Education Policies in Pakistan Education & Constitution of Pakistan

The Constitution of Pakistan (1973) promised to its citizens in Article 37 (b) & (c) that "the State shall remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education within the minimum possible period; make technical and professional education generally available and higher education equally accessible by all on the basis of merit". One key policy reform with positive implications for education was the (The Eighteenth Amendment) in the Constitution of Pakistan by the National Assembly of Pakistan in April 2010 and the related Article 25A. Following the 18th Amendment, education as a fundamental right of all children was guaranteed by the inclusion of Article 25A in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which states: State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law . The Islamabad Capital T erritory (ICT) and Sindh enacted legislation for implementation of Article 25A; other provincial/area governments are currently in the process of finalizing their respective legislations. Ordinance to this effect has been promulgated by the Government of Balochistan. Besides the constitutional provisions, the Government of Pakistan, since 2000, undertook several policy reforms in education, formulated two education policies and implemented innumerable pro-poor initiatives, including non-formal education, with active support from non-government organizations, private sector and international development partners. Three provinces i.e. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh also developed their five-year Education Sector Plans while Punjab has a well-defined education Roadmap.

National Education Policies (1998-2010 & 2009)

During the past decade, there were two major education policy interventions- the National Education Policy 1998-2010; and the National Education Policy 2009. These policies were

developed with the consensus of a wide group of stakeholders i.e. education officials from federal and provincial governments, education experts, academia, private organizations, nongovernment organizations and international development partners.

The National Education Policy (1998-2010)

The National Education Policy (1998-2010) emphasized increased enrolments in public sector schools and higher budgetary allocations to education. It advocated the removal of urban-rural and gender imbalances, improving the quality of education at all levels particularly through curriculum reform, strengthening education facilities, encouraging private sector participation and effective

community involvement. It was specifically envisaged to address the issue of out-of-school children and expansion of non-formal education to complement the formal system; and the implementation of literacy and functional literacy programmes for adults. In light of the National Education Policy 1998-2010, the Education Sector Reforms (ESR: 2001-06), focusing on literacy , universal primary education of good quality , enhanced budgetary allocations (to 3% of GNP), improved technical and higher education, and greater public-private partnership, was developed with all the principal actors of EF A and other stakeholders. The consultation process lasted for more than six months. The organizations which participated included the education departments of all provincial and federating units, non-governments organizations, private sector , UN agencies and bilateral and multilateral donor agencies. In this context, a National Conference on Education for All was held with the objective to launch EF A movement, share EF A goals and strategies with stakeholders and prepare a framework for the national and provincial plans of action. This was followed by a series of discussions and workshops to develop action plans, each based on active participation by all stakeholders i.e., government officials, education experts, NGOs, private sector , and international development partners. The EF A National Plan of Action (2001-15) was prepared and endorsed by the first Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP I 2003-06) but could not be implemented due to lack of financial support, both domestic and external. Similarly 15-year provincial and district EF A plan were prepared.

The National Education Policy (2009)

The current National Education Policy (NEP 2009), developed after several rounds of deliberations with relevant stakeholders, addresses all the dimensions of Pakistan's education sector . The NEP (2009) recognizes that there are close links between equity in educational opportunities and equitable income distribution and income growth. If the education system is structured on a divisive

basis, the divisions it creates can endanger long run economic growth as well as stability of society. Affirmation of commitment to Pakistan's egalitarian education vision in the service of all citizens and as a driver of economic and social development can help produce a virtuous circle of high level of human and social capital leading to equitable economic growth and social advancement. The NEP 2009 document identifies policy actions in pursuit of two overarching objectives: (i) widening access to education; and (ii) improving quality . Key policy actions identified are as follows: 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 marginalized groups of society , particularly girls. 4. To achieve the commitments of Government of Pakistan towards Education for All (EF A) 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 Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) programs. 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. The standards shall not debar a provincial and area government/organization from having its own standards higher than 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 employment market and for promoting innovation in the economy . 10. Universities and research institutes shall place greater emphasis on mobilizing research for promoting innovation in the economy .

11. Educational inputs need to be designed with comprehension of the challenges and opportunities related to globalization. Strategies shall be developed to optimize opportunities and minimize the potentially negative impacts.

Provincial Sector Education Plans

The provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have recently prepared Education Sector Plans. The KP Education Sector Plan (2010-15) aims to achieve Universal Primary Education (UPE) by 2015 ensuring that all boys and girls: complete full course of primary education; promote gender equality , achieve quality basic education for all (EF A goal); achieve 50% improvement in the levels of adult literacy , especially for women (EFA goal); introduce government-financed private school subsidizing for areas with low female enrolments; and reduce rural and urban disparities in education. The Balochistan Education Sector Plan (2013-14 to 2017-18) focuses on: (i) improving quality of education; (ii) early childhood education; (iii) access & equity; (iv) governance & management; and (v) adult literacy & non-formal education.

Incentives to Enhance Enrolments and Retention

To increase enrolment and retain students, several incentives have been extended for over a decade which include (i) free textbook being provided by the government to the students studying in public sector schools (both formal and non-formal). Students of non-formal schools are given

notebooks and writing material in addition to the textbooks; (ii) no tuition fee is charged from the primary education students studying in government schools. (iii) female students of middle and high school in rural areas of few selected districts are being given monthly scholarships/stipends. Also, free edible oil for high attendance level is being given to both girl students and their teachers; and (iv) provision of free lunch under Tawana Pakistan was also initiated in selected schools but had to be discontinued due to (mis) management issues.

Education Sector Reforms Programs

During the decade of 2000, serious efforts were made in three provinces i.e., Punjab, Sindh and KP to implement their respective Education Sector Reforms Programmes. The key features of these programmes were to provide missing facilities (such as shelter , boundary wall, toilets, etc) in

primary schools; provision of free textbooks, stipends, textbook reforms, merit-based teacher recruitment, etc. Besides, a number of development programs and projects were launched by the

government in collaboration with international development partners to expand the access and improve the quality of education. Under these development projects number of new primary schools have been opened or upgraded to middle (elementary) level.

Reference:
http://www.moptt.gov.pk National Plan of Action 2013-16 Achieving Universal Primary Education in Pakistan MDG Acceleration Framework September 2013 Ministry of Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education Government of Pakistan, Islamabad