PAKISTAN: Focus on improving basic education in Punjab

ISLAMABAD, 11 Apr 2005 (IRIN) - With an extensively advertised mass literacy campaign carrying the slogan, 'Our dream - an educated Punjab', the provincial government of Pakistan's most populous province, has been actively trying to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of universal primary education (UPE) by 2015 through a wide-ranging Education Sector Reform (ESR) programme.

"[The} Punjab's education reform programme that started in 2003 focuses simultaneously on improving access, equity, quality and governance in the education system," Ahmed Javed Qazi, deputy director of monitoring the ESR programme, told IRIN from the provincial capital, Lahore.

Home to almost 84 million people, comprising 55 percent of the total population of the country, Punjab has better education indicators than Pakistan's other three provinces, with an overall literacy rate of over 55 percent.

IMPROVING ACCESS TO PRIMARY EDUCATION

But there is still a long way to go in improving access to education in the province. According to the provincial education department, out of a total school-age population of 11.23 million, over two million children do not attend school. The statistics for children aged 10 to 12 years are higher, with over 4 million children out of school, while for years 13 to 14, the figure stands at 2.37 million.

The education department in Punjab has been facing several problems ranging from enrolment of out of school children, governance and management related issues to lack of infrastructure and facilities. However, low family income with high costs of school materials has long been cited by the educational authorities as the main reason for low attendance rates.

"As a first step to boost enrolment and bring children into schools, the government has not only waived the fee at public-sector schools but has also been providing free textbooks," Qazi said.

Under a phased three-year programme, in 2004, the provincial government provided free textbooks to all the students from grade one to five. "This year, we will cover students up to grade eight while by the next academic year, the programme will be extended to all the students up to grade ten," a provincial education department official said.

To promote female participation, the government last year introduced monthly stipends in about 15 low literacy districts across the province. "Since the start of the programme, some 200,000 girl students of grade six to eight with 80 percent and above school attendance have been awarded a monthly stipend of 200 rupees [about US $3]," Qazi said.

But some education experts are concerned about the government's 'enrolment focussed' policies and lack of concern about the high school dropout rate of over 50 percent.

Pakistan's leading independent rights body, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), pointed out in its annual report for 2004: "Instead of offering financial incentives to join schools, policies aimed at improving the environment at schools, providing trained teachers, [and] making curricula more relevant to children's lives would play a big part both in increasing enrolment and keeping children at schools."

The physical condition of many schools in the province is another factor mitigating against high attendance. Out of more than 50,000 public-sector primary schools - with about 4.5 million students - some 8 percenthave no building, while thousands more are without drinking water, electricity and toilets.

Under the ESR programme, the Punjab government has allocated the major bulk of resources to the provision of basic infrastructure and facilities in educational institutions. "Some 150 million rupees [$2.5 million] have been given to each of the 34 districts for the provision of basic facilities in primary schools. However, the government intends to further enhance the allocations on performance and need basis," Qazi noted.

The ESR programme has been supported by the World Bank through a grant of $300 million over a period of three years from 2004-2006.

UPGRADING TEACHERS

Education authorities in the province have also been taking steps to improve the quality of teaching staff. "The basic requirement for potential teachers has been raised from matriculation to graduation, while the government has launched intensive refresher courses for over 100,000 in-service primary teachers," Qazi added.

The upgrading process of staff has been a challenge, Qazi told IRIN. "To deal with 'teacher absenteeism' and also to acquaint them with modern teaching methods is a huge task. It's difficult to change the routine of in-service teachers," Qazi noted.

Educational experts have welcomed the changes but warn that improvement will only be evident in the long term.

"To improve access in remote areas, reduce the dropout rate, and most importantly, to ensure teachers' presence in schools - only over time can we assess the effectiveness of such measures. This is a good start but we have to ensure the measures are implemented," Shaheen Attique Rehman, head of a Lahore-based NGO working to promote literacy, Bunyad Literacy Community Council (BLCC), told IRIN.
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The ESR programme in Punjab will be subject to independent monitoring and evaluation, which should help with implementation. "All the previous schemes have been missing this [independent monitoring] component, but we are having independent feedback [at] every step to immediately identify if anything goes wrong," Qazi said noting: "Hopefully, it'll help us in achieving the UPE targets in time."

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