i think giving awarness to parents is foremost step because most of parents who don't know the importance of education don't send their chilren to school,for them its totally a wastage of money....

Every child in Pakistan should get education, let me first emphasize on word every if we think our impoverish govt going to fix it out thas impossible so that point has killed. Now talk abt a common man I m talking abt those living below poverty line who woke up early in the morning and had one thing in his mind wt he would gave up his childrens in breakfast and some how to manage to get nosh for lunch or dinner, so again dream of providing education to every child is subtle. Switching over to the remaining lot the mediocre and the elite and definitely mediocre will not go in private schools nd other way around so who claimed the quality education the elites so who says that Pakistan was created in the name of ideology it was always ruled by the ancestors father nd his child nd child nd child nd the tail goes long.

Why these elites are ruling us today because of illiteracy when Sir Syed Ahmad Khan called for education emergency for the Muslims of India so many Ulemas singed a fatwa against him that is an agent of the British government. After the independence of Pakistan all nation were in big trouble because of low level of education. In the time of independence only some elites were educated and due to that they were always given preference by the British government because they were loyal to British government rather than Muslims. After the independence most Pakistani which was working in government departments were not educated as much to promote them to higher posts and due to that till 1956 our army chiefs were British citizens and also in the government civilian departments many people were British citizens and due to that they did not make any policy for government education system in Pakistan. After then British citizens gone they handed over the charge of offices to jagirdars, nawabs and many more which were favorite of British government in their rule over all India. And from then these elites are ruling us but also some people from lower class reached those level as the example of Ghulam Ishaq Khan and many more well know people were from lower class but they did not work effectively for the lower class of Pakistan. So we should remember the history that this was the negligence of our own elders before Independence that they were unaware of the importance of education.

__________________
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

Ok sir you say why we permit ourselves to be ruled by these elites? Let’s talk about overt facts. We are living in a country where a person thinks only about himself if a mediocre came up at good position he did it for himself not for entire mediocre community we are living in a country where a Canadian comes and sit in an Ac container and made people sit under the rain that a change is coming and what happened you know well, we are living in a country where a dramatic persona sitting in London and talks on telephone and make his believers sit at nine zero seems like a pop of Rome is about to sermon. We are living in a country where a anchor person goes to PM, wept her heart out and ask for her safety and the representative of this country says sorry madam we only have deep sympathy for you we cannot do anything and finally she shifts to abroad because that was only solution left with her. I am sorry sir there is a hell of difference between stupidity and revolution and we are stupid not revolutionist, do you really think a cricket team captain gets up one fine morning and talks about change in our rotten system its not a 1992 worldcup, yes for some how he made his debut in one province but he should realize that he is not playing with under 19 team there are huge crocodiles swimming in the pond and they will ate him up and he will not come to know. Revolution is a monster who asks for sweat, bloodshed ,sacrifices, to be humiliate and sorry sir this nation is yet not ready for that at all, still a long way to go so still you think we will figure that out I am overwhelmed.

@tajmeer if im not wrong you are saying that before independence it was fault of our leaders???/ if yes than i would say it was unawarness of education that we got a country!!!! dear if british were commanded in army thn it it was the need of time. it was awarness that sir syed ahmad quaid e azam illama iqbal and others emphasized on student to get education to stand up in that very hard time.............. i think it is the unawarness of our leaders AFTER independance

It is not due to fault of our leaders before independence it was the fault of common people who were unaware of importance of education and due to that they were not interested in getting education. It is a necessary step for government to take to prepare a program to convey a message to common Pakistani that what is the importance of education in today's globalized world so common people should be prepare and they should be well aware of this.

__________________
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

Assalam o Alaikum:
In my view point, if government will encourage intellectuals and provide them good employment opportunities then this will make way easier for people to teach their young beings. Secondly, when government will take effective steps to develop uniform and single course outlines throughout the country at low fee structure then our children will make education as their ornament.
Regards:
Rashid Sultan

Government should take initiatives to urge the importance of education in common man because a big problem in the way of education development in Pakistan is that common people don't take education as important as their other aspects of life and that's why they don't focus to send their kids to schools on priority basis. Educated people should be given incentives to encourage them to promote education on community basis in their areas. Most of educated people wants to provide their services on voluntarily basis but they don't have any experience to promote and work for the development of education in their areas so government should start a training program for those people so they become aware and being trained people they will give good output to government.

__________________
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

Hey guys, first of all im new here and thus my first post
My opinion on education.
Your Title says that every person in this country should be provided with equal opportunity in terms of education which is also the MDG; Education for All.
This topic is one of the most biased and confusing which i still am personally .

Education is an evolving process and takes lifelong provided we implement right policies 'NOW' which are to be amended as per requirements with constant monitoring and evaluation system. Education is a process of learning, teaching, sharing. In a sense we are all educated and everyone is, it is just that most of us are not aided with the tools of science, health, technology, inventions, discoveries, traditions, researches, current affairs. I hope you guys remember this that education is both formal and informal. In Pakistan Education is a scarce commodity, trust me. People in different geographical areas, sects, caste, creed are not unified regarding the motive behind getting educated. First of all we need to unify ourselves, make our mind as to why do we need education, how will it benefit us and our children. These questions are simple but they need to think straight on it which they just dont.

Why do people in Pakistan acquire education? Some for the sake of it; some test themselves and their capabilities; some for financial motives; some for survival motives; some for the pure sake of the degrees worth/name.

Our education system is one of the most unequal in the world. There are various problem at different levels that are the hinderances and they need to be coped up at a rate equal to emergency if we are to survive after; say 2 decades.

Reasons for low literacy:
1. We spend 2.1 perc of GDP on education.
2. Security situation for the last couple of years have been bumping education. Delayed paper, delayed results, people skipping classes, in some areas its a matter of life and death: weather to attend school or not.
3. Traditions and culture in some geographical areas prohibit females to acquire education and in the big picture; this amounts to a figure with 0's that are forced to stay away from schooling.
4. Financial constraints is also a major cause for student drop out in first few years of schooling while for some; they may not be able to even enter an educational building.
5. Our unequal system of education, in which some study for name while others for survival: it created the gap between rich and poor; top private and normal colleges and so on. Then there are also other implications in it.
6. Unstable government policies which never have let any educational model to reach its goal.
7. The actual system of education in Pakistan is from the early days and is no more valid and thus not needed.
8. Remediatory vocational training programmes.
Point 5, 6 and 7 are the actual things.

Remedies:
1. As i mentioned about GDP, developed nations spend around 4.4 perc on education, America spends around 5.5 and some countries even spend around 8 perc. We need to know that investing in education is investing in a prosperous nation. We ask ourselves that where will we stand after say few decades if we spare more GNP of education; well, how will our governemnt then sustain the financials to run the country if wont be having educated people at that time.
2. Security situations should be manipulated in a way beneficial for educational institutions. Assigning 10 police personnel on entrance barrier to islamabad is of no use, how about we assign 6 of them in impoverished areas to help people reassure to send their children to school. In general we need to review the strategies while always keeping education in some part of brain.
3. Traditions and cultures regarding acquisition of education: we need to change them before they tear away our actual traditions. Media as a whole need to play a very vital role in changing these traditions. Government should help to change the mindset of rural areas for which there are various ways/ means.
4. Financial constraints, government has to fulfill its duty to provide education to all. Under privileged sections of the societies should be provided with free education and promotional educational items. Promotional items include books, stationery, lunchs and as such. They need to motivate the spirits of these people. Later private institutions should be made liable to include these students on full scholarship (those who score good) which they actually do.
5&6. Our system of education is from the medieval times as it seems. We need to restructure, remodel and redesign all the elements of it from scratch. This is the major problem. We have ad-hoc and scattered information in our books, our marking systems still prefer rote, we do not have any book designed to teach us the very vital need of the day and that is 'critical thinking', we do not have skill development tools and so on. The Government policies change like seasons, which we ignore. Stable policy is the road to success, as a stable policy evolves itself, while unstable policy no matter how good it is, its useless as it cannot adapt and improvise with the situation. We have selfish and self-centered teachers. We have absolutely no check and balance whatsoever on our educatinal institutions and the teachers. For designing system, we should call experts from all corners around the country even global reknowned people and should not be afraid of it.
Im talking about the majority not just few institutions. The policies need to ammended and rethought by all and not by few

two simple yet defining quotations that i love
'Education has produced vast populations able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading' by G.M Trevelyan (it focuses on the drawbacks of modern education so this should be thought beforehand.

'Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refugee in adversity' by Aristotle

Opportunities...i missed that, tired to write on it now

I am yet planning to take on CSS in 2014..will take 2,3 days ...

Education System in Pakistan
Education is a systematic process of establishing the pillar of society. It brings up an empty mind with discourse tongue of awareness. The literal meaning of education and supplementary definition particularly on the ground of Pakistan poses an alarming condition. Sine the birth of newly independent state Pakistan, education lagged behind due to deliberate negligence of parochial feudal and state politician in particularly and bureaucracy in generally. From the emergence of Pakistan there has been centered censure by conscious group of common people and civil society, finally both influence over the government to think over seriously on their discussing point In the dilemma of authoritarian long regime and fragile civil government, education has been neglected because elite group from ruling class whether in military or so called civil representative, did not seriously boost the level of education through sound education policies. Instead of, political uncertainty, nepotism culture, thirst of power perpetuated the level of education in dregs of glass.

Pakistan inherited the system of education from British but after that no significant changes has been brought in education system of Pakistan. Consequently, the literacy rate have become less than the regional countries which got independence abreast of Pakistan. According to the Education Report 2009, it shows overall figures on education, literacy rate rose to 67 pr cent in 2009-10 than it was 57 per cent at the period of 1998-99. Out of literacy rate, male literacy stood 68 per cent and female 58 per cent in 2009-10. Female literacy rate was 57 per cent in 2008-09. Therefore, a slight one per cent increase was recorded during the period of 2009-10.

Literacy rate is measured from the prevailing level of education in the country. There are five education levels are operating in Pakistan, primary, middle, high schooling, intermediate and university education. Unfortunately, the policy maker of education has been determined and focused only on higher education. Through such policy, an independent body of Higher Education Commission ( HEC) was established to look after overall universities education through code of conduct and various allocations of budgeting the universities including foreign scholarships in various programs.

To improve the quality of higher education, primary education has been ignored since the independence of Pakistan. Although the primary level of education do have a founding role of developing the nation in every walk of life. Some Asian and almost every Western developed countries hold the reign of education and developed their economies from the utilization of modern education. In contrast, country like Pakistan’s education witnesses of dilapidated condition by terms of structural and management problems. There are 154000 primary schools with 420000 teachers do exist in both the urban and rural areas of Pakistan. Majority of them are two or three classes of school buildings where nursery to five class education is given. One can assume the running of such schools in squeezed class. Result as, a bulk of incompetent students are being produced for upcoming level of education. One side the education condition is like that and on other side the schools with out teachers, having no furniture, schools are being used as guest house by landlords are other factors to mar the quality of education.

Middle school (vi-viii) is too reflects as the primary one with out guided steps by the government of Pakistan. All efforts to increase the quality of higher education on negating the gross root education have produced anarchy in education system of Pakistan; because, a country with heavy population along with expanding rate of unemployment with lack of education is threat even to democracy. The reason of expired middle education system is followed by the primary education. Moreover, feudal system, extreme poverty, lack of good governance, no effectual procedure of poverty scholarships demoralized the already shabby society to reluctant on educating their children when above problems knock the door of poor families. Consequently, a sharp decrease of enrolment (0.2 %) in middle school from 5.426 million in 2007-08to 5.414 million in 2008-09. It was also estimated to decrease the enrolment of middle school to (0.6 %) during 2009-10.
Secondary education, after the passing of middle education the students are required to pass national exam under the divisional control of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE). There are 24322 schools with 439316 teacher are functional. Despite, such huge numbers of middle schools and teachers have not improved the quality of education.

There are 8 per cent of Pakistanis are graduates. Male contribution is (6.3%) and (3%) of female. The 8b per cent of graduates are subdivided to age cohort between 57-67, 47-57, 37-47 and 21-37. Hence the university enrolment is recorded 10.319 million despite pivotal of education policy. A country with 180 million people, 01 million figures shows the backwardness of country men.

One side the illiteracy rate in Pakistan is enlarging day by day in account of rapid growth of population, and on other side the gulf between poor and rich is also increasing. The factors responsible for reinforce the class conflict, education is the foremost contributor. In result of, private education system came on gloomy horizon in providing the qualitative education only those strata who afford high fee structure. Such heavy fee structure badly hit the poor strata, result as they could not equip modern education to their children. Comparatively, private leaner lag behind public learner in competitive exams and avail of high official jobs. Therefore poor become more poor and rich become more richer.

The third system responsible for aggravating education system of Pakistan is Madarsah school system. Such religious schools are being operated by religious scholars on their creative way of teaching having no interference or directions from government. Madaresah schools only provide religious education according to their cult and creed on expulsion of western education. In 1882 Deoband school under the leadership of Muhammed Qasim Nanativi openly negated Sir Syed Ahmed khan’s Ali Garh college. Later unprecedented events proved Sir Syed’s doctrine correct to acquire western education, which is not against Islam, mostly propagated by religious clergy. But a rift between two important institutions devised the Muslim Umma in groups. Same the case is being contested by Pakistani Government since its independence. Certainly, a country with multi-educational policies procures chaos in a country. Pakistan is a land of such chronic diseases.\

Ideally, a unanimous and monotones education policy is prerequisite to achieve satisfactory literacy rate. A ten or more than ten years time period is allocated to overcome hurdles with good governance. In Pakistan, there has been a problem of good governance. Every successive government comes up with new education policy on expulsion of previous. Thereupon, repercussion of each government is Pakistan have marred the structure of education since 1947. Although article of 38(d) in Constitution of Pakistan guarantees of free education is a right of every citizen and respected government is bound to take measures to provide basic education to intermediate. Article 38 (b)…. To remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education within minimum possible period. In spite of, constitutional guarantee in the constitution in Pakistan, the government is openly violating the constitution. The current coalition Government led by PPP brought new education Policy 2009. Although the features of education policy 2009’s are remarkable but, despite it seems impracticable, because lasing mind set of politician and bureaucracy.

Comparatively, the education budget of Pakistan in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is less than the regional countries. The current education budget of Pakistanis just 2.5 % of GDP whilst Nepal 2.7%, Srilanka 3.2%, India 3.5% and Bangladesh is 3.5%. The low education budget shows the negligence of education. Remember, 95 per cent of education budget is incurred on salaries and maintenance.

Outdated examination system is another point of discussing the standard of education in Pakistan. The primary to middle examination system is splendid for increasing the role of teacher in its class. Such school teachers are responsible to seek exam from the course they cover in class. Hence students are acquainting of how to prepare for exam. Irrespective of primary-middle examination, IV to XII examination process has been enlarged from class teacher to board’s selective teachers. The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), a divisional board has a significant role to rule out the syllabus for IV to Xii respectively; and keep right to form a exam paper in its own supervision. This rationale of conducting exam is excellent but lack of communication system between school and college authority and concern officers of board have created uncertainty among students about the extracting paper for the exam. The following are the flaws in examination system.

I. Ineffective communication between school/college authority and BISE board. It is seen that teacher do not complete the assigned course to its students. Hence the quality and standard of examination vulnerable for students.
II. But it is obligation of the board to form exam paper according to the course.
III. Political or absent teacher in regular classes have further spoil the examination process
IV. No modernization in exam system are the keywords found in the current exam system.

Basically, from last two decades, all importance has given to standardize higher education or university education.An independent body Higher Education Commission (HEC) was formed to regulate the universities of Pakistan. On some extent, the HEC has succeeded in towards it purpose, but after the 18th amendment, HEC was dissolved and to be made the education a provincial subject.

In quest of to boost the higher education, the gross root or primary education was entirely ignored which provides the foundation of quality education. Thus, ignoring the primary education, the level of illiteracy further increased. Therefore, Millennium Goal for 2015 in education policy 2009 seems impracticable. Along with primary education, technical education of woman vocation and poly technical education has been set aside of no importance. Basically, technical education play vital role to decrease the rate of unemployment on immediate basis. There are numbers of technical institutions are in ready position to provide technical education but due to mismanagement these liable no beneficial since their structural presence.

One side in advanced countries, the respected government has described the system of teachers training as to equip modern techniques of teaching method to their teachers. Consequently, they are now are the champions of modern civilization in science, art, philosophy, literature. In contrast, Pakistan too launched same pattern for training their teachers, but inefficiencies almost succumb to outstanding process. On other side, teachers too have failed to attend regular classes on available old culture of teaching method from primary to college level in rural and urban areas. The Education department is not taking stern measures against these elements due to political reconciliations.

In result of present scenario, government itself provided an opportunity to teachers to gather on one plate form and form teachers union to protect the rights of teacher if any official matter may arise to his/her. In these days, the teacher union has appeared a resisting force in front of government machinery. There are many unions of teacher according to its level, such as, primary, middle, secondary and universities. Such associations have started politics in their affairs. Eventually, education department can not regulate with out consultation associations of teachers. It too has deteriorated the education.

No proper mechanism of scholarship program to deserved students and financial assistance to poor students is another factor responsible to limiting the education only accessible to affordable families. There are number of international agencies providing education funding to provinces of Pakistan as to eradicate illiteracy from the country. Such agencies are World Bank, Asian Development Bank and United Nation’s agencies, but due to corruption in education department, no considerable achievement carried out.

Remedies

Good governance is a first pre-requisite factor to embark on the every essence of policy to build up society through key education. The Quaid-e- Azam rightly emphasized the acquirement of education on addressing in” All educational Conference at Karachi, Nov, 27,1947, said,” The importance of education and the right type of education can not be over emphasized. If we are to make any real, speedy and substantial progress, we must earnestly tackle this question ad bring our educational policy and programme on the lines suited to the genius of our people, consonant with our history and culture, and having regard to the modern conditions and vast developments that have tken place all over the World.”

Good governance leads ruling class or chosen representatives to take very steps that have far reaching impact on the socio- economic position. In Pakistan, there have been gaps towards attainment of qualitative education in account of weak administration. Hence it is necessary to re-shape administrative machinery as to rightly deliver the founding education to its people.

The second very step after good governance is to increase education budget from 2.5 % of GDP to 8% of GDP. To increase education budget it means the government will have no constraint of financing but, instead of, government will be able to meet cope education matters according to its need. The third required step to improve education, a sound and unanimous education policy is indispensable. Though, after passing of 18th Amendment Bill in the Constitution of Pakistan, education ministry ultimately became a provincial subject. The province needs to call on joint meeting of MoE to draft and agree upon one education policy as to bring all systems of education under strict check.
The forth needed step of implementation is of government’s regulation in education. Through administrative strictness it could be ensure that the writ of state is accessible, therefore no compromised can be tolerated in case of inefficiencies in regard to implementation.

The fifth element is to implementation of education Policy 2009. According to the education Policy 2009, the Government of Pakistan declares that it will ensure education for all and will increase literacy rate from 67 to 87% till the end of 2015. Further says that university enrollment will be brought to 1.5 million from 01 million.

Conclusion

All constraints in education system in Pakistan require sincere efforts to resolve administrative and management problems by the effectiveness of the government of Pakistan. Pakistan experiences a country of religious intolerance and much more multi-crisis land. War on terror since 2001; have revealed the administrative flaws in the administrative machinery of Pakistan. It is time that the current Government of Pakistan must tackle education problem because illiteracy is even threat to democracy.

Nelson Mandela said; if you want to change the World, remember education is the only way to change the World.’

__________________
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”