaction %

Response rate %

1. How well does the

educational system in
your country meet the
needs of a competitive
economy?

Great satisfaction %

2010

2011

2012

2013

2010

2011

2012

2013

2010

2011

2012

2013

99.1

96.9

99.1

94.6

43.1

43.3

42.2

44.7

4.6

4.7

11.0

8.1

2. How would you assess

the quality of primary
schools in your country?

99.1

97.7

97.3

95.4

34.7

35.2

32.7

32.3

4.6

8.6

6.5

4.8

3. How would you

assess the quality of
math and science
education in your
countrys schools?

99.5

97.7

94.5

96.2

47.5

48.4

47.1

38.4

6.9

7.8

12.5

8.8

4. How would you assess

the quality of
management or business
schools in your country?

99.5

96.9

98.2

95.4

53.9

70.1

68.5

70.2

11.5

14.2

19.4

16.1

98.2

96.9

97.3

97.7

41.6

52.0

43.0

44.1

5.6

3.9

4.7

6.3

These numbers suggest that, in this domain, Pakistan is not competitive with respect to the
rest of the world, which does not bode well for the future. One (largely) independent
indicator of this disadvantage is Pakistans ranking in the recently released Human Capital

24
Index by the WEF.11 This index attempts to rank countries in terms of their ability to
maximize the long-term economic potential of their workforces. The index focuses on four
aspects of countries environments: education; health and wellness; workforce and
employment; and an enabling environment to realize the economic benefits of the human
capital. Pakistan ranks 112 among 122 countries in the overall index, all of the lower-ranked
countries being in Sub-Saharan Africa (except Yemen). In education specifically, Pakistan is
ranked 111 out of 122. India, by comparison, is ranked 78 overall and 63 in education.
2.2. Gross enrolment and literacy statistics
The dissatisfaction with the education system in Pakistan is partly due to commonly
quantified deficits, such as access, literacy and student/teacher ratios. In 2011, the net
enrolment rate in Pakistan for primary education was only 72% (as compared with more than
90% in India and Indonesia)12 with girls more disadvantaged, as fewer than two-thirds of girls
of primary school age were enrolled in school. The same trends pertained to secondary
school enrolment, with only 35% of secondary-school-age Pakistani children enrolled at that
level (and only 29% of girls). Bangladesh and Indonesia were doing better with enrolment
rates of 47% and 74%, respectively with no male/female difference in Indonesia and, in
Bangladesh, a higher enrolment rate among girls than boys. Tertiary-level statistics tell a
similar story: the enrolment rate in Pakistan is far below that in India and Indonesia. 13
Literacy data also paint a discouraging picture. Only 55% of adults (and just 40% of women)
are considered literate figures below those of Bangladesh and India and very far below
Indonesias, where 93% of adults (and 90% of women) are literate. Data on literacy among
15- to 24-year-olds, important indicators because they focus on the upcoming generation,
were also discouraging. Pakistan had a youth literacy rate of 71% (and 61% for females).
Indeed, for most data points, Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia come out well ahead of
Pakistan.
In student/teacher ratios, Pakistan had mixed performance. The student/teacher ratio in
Pakistans primary schools is roughly 40:1, about the same as in Bangladesh and India,

11

12

13DEPENDING ON PLANNING
Majority of our educational planning is dependent upon aids and loans is from foreign
agencies.They extend their loans on their own terms and condition they have their own
objectives which are political or social.Whenthey feel that their objectives are not fulfilled
properly they then stop the flow of resources.I n result our planning implementation remains
hanging and pending in between.The best solution of this problem is that we should strictly
observe our policy.

25
though much higher than Indonesias 16:1. In secondary education, Pakistans relative
position is worse. The countrys student/teacher ratio is roughly 40:1, as compared with
about 30:1 in Bangladesh, 25:1 in India, and spent on education. At 2.4% of GDP, the
country sits in roughly the same range as Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia.
These common deficits indicate one set of shortcoming in Pakistans educational system, but
the dissatisfaction is also due to other less easily quantified factors. For instance, in
Pakistan, like most countries, enrolment in school does not ensure attendance; many
students begin a school year but attend infrequently and do not complete the year.
Attendance, in turn, does not imply learning; inadequate curricula, teacher absenteeism, and
infrastructure deficiencies can thwart even motivated students and well-intentioned
administrators. And the quality of curriculum, and the manner of its delivery, means
students are taught to memorize facts rather than inquisitiveness and problem-solving,
leaving them less-prepared to meet the demands of a modern economy and society.
2.3. Inequality of opportunity
Even though girls enrolment in primary and secondary education has improved in the last
decade, it stills remains below boys, with significant urban/rural and regional differences.
More than half of girls in rural areas do not attend primary school and more than threequarters do not attend secondary school.14 Enrolment rates of boys in rural areas at both the
primary and secondary level are about 7 percentage points higher than those of girls a
difference that is fast disappearing in urban areas. There are also important regional
variations. For instance, rural areas in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are increasing girls
secondary enrolment at a faster pace in rural areas than in the past (with enrolments at
almost 30% and 23% respectively), but rural Sindh is almost stagnant, with an enrolment
rate at 10%.15
This inequality has important developmental consequences. Educated girls are more likely to
have skills that allow them to earn more in the labor market; they are more likely to marry
later, to have fewer children, and to have them later; and they and their children are more
likely to be healthy. Educated mothers are also shown to impact their childrens learning
outcomes at school.15 Emerging evidence also suggests that benefits from girls education
may actually start even earlier than when they have children of their own, as educated elder
sisters can have a significant positive effect on educational outcomes of younger siblings. 16,17

14

15

16

17

26
Overall, the return on investment in girls education is higher than that for boys. Table 2
illustrates the male-female difference in the private rate of return on investment in various
levels of education in Pakistan, using individual wages earned to determine rates of return
but not including other potential social or health benefits.
The continued neglect of rural areas in terms of education also has negative developmental
effects. It exacerbates the economic and cultural differences between those areas and cities
to the detriment of the country as a whole. Further, since agriculture is about one-quarter of
Pakistans economy, lack of education can impact the long-term efficiency of agriculture as
well as increase migration from rural to urban areas.
Table 2: Rates of return on investments in additional years of education

Level of education

Rate of return (%)

Male

Female

Primary

2.7

6.8

Middle

4.5

20.5

Matric (10 years of formal education)

13.2

27.4

Inter (12 years of formal education)

11.4

16.9

Bachelors (14 years of formal education)

15.4

22.6

MA_more (16+ years of formal education)

15.1

30.7

Source: Aslam, Monazza, Rates of Return to Education by Gender in Pakistan. Global

Poverty Research Group Working Paper. GPRG-WPS-064. Table 7a. No date, but this paper
cites a 2007 publication and is based on data from 2002.
2.4. An evolving system
The education system in Pakistan has seen major evolution in the last few decades. Prior to
1972, private providers delivered a substantial proportion of basic education in Pakistan. The
70s saw a nationalization of most of these private institutions. But a lack of public funding
for education, as well as a change in governments, forced a policy reversal. Since
restrictions were lifted in 1979, private providers of education have filled in gaps where the
public sector has failed to deliver,18 a trend that has accelerated in the past two decades.
In primary and secondary education, a number of private schools have emerged. These
schools span both elite schools catering to the high-income segment of the population, as
well as more affordable schools catering to the middle-income segment and low-cost private
schools serving low-income families. In addition, philanthropic organizations such as The
Citizens Foundation (TCF), Cooperation for Advancement Rehabilitation and Education

18

27
(CARE), and other organizations are a growing niche attempting to provide quality education
to children from low-income families.
Private school education in fact is a major phenomenon in Pakistan, with nearly one-third of
all students, at both the primary and secondary levels, attending private schools (accounting
for approximately 6 million and 3 million students, respectively). The growth of these private
schools, particularly low-cost private schools has been particularly important in Punjab
and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Punjab, in net terms, some argue that virtually all the gain in
school participation over the period 2004/05 2010/11, especially at the primary level, is
due to the gain in private school participation (Andrabi et al. 2007).
Within higher education, we have also seen the emergence of good private institutions. For
instance, the Lahore University of Management Sciences, established in 1985 and now
comprising schools of humanities and social sciences, business, and science and
engineering, has established itself as one of the best business schools in Pakistan. The Aga
Khan University founded in 1983 is acknowledged as the countrys best medical school. The
Karachi School of Business and Leadership established in 2010 started classes in 2012 and
aspires to be a world-class business school. The newly formed Habib University in Karachi
aims to be a preeminent liberal arts university and plans to commence classes in 2014.
Important as these initiatives are, in spite of their non-profit status, they cater primarily to
the high-income section of the population.
In addition, the infusion of resources and ideas fostered by the Higher Education Commission
(HEC) in the last decade has had a salutary effect on a few public universities. Universities
like the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) and Quaid-e-Azam University
(QAU) in Islamabad have in recent years significantly enhanced their reputation. Admittedly,
such universities are a small fraction of the total in Pakistan, and the progress they have
made is checkered, but there is nonetheless improvement from their conditions at the turn
of the millennium. The HEC also launched the Virtual University (VU) of Pakistan in 2002 as
an attempt to circumvent the lack of capacity in existing universities and bring college
education to scale. By October 2012, VU enrolment had crossed the 100,000 mark.
Vocational education, in contrast to primary/secondary schooling and the higher education
sector, has not yet caught the attention of private providers, although exceptions have
recently emerged such as AmanTech in Karachi. 19 Government remains the primary provider,
with responsibility and authority devolved to the provincial governments.
2.5. Disruptive changes
Educational governance in Pakistan is in a state of flux because of constitutional changes
and political dynamics.
In April 2010, the legislature passed the 18th amendment to the constitution which, among
other far-reaching changes, devolved a number of responsibilities to the provinces. Prior to
the amendment, primary and secondary education was a shared responsibility of the federal
and provincial governments, and the federal government had powers to enact and enforce

19.

28
laws related to education. The 18th amendment was initially interpreted as the federal
government completely devolving responsibility to the provincial governments, along with
the abolition of the federal Ministry of Education (MoE). However, legal challenges were soon
mounted and the Supreme Court ruled in November 2011 that education was an obligation
of the federal government from which it cannot absolve itself. Consequently, an existing
ministry, the Ministry of Professional Education and Trainings, was renamed to form the
Ministry of Education and Training (MoET). However, even two years after its creation, the
role, responsibility, and authority of MoET is not clear and its relations with provincial
ministries of education undefined.
At the higher education level as well, recent developments have created significant
governance challenges. At the turn of the last century, the higher education sector in
Pakistan was overwhelmingly marginalized in favor of primary education. In 2002, the
government created a powerful Higher Education Commission (HEC) that helped the higher
education sector make huge strides. But the HEC, too, has fallen to the vicissitudes of
Pakistans political turmoil through a series of developments. First, HECs budgets were
radically reduced under the last regime as higher education was not high on the agenda of
the government. Second, the HEC became a party to political conflict when it was asked by
the courts to verify the degrees of sitting parliamentarians. The resulting political enmity left
the HEC with few champions in the government. As a result, there were several efforts to
disband the HEC or to put it under the control of the MoET, which would effectively revoke its
status as an independent commission. There were also public rifts about appointments at
senior positions within the HEC, with the government and the courts pushing the
commission in opposite directions.
The net result is that HEC finds its future role uncertain, with the entire higher education
sector therefore mired in uncertainty. In fact, it is not even clear if the HEC is reporting to
MoET, or if MoET is supposed to channel funding to HEC and act as the broker of the
Commissions parliamentary affairs. The net result is that until the challenge of governance
is resolved and the new government firmly commits to higher education as a priority, reform
in this very important sector of education is unlikely to be feasible.
3. Designing reform: a systems view
A chapter of this scope cannot offer a detailed blueprint for reform of the entire educational
system in Pakistan. Nor should it any blueprint must have the buy-in of all major
stakeholders in Pakistans educational system, such as the government, political leaders,
and civil society. This is particularly true because any reform will require making important
choices about how much effort to spend on different sectors of the education system, what
problems to tackle within the sectors, how to address them, and what results to expect from
these efforts. What such a chapter can do, however, is to lay out the perspective educational
reform must adopt, the broad principles it must consider, propose the ends it should meet
and the chief means it could adopt.
For the discussion below, it is useful to explicate the notion of an educational system. By the
system of education, we mean the collection of individual institutions that are involved in
delivering formal education (public and private, for-profit and non-profit, onsite or virtual
instruction) and their faculties, students, physical infrastructure, resources and rules. We
also include the institutions that are directly involved in financing, managing, operating or

29
regulating such institutions (government ministries and regulatory bodies, central testing
organizations, text book boards, accreditation boards etc.). Finally, in an education system,
we include the rules and regulations that guide the individual and institutional interactions
within these institutions. The system is not meant to strictly circumscribe what is and is not
within the educational system. There will always be fuzzy areas where judgement will need
to be exercised on whether an entity is or is not part of the educational system. For instance,
NGOs and think tanks dedicated solely to educational advocacy, or private watchdog groups
which focus mainly on education might be reasonably considered part of the educational
system. In addition, the system is not closed to the outside. It is linked both on the input and
output side to the labor market (faculty as inputs and students as outputs). An example
schematic of the linkages within an educational system can be seen in a 2000 World Bank
report on higher education in developing countries.20 An even more expansive notion of the
educational system is employed in the new World Bank Education Strategy. 21 There the
education system is also defined to include employers, families of students, and non-formal
education. This inclusiveness is useful as it suggests reform mechanisms for the education
system that can strengthen the demand side of education, where parents and civil society
organize themselves to demand better planning, delivery and monitoring of their childrens
education.
3.1. Address the whole system rather than subsets, understand the constraints

What is Education System?

The system of education includes all institutions that are involved in delivering formal
education (public and private, for-profit and nonprofit, onsite or virtual instruction) and
their faculties, students, physical infrastructure, resources and rules. In a broader
definition the system also includes the institutions that are directly involved in financing,
managing, operating or regulating such institutions (like government ministries and
regulatory bodies, central testing organizations, textbook boards and accreditation
boards). The rules and regulations that guide the individual and institutional interactions
within the set up are also part of the education system.

Education system of Pakistan:

20

21

30

The education system of Pakistan is comprised of 260,903 institutions and is facilitating

41,018,384 students with the help of 1,535,461 teachers. The system includes 180,846
public institutions and 80,057 private institutions. Hence 31% educational institutes are
run by private sector while 69% are public institutes.

Analysis of education system in Pakistan

Pakistan has expressed its commitment to promote education and literacy in the country
by education policies at domestic level and getting involved into international
commitments on education. In this regard national education policies are the visions
which suggest strategies to increase literacy rate, capacity building, and enhance
facilities in the schools and educational institutes. MDGs and EFA programmes are
global commitments of Pakistan for the promotion of literacy.

A review of the education system of Pakistan suggests that there has been little change
in Pakistans schools since 2010, when the 18th Amendment enshrined education as a
fundamental human right in the constitution. Problems of access, quality, infrastructure
and inequality of opportunity, remain endemic.

Issues
A)

MDGs and Pakistan

Due to the problems in education system of Pakistan, the country is lagging behind in
achieving its MDGs of education. The MDGs have laid down two goals for education
sector:

31

Goal 2: The goal 2 of MDGs is to achieve Universal Primary Education (UPE) and by
2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of
primary schooling. By the year 2014 the enrolment statistics show an increase in the
enrolment of students of the age of 3-16 year while dropout rate decreased. But the
need for increasing enrolment of students remains high to achieve MDGs target. Punjab
is leading province wise in net primary enrolment rate with 62% enrolment. The
enrolment rate in Sindh province is 52%, in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK) 54% and
primary enrolment rate in Balochistan is 45%.

Goal 3: The goal 3 of MDGs is Promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment.
It is aimed at eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005
and in all levels of education not later than 2015. There is a stark disparity between
male and female literacy rates. The national literacy rate of male was 71% while that of
female was 48% in 2012-13. Provinces reported the same gender disparity. Punjab
literacy rate in male was 71% and for females it was 54%. In Sindh literacy rate in male
was 72% and female 47%, in KPK male 70% and females 35%, while in Balochistan
male 62% and female 23%.

B)

Education for All (EFA) Commitment

The EFA goals focus on early childhood care and education including pre-schooling,
universal primary education and secondary education to youth, adult literacy with
gender parity and quality of education as crosscutting thematic and programme
priorities.
EFA Review Report October 2014 outlines that despite repeated policy commitments,
primary education in Pakistan is lagging behind in achieving its target of universal
primary education. Currently the primary gross enrolment rate stands at 85.9% while
Pakistan requires increasing it up to 100% by 2015-16 to fulfil EFA goals. Of the
estimated total primary school going 21.4 million children of ages 5-9 years, 68.5% are

32

enrolled in schools, of which 8.2 million or 56% are boys and 6.5 million or 44% are
girls. Economic Survey of Pakistan confirms that during the year 2013-14 literacy
remained much higher in urban areas than in rural areas and higher among males.

C)

Vision 2030

Vision 2030 of Planning Commission of Pakistan looks for an academic environment

which promotes the thinking mind. The goal under Vision 2030 is one curriculum and
one national examination system under state responsibility. The strategies charted out
to achieve the goal included:
(i)

Increasing public expenditure on education and skills generation from

2.7% of GDP to 5% by 2010 and 7% by 2015.

(ii)

Re-introduce the technical and vocational stream in the last two years of

secondary schools.
(iii)

Gradually increase vocational and technical education numbers to 25-30% of

all secondary enrolment by 2015 and 50 per cent by 2030.

(iv)

Enhance the scale and quality of education in general and the scale and

quality of scientific/technical education in Pakistan in particular.

Problems: The issues lead to the comprehension of the problems which are faced in
the development of education system and promotion of literacy. The study outlines
seven major problems such as:

1)

Lack of Proper Planning: Pakistan is a signatory to MDGs and EFA goals.

However it seems that it will not be able to achieve these international commitments

33

because of financial management issues and constraints to achieve the MDGs and EFA
goals.

2)

Social constraints: It is important to realize that the problems which hinder the

provision of education are not just due to issues of management by government but
some of them are deeply rooted in the social and cultural orientation of the people.
Overcoming the latter is difficult and would require a change in attitude of the people,
until then universal primary education is difficult to achieve.

3)

Gender gap: Major factors that hinder enrolment rates of girls include poverty,

cultural constraints, illiteracy of parents and parental concerns about safety and mobility
of their daughters. Societys emphasis on girls modesty, protection and early marriages
may limit familys willingness to send them to school. Enrolment of rural girls is 45%
lower than that of urban girls; while for boys the difference is 10% only, showing that
gender gap is an important factor.

4)

Cost of education: The economic cost is higher in private schools, but these are

located in richer settlements only. The paradox is that private schools are better but not
everywhere and government schools ensure equitable access but do not provide quality
education.

5)

War on Terror: Pakistans engagement in war against terrorism also affected the

promotion of literacy campaign. The militants targeted schools and students; several
educational institutions were blown up, teachers and students were killed in
Balochistan, KPK and FATA. This may have to contribute not as much as other factors,
but this remains an important factor.

34

6)

Funds for Education: Pakistan spends 2.4% GDP on education. At national

level, 89% education expenditure comprises of current expenses such as teachers

salaries, while only 11% comprises of development expenditure which is not sufficient to
raise quality of education.

7)

Technical Education: Sufficient attention has not been paid to the technical and

vocational education in Pakistan. The number of technical and vocational training

institutes is not sufficient and many are deprived of infrastructure, teachers and tools for
training. The population of a state is one of the main elements of its national power. It
can become an asset once it is skilled. Unskilled population means more jobless people
in the country, which affects the national development negatively. Therefore, technical
education needs priority handling by the government.
Poverty, law and order situation, natural disasters, budgetary constraints, lack of
access, poor quality, equity, and governance have also contributed in less enrolments.

An analysis of the issues and problems suggest that:

The official data shows the allocation of funds for educational projects but there is no
mechanism which ensures the proper expenditure of those funds on education.

The existing infrastructure is not being properly utilized in several parts of the
country.

There are various challenges that include expertise, institutional and capacity
issues, forging national cohesion, uniform standards for textbook development, and
quality assurance.

35

The faculty hiring process is historically known to be politicized. It is because of

this that the quality of teaching suffers and even more so when low investments are
made in teachers training. As a result teachers are not regular and their time at
school is not as productive as it would be with a well-trained teacher.

Inside schools there are challenges which include shortage of teachers, teacher
absenteeism, missing basic facilities and lack of friendly environment.

Out of school challenges include shortage of schools, distance especially for

females, insecurity, poverty, cultural norms, parents are reluctant or parents lack
awareness.

Solutions
There is a need for implementation of national education policy and vision 2030
education goals. An analysis of education policy suggests that at the policy level there
are several admirable ideas, but practically there are some shortcomings also.
It may not be possible for the government at the moment to implement uniform
education system in the country, but a uniform curriculum can be introduced in
educational institutes of the country. This will provide equal opportunity to the students
of rural areas to compete with students of urban areas in the job market.
Since majority of Pakistani population resides in rural areas and the access to education
is a major problem for them, it seems feasible that a balanced approach for formal and
informal education be adopted. Government as well as non-government sector should
work together to promote education in rural areas.
The government should take measures to get school buildings vacated which are
occupied by feudal lords of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab. Efforts should be made to
ensure that proper education is provided in those schools.

36

The federal government is paying attention to the vocational and technical training, but it
is important to make the already existing vocational and technical training centres more
efficient so that skilled youth could be produced.
Since education is a provincial subject, the provincial education secretariats need to be
strengthened. Special policy planning units should be established in provinces
education departments for implementation of educational policies and formulation of
new policies whenever needed. The provincial education departments need to work out
financial resources required for realising the compliance of Article 25-A.
Federal Government should play a supportive role vis--vis the provinces for the early
compliance of the constitutional obligation laid down in Article 25-A. Special grants can
be provided to the provinces where the literacy rate is low.
Pakistan is not the only country which is facing challenges regarding promotion of
literacy and meeting EFA and MDGs commitments. Education remains a subject which
is paid least attention in the whole South Asian region. UNDP report 2014 suggests that
there has been an improvement in other elements of human development such as life
expectancy, per capita income and human development index value (in past 3 years);
but there has been no progress in the number of schooling years. The expected
average for years of schooling in 2010 was 10.6 years but the actual average of
schooling remained 4.7 for all South Asian countries. In the year 2013 the expected
average of number of years increased to 11.2 but the actual average of years of
schooling of South Asian countries remained 4.7. Regional cooperation mechanism can
also be developed to promote literacy in South Asian region. Sharing success stories,
making country-specific modifications and their implementation can generate positive
results.

Recommendations

37

Technical education should be made a part of secondary education. Classes for

carpentry, electrical, and other technical education must be included in the
curriculum.

Providing economic incentives to the students may encourage the parents to

send their children to school and may help in reducing the dropout ratio.

Local government system is helpful in promoting education and literacy in the

country. In local government system the funds for education would be spent on a
need basis by the locality.

Corruption in education departments is one of the factors for the poor literacy in
the country. An effective monitoring system is needed in education departments.

For any system to work it is imperative that relevant structures are developed.
Legislation and structure should be framed to plan for the promotion of education in
the country. After the 18th amendment the education has become a provincial subject,
therefore, the provinces should form legislations and design educational policies
which ensure quality education.

Unemployment of educated men and women is a major concern for Pakistan.

There should be career counselling of the pupils in schools so that they have an
understanding of job market and they can develop their skills accordingly.

Counselling of parents is required, so that they can choose a career for their child
which is market friendly.

There are two approaches to acquiring education: First, which is being followed
by many in Pakistan is to get education to earn bread and butter. The second
approach is to get education for the sake of personal development and learning. This
approach is followed by affluent and economically stable people who send their
children to private schools and abroad for education. The problem arises when nonaffluent families send their children to private schools, and universities. This
aspiration for sending children for higher education is wrong, because the country
does not need managers and officers only. There are several other jobs where

38

people are needed. Hence the mind-set of sending ones children to university only
for becoming officers and managers needs to be changed.

Conclusion:
The reforms required in the education system of Pakistan cannot be done by the
government alone, public-private participation and a mix of formal as well as non-formal
education can pull out majority of countrys population from illiteracy. Similarly, to make
the youth of the country an asset, attention should also be paid to vocational -

QNO4;DISCUSS THE SALIENT FEATURE OF RECENT EDUCATIONAL POLICY 2009 IN

PAKISTANANS
SALIENT FEATURE OF 2009 EDUCATIONAL POLICY
The salient features of the National Education Policy (NEP) include
:
1; A Bachelor degree, with a B.Ed, shall be the minimum requirement for teaching at the
elementary level. A Masters degree for the secondary and higher secondary with a B.Ed, shall
be ensured by 2018
1

Free and universal primary education by 2015 and up to class 10 by 2025

The allocation for education would be 7% of the national GDP by 2015

The Literacy rate will be enhanced to 86% by 2015

39

A common curricular framework shall be applied to educational institutions in both the

public and the private sector

The level of public-sector schools will be lifted to match the level of good private
schools (The deadline for the task was 2010)

The curriculum from Class 1 onward shall comprise of English (as a subject) Urdu, one
regional language and mathematics, along with an integrated subject

English shall be employed as the medium of instruction for sciences and mathematics
from class IV onwards

For 5 years Provinces shall have the option to teach mathematics and science in
English or Urdu/ official regional language, but after five years the teaching of these subjects
shall be in English only

Deeni Madaris (Islamic Schools) shall be mainstreamed by introducing contemporary

studies alongside the curricula of Deeni Madaris to enhance prospects of their students to
pursue higher studies research and excellence and to ensure employment, recognition and
equivalence

A Bachelor degree, with a B.Ed, shall be the minimum requirement for teaching at the elementary
level. A Masters degree for the secondary and higher secondary with a B.Ed, shall be ensured by
2018 Increase in the qualification level of teachers to BA/BSc and BEd.

11 Up gradation of all primary schools to elementary schools.

12 Increase in enrollment at the higher education level from 4.7 per cent to 10 per cent by 2015
and 15 per cent by 2020.
13 Uniform examination system across the country.
14 Mainstreaming madressah education and bringing it at par with formal/contemporary
education.
15 Introducing English from grade one.
16 Introducing English as the medium of instruction for science and mathematics from grade six.
17 Increasing budgetary allocation to seven per cent of GDP by 2015.
18 Increasing contribution of private sector for providing education.
19 Expanding public-private partnership, etc.

40
However, the policy does not provide any clear implementation plan for
achieving these targets. So it seems to be just a wish list and a highly-ambitious
plan. These recommendations have also not been made on the basis of any
empirical evidence. As a matter of fact some of these

1. Provinces and Area Governments shall affirm the goal of achieving universal and free primary
education by 2015 and up to class 10 by 2025. 2. Provincial and Area Governments shall develop
plans for achieving these targets, including intermediate enrolment targets and estimates of the
required financial, technical, human and organizational resources. 3. The plans shall also
promote equity in education with the aim of eliminating social exclusion and promoting national
cohesion. Greater opportunities shall be provided to marginalised groups of society, particularly
girls. 4. To achieve the commitments of Government of Pakistan towards Education for All
(EFA) and the MDGs, inclusive and child-friendly education shall be promoted. 5. Special
measures shall be adopted to ensure inclusion of special persons in mainstream education as well
as in literacy and TVE programmes. 6. Governments shall improve quality of educational
provision at all levels of education. 7. National Standards for educational inputs, processes and
outputs shall be determined. A National Authority for Standards of Education shall be
established. 20 The standards shall not debar a provincial and area government/organization from
having its own standards above the prescribed minimum. 8. Provincial and district governments
shall establish monitoring and inspection systems to ensure quality education service delivery in
all institutions. 9. Steps shall be taken to make educational provision relevant for the labour
market and for promoting innovation in the economy. 10. Universities and research institutes
shall place greater emphasis on mobilising research for promoting innovation in the economy.
11. Educational inputs need to be designed with a comprehension of the challenges and
opportunities related to globalization. Strategies shall be developed to optimize opportunities and
minimize the potentially negative impacts. 2.5 MOBILISING RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION
57. Reforms and priorities will need to be planned in detail at various levels of government,
including the cost requirements. Even in the absence of such detailed estimates it is easy to see
that the required resources will exceed by considerable margin from the present 2.7% of GDP.
58. The need for a higher level of allocation comes from the fact that both the volume and the
quality of provision have to be improved simultaneously. In addition, Pakistan starts from a
smaller base level of resource commitment, as is evident from a comparison with other
developing nations. As the report Vision 2030 puts it forthrightly, We cannot spend 2.7 per
cent of GDP on education and expect to become a vibrant knowledge economy. Policy Actions:
1. The Governments8 shall commit to allocating 7% of GDP to education by 2015 and necessary
enactment shall be made for this purpose. Formula for proportional allocation (out of available
funds) to different sub-sectors of education shall be evolved by the provincial/ area governments.
2. Governments shall explore ways to increase the contribution of the private sector, which at
present contributes only 16 per cent of the total educational resources. 3. For promoting PublicPrivate-Partnership in the education sector, particularly in the case of disadvantaged children, a
percentage of the education budget as grant in aid (to be decided by each Province) shall be

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allocated to philanthropic, non-profit educational institutions. 4. A system of checks and balances

for the private sector shall be formed to oversee the issues of fees, school standards, pays of
teachers, conduct and hygiene etc. 5. Total resources for education shall be further augmented by
developing strategies for inviting and absorbing international contributions. The Federal and 8
Governments include different tiers i.e. federal, provincial/ area as well as district governments
and the figure of 7% consists of allocation by all these governments. 21 Provincial/Area
Governments shall develop consensus on needs and priorities with a focus on lagging behind
provinces and areas, for foreign assistance in education through development of comprehensive
sector plans by provincial/area governments. 6. A system for donor harmonization and improved
coordination between development partners and government agencies shall be developed 7. The
cost estimates for serving as the basis for educational allocation shall be to adopt more
comprehensive definition of the concept of free education. The term shall include all education
related costs including expenditure on stationery, school bags, transport and meals, which are, in
general, not covered at present, and shall be applied as a basis of allocating funds on a needs
basis for poor children. 8. Governments and educational institutions shall strengthen planning
and implementation capacity to improve utilisation of resources. -* - * - *- 22 CHAPTER 3
Filling the Implementation Gap: Ensuring Good Governance 59. The Policy has identified
implementation problems as one of the two main underlying causes of poor performance of the
education sector. Implementation problems, themselves, can be traced to several types of
governance problems, which need addressing: 1. Absence of a whole-of-sector view 2. Lack of
policy coherence 3. Unclear roles in fragmented governance 4. Parallel systems of education
(public-private divide) 5. Widening Structural Divide 6. Weak planning and management 7. Lack
of stakeholder participation 3.1 DEVELOPING A WHOLE-OF-SECTOR VIEW 60. The
education sector has divided responsibilities at the Federal level and between the Federal and
other sub-national administrations. At the Federal level, the responsibilities for different elements
of the education are carved up between the Higher Education Commission (HEC), National
Vocational and Technical Education Commission (NAVTEC) and the Ministry of Education
(while other Ministries also run individual establishments and trusts). This splitting up within
education also exists at the Provincial level. In Punjab, the Department for Literacy and NonFormal Education is separate from the Provincial Education Department. In Balochistan,
Literacy comes under the Social Welfare Department, and so on. There is no mechanism for
developing a whole-of-sector view at the national level. Policy Actions: 1. A comprehensive
Human Resource Development (HRD) policy shall be developed integrating all types and
branches of HRD institutions from Early Childhood Education (ECE) to tertiary education. The
policy must keep market needs in view, including the flexibility in market trends, for Higher and
Technical and Vocational Education. 2. Organizational fragmentation of education at federal and
provincial levels shall be assessed for rationalisation and where feasible various streams,
including literacy, shall be managed by one organization. 3. This sector-wide planning shall be
co-ordinated by the Ministry of Education in order to bring together responsibilities for different
sub-sectors of education, training and learning. 3.2 ENSURING POLICY COHERENCE 61.

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Education policies have major intersections with other policies at the national level and subnational levels. Policies for early childhood education (ECE) are closely linked to social 23
welfare policies; education and skills for the labour market figure as a factor with employment,
labour, economic and regional development policies. Policies in the higher education area,
likewise, are closely linked with innovate Merger of higher secondary classes with high schools
and college education from grade 13 onwards.
However, the policy does not provide any clear implementation plan for achieving these targets.
So it seems to be just a wish list and a highly-ambitious plan. These recommendations have also
not been made on the basis of any empirical evidence. As a matter of fact some of these
measures have already been undertaken by the previous government.
Keeping the past progress in view, many of the targets set by the policy seem to be unachievable.
For example, take the case of mainstreaming madressah education. This is not the first time that
the policy or the government has proposed to bring madressah education under public control.
The government has already made concerted efforts to regulate madressah education but all these
efforts failed due to the lack of confidence of those at the helm of affairs at the religious
institutions. The leaders of Ittehad-i-Tanzeemat Madaris-i-Arbia have shown their resentment
over these proposals as they were not made in consultation with them.
It is pertinent to say that the Education Policy of 1979 introduced by (late) Ziaul Haq also
envisaged bringing madressah education into the mainstream. Similarly, the Education Policy of
1979 also provided for the merger of grades 11 and 12 with grades nine and 10, and shifting
these grades to high schools. But the scheme was not a success. Only about 200 higher schools
could be established in Punjab and the results from these schools were never better than the high
schools because the subject specialists were not able to implement the FA/FSc curricula more
effectively due to the lack of their experience, competence and the shortage of well-equipped
laboratories in schools.
The policy sets target of achieving 86 per cent literacy rate by 2015. This also seems to be
improbable. If one were to believe the literacy figure quoted above, it means that in one year, we
have increased the literacy rate by just one per cent from the year 2006-07 to 2007-08.
An analysis of data reveals that from the 1960s to 1970s literacy here increased at the rate of 0.5
per cent per annum. However, between 1981 and 1998, the rate of increase in the literacy figures
was about 1.07 per cent per annum. The population in Pakistan is growing at the rate of about
two per cent. We will not be able to achieve 86 per cent literacy rate by 2015 if the same one per
cent increase in the literacy rate per annum is maintained in the future. It will rather take three
decades to arrive at this figure.

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If we really want to fulfill our international commitments and achieve the 86 per cent literacy
rate by 2015, i.e., in six years time, then we will have to accelerate the literacy growth rate to six
per cent per annum. For achieving this goal, we will have to adopt a three-prong policy of
increasing the enrollment rate, decreasing the dropout rate and taking the adult literacy program
me more seriously in order to educate those who have already crossed the school age or never
attended school.
This, obviously, necessitates increasing budgetary allocation to an unprecedented level. The
education policy envisages increasing budgetary allocation to seven per cent of GDP by the year
2012. This needs to be done immediately, and not after a wait for even a year. However, if we
keep in mind the previous allocation to education during the past several years, it does not seem
promising that the government will be able to spare the required resources.