The Friday Times | Pakistan's First Independent Weekly Paper | TFT CURRENT ISSUE| December 07-13, 2012 - Vol. XXIV, No. 43
Sir,
Article 25-A of the constitution obligates the state to provide free and compulsory quality education to children aged 5 to 16 years. "The state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such a manner as may be determined by law," it says.
As to how this is being implemented in government schools can easily be assessed by such phenomena as ghost schools, phantom teaching staff, poor student attendance, deplorable physical conditions of most government schools, lack of extra-curricular activities, incompetent teaching staff, lack of teachers, low salaries for teachers, corruption in the education departments and the policy that every government school must declare a 100 percent pass result regardless of whether some or all of its students cheated or failed, whether they attended the school or not, or whatever they did of the books supplied to them free of cost.
If taught properly with honest conviction, there is every chance that students who go to government schools can do as well as those who go to private schools. We need reforms in the education system before it is too late.
To start, the provincial education ministries must review and change their policy to eradicate callousness and corruption from the departments and schools. The policy of forcing government schools to 'window dress' their results must be done away with, as it is neither ethical nor patriotic and only serves the vested interests of a few.
Attendance of students (75 percent or more) should be made compulsory. Ghost schools and phantom teachers must be brought to the book. The competence of the teaching staff should be reviewed and retested, and improved where needed. To accomplish all this, severe disciplinary action will have to be taken to reform or drive out the black sheep.
But the pay scale of competent teachers who are made to work at salaries that are not high enough for a dignified living must also be reconsidered. Headmasters with more than 15 years of teaching experience of which they are in charge for at least eight, are paid Rs 60 per month as 'charge fee' and only Rs 1,000 a month as conveyance allowance.
How can one expect these teachers with low salaries and no fringe benefits to perform their professional duties with keen interest? Unhealthy working conditions are directly related to economics, but with newer funds pouring in it is hoped that the provincial education ministry will look into the matter.
It must also be ensured that there is no corruption in the spending of educational funds. It goes without saying that a good educational foundation goes into the making of a real functionally literate person who is capable of serving his nation better.
Mazhar Butt,
Karachi
Sir,
Article 25-A of the constitution obligates the state to provide free and compulsory quality education to children aged 5 to 16 years. "The state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such a manner as may be determined by law," it says.
As to how this is being implemented in government schools can easily be assessed by such phenomena as ghost schools, phantom teaching staff, poor student attendance, deplorable physical conditions of most government schools, lack of extra-curricular activities, incompetent teaching staff, lack of teachers, low salaries for teachers, corruption in the education departments and the policy that every government school must declare a 100 percent pass result regardless of whether some or all of its students cheated or failed, whether they attended the school or not, or whatever they did of the books supplied to them free of cost.
If taught properly with honest conviction, there is every chance that students who go to government schools can do as well as those who go to private schools. We need reforms in the education system before it is too late.
To start, the provincial education ministries must review and change their policy to eradicate callousness and corruption from the departments and schools. The policy of forcing government schools to 'window dress' their results must be done away with, as it is neither ethical nor patriotic and only serves the vested interests of a few.
Attendance of students (75 percent or more) should be made compulsory. Ghost schools and phantom teachers must be brought to the book. The competence of the teaching staff should be reviewed and retested, and improved where needed. To accomplish all this, severe disciplinary action will have to be taken to reform or drive out the black sheep.
But the pay scale of competent teachers who are made to work at salaries that are not high enough for a dignified living must also be reconsidered. Headmasters with more than 15 years of teaching experience of which they are in charge for at least eight, are paid Rs 60 per month as 'charge fee' and only Rs 1,000 a month as conveyance allowance.
How can one expect these teachers with low salaries and no fringe benefits to perform their professional duties with keen interest? Unhealthy working conditions are directly related to economics, but with newer funds pouring in it is hoped that the provincial education ministry will look into the matter.
It must also be ensured that there is no corruption in the spending of educational funds. It goes without saying that a good educational foundation goes into the making of a real functionally literate person who is capable of serving his nation better.
Mazhar Butt,
Karachi
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