CHAPTER 5 - EDUCATION

A. MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR 1993-96

• Increased the education budget 300% from 1993 to 1996 (from Rs.13.790 billion to Rs.42.247 billion). In GDP terms the education budget was increased from 1.9% of GDP in 1993 to 2.52% in 1996;

• Primary education and literacy received 65% of the total education allocation, with the largest share going into girls primary education;

• Focus shifted from tertiary to basic education for all and from general to vocational and technical education, from urban secondary to rural primary and to girls education;

• Legislation passed for compulsory primary education to ensure EFA by all 4 Provinces. Federal legislation on the anvil;

• National and Provincial Education Foundations made operative for promoting public - private partnerships for establishing schools, specially for girls;

• Curriculum revised to include environment, health, population studies, drug abuse education, ethics and character building. New integrated curriculum introduced for primary classes. English made compulsory from primary school. History textbooks corrected for distortions and in-accuracies. Pakistan's ideology as defined by Quad-e-Azam included as the foundation course for all students;

• National Education Testing services introduced for standardized testing for entrance to professional colleges i.e. medical and engineering and for universities;

• Four private sector universities approved;

• Computer literacy centres established;

• Rs.400 million allocated for vocational education to promote skills training for secondary school students;

• Teacher training programmes through open university increased resulting in 15,000 teachers being produced per annum in 1993 to 45,000 in 1996. 20 new vocational courses introduced;

• Literacy rate increased from 35% in 1993 to 38% in 1996. Literacy target set at 70% by year 2000. Primary enrollment increased from 13.5 million to 15.5 million in 1996. Enrollment target set for 24 million by 2002. Participation rate increased from 66% in 1993 to 73% in 1996. Target set for 90% by 2002;

• Multiple Textbook Policy adopted to encourage private sector to compete with Government Textbook Boards, for better quality textbooks;

• 6,500 teachers providing literacy through the home-school program in collaboration with NGO's by 1996 ;

• Self-financing fee plan for students who can afford to pay. This additional income will be generated for universities and colleges to ease the budget deficit situation of the higher education sector;

• Major administrative and financial restructuring of the universities to make them financially self-reliant over a phased period of 8 years.

B. EDUCATION AGENDA 1997-2002 ONWARDS

Reaffirming that the right to education is fundamental human right, the Peoples Party pledges to:

• Increase allocation to education to 3.0 of GDP by 2000 sector to 4.5% of GDP by 2005;

• Achieve universalization of basic education and 85% literacy by 2005;

• Ensure secondary and tertiary education to be employment and productivity oriented;

• Improve quality inputs i.e. teacher training, curriculum, computers, textbooks, testing and evaluation;

• Emphasize computer, technical, vocational education and English for improving employability of school and college graduates;

• Carry out major reform of teacher training curriculum based on modern scientific pedagogical research, emphasis on science and vocational education;

• Provide incentives to the private sector for establishing vocational and technical training institutes, professional college and universities;

• Ensure admissions to higher level institutions to be made on merit;

• Devolve authority to district level and to communities for repair, maintenance and monitoring of school facilities;

• Introduce new technology subjects such as genetic engineering, bio-genetics, information - technology, robotics, management system, fibre-optics;

• Revamp the examination system by establishing Independent Examination Boards in the public and private sector;

• Provide autonomy to all nationalized colleges;

• Denationalize all missionary schools & colleges protecting the rights of all teachers in the same way as worker in the privatized industries;

• Prime Minister's literacy commission to set up 20,000 literacy centres by 2002 through home-based schools;

• Provide administrative & financial autonomy to all public-sector universities and formal institutional linkages with trade, industry, agriculture and finance sectors;

• Introduce scholarships based on need and merit for poor students;

• Recognize and promote private sector role in education;

• Enhance teacher's status through highest level awards, high public office, increase salaries and up-grade of posts;

Introduce exchanges and split degree programmes with prestigious and well-renowned foreign universities.