1. EDUCATION POLICY
The current National Education Policy (1998-2010) was framed in the light of historical
developments, modern trends in education and the newly emerging requirements in the
country. The policy aiming Education for All (EFA), included elementary education, adult
literacy and early childhood education. The stress to the National Education Policy is on
three categories of education discussed above.
Now it is in the fitness of things to discuss the objectives, problems concerning each
category of education. We deal firstly with Elementary Education.
The policy stipulates an access to elementary education through the effective utilization of
existing facilities and services and also to provide for new ones to promote elementary
education.
It declares the building of character at the elementary level on the Islamic lines to promote
humanism. This is not something new as this objective underlies all Education Policies
designed and formulated at different times. The objective remains sacred but unrealizable in
view of the operation of socio-politico-economic institutional forces in the country, let loose
on account of the thrust of economic development.
The policy stands for improving the competence of teachers through various training
programmes. Teacher is a major component of the education process and if he could play
his role effectively being armed with new teaching methodologies, the objectives of the
Education Policy could be realized greatly.
The policy recognizes the need for introducing Katchi class at the primary level for
improving the achievement of pupils. The measure is intended to improve the achieved
level of pupils.

2. The policy assigns an important role to family, school, community, non governmental
organizations (NG0s) to maximize elementary education. The objective can largely be
achieved if there were co-ordination among the organizations under reference.
Another objective of the policy is to remove disparities and imbalances of all types in regard
to gender for promoting equality. It is no less than a Herculean task to achieve the objective
in Pakistan where a number of socio-economic constraints operate to encourage gender
discrimination. One could only wish god-speed to the framers of the policy to realize the
objective of gender-equality in elementary education.
The policy’s contention is to bring ‘out of school children’ within the ambit of elementary
education. It accords a high priority to this objective, though it appears pretty difficult to
bring it within the reach of realization. It requires a degree of high will on the part of the
government and the community to strive for the achievement of this objective.
The policy aims at diversifying the financial resource base in respect of the elementary
education. This basically calls for increasing the percentage of GNP to education. True,
there is a competition among different sub-sectors of education to claim resources for their
development. It calls for broadening the financial resource base to develop elementary
education. It is a landable intention which needs to be translated to practice. The
government will have to decide to increase budgetary allocation for all sectors of education
including elementary.
The policy intends adopting non formal system to complement formal system to achieve the
targets of elementary system. In the past non-formal system did not prove a success for a
number of reasons. The forces operative in the past could still have their hold to undo
national efforts to make non-formal system a success. The past mistakes need to be
avoided if non-formal system were to succeed in supplementing the formal system.
The policy envisages to institute a monitoring system for obtaining timely and reliable
information pertaining to enrollment, retention, completion etc. It also means to introduce
qualitative monitoring of achievement. These are good objectives provided they are
supervised and monitored properly.

3. The last but not the least is to introduce management and supervision system effectively by
bringing about greater decentralization, participatory governance and accountability.
Pakistan is not deficient in making policies, laying down laudable objectives, but it is in the
field of management and monitoring. Management and supervision need to be made
effective to monitor about the achievement and non achievement of policy objectives.
Adult Literacy: The policy stands for introducing programmes of adult education. It includes
literacy and functional literacy programmes, which it regards a must, for promoting
economic development in the country. Above all, it considers it necessary to create equality
of opportunity for all citizens.
The policy rightly recognizes the need for achieving Universalisation of Primary Education
(UPE) for doubling the literacy rate. To achieve the objective, it is necessary to complement
the formal primary school system with that of non formal one. Hence the need to promote
adult literacy.
It is intended to launch a massive non-formal Basic Education Programme to provide
access to 5.5 million primary school age (5-9 years old) children who are at present out of
school. Top of all, the policy has the intention of covering 10-14 years old adolescents
through a crash condensed course to enable them to complete primary education cycle in
2-3 year time. The objective looks very attractive but one is skeptical of its success as the
adolescents are more interested in improving their economic conditions through earning
rather than learning education. They wish to obtain odd type of employment, though at low
wage level, to better their economic lot. Hence education offers little attraction to them.
Hence the thrust should lie towards achieving the universalisation of primary education,
which holds a key to raise a high literacy level in Pakistan.
Now a word about Universalisation of Primary Education (UPE)
The goals of the Policy for the UPE are as under:
(i) “ensuring that by 2015 all children with special emphasis on girls and children in difficult
circumstances have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of
good quality;

4. (ii) eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and
achieving gender quality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls full and equal
access to and achievement in basic education of good quality;
(iii) improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all that
recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy,
numeracy and essential life skills?”
The primary school age group (5-9+yoars) i.e. or more than 5 years but less than 5 years,
population was around 18 million in 2000, of which 9.3 million were boys and 8.6 million
were girls. According to 1998 census, the male population of primary age group is more
(52%) than female population (48%). Rural population is 12.2 million (68%) and urban
population is 5.7 million (32%).
It has been estimated that the total number of primary age group children may rise to 19.6
million in the year 2006 and then gradually decline to 17.5 million by 2015 (considering a
decline in population growth). Due to rapid urbanization to urban population may rise to
38% by 2015 and rural population reduce to 62% from the existing 68%.
Net enrollment at primary level is around 12 million (male 7.6 million) female 4.3 million). To
achieve the target of UPE for male by 2010, all the male children in the relevant age group,
9.6 million are to be enrolled. In case of female 8.5 million girls will be enrolled by 2015.
Total enrollment is estimated to be 19.5 in 2015. If the target as laid down in the policy is
achieved, it would lead to universalisation of primary. There is a saying: There is a difference
between many cup and lip. These are anticipated projections, which if achieved by the target
year, can bring about UPE, but there is no guarantee that hundred percent targets would be
realized by the end of the period. There are many factors which militate against the
achievement of hundred percent enrollment, (male or female) by the target period to realize
the objective of Universalisation of Primary Education. It would be worth while to discuss
briefly those factors. There are internal and external factors accounting for low enrollment at
the primary level.
(a) Internal
(i) Distance as well as lack of facilities in schools: Children in certain areas have to cover long
distance to reach the primary schools. In other words, distant schools negatively impact on
enrollment at the primary level. Coupled with that lack of facilities in the form of furniture,
suitable rooms also account for low enrollment. In the absence of proper facilities in schools
children get discouraged to join them.

5. (ii) Sub-standard text books and irrelevant curricula: This factor also inhibits enrollment in
primary school. The need is to introduce standard text books and to co-relate curricula to
the relevant social, economic needs of children.
(iii) Non-motivated teachers and harsh attitude of teachers: Teachers, by and large, show no
motivation in teaching. They remain largely unmotivated and exercise a sort of negative
influence on the minds of pupils. An unmotivated teacher cannot shed any inspiring
influence on his pupils. Top of all, their harsh attitude towards pupils is one of the
contributory factors to low enrollment.
(b) External
(1) Rampant poverty in society: Masses are in poverty. More than thirty three percent of
population lives below the poverty line. Poor parents can’t afford to meet the minimum cost
of schooling of their sons in the form of buying books and stationery. Poverty prevents
parents from sending their children to schools and that explains why enrollments are low.
Another factor for low enrollment is the high opportunity cost of sending children to schools
as they can help at work and home. The time spent in schools is regarded economically
unproductive because it does not yield any income for the family. If the same length of time
were earmarked to the grazing of cattle in the pastures that would indirectly increase the
income of a poor family. Hence it involves an opportunity cost of sending children to schools
by the poor parents and it results in lowering the enrollment in schools.
The poverty factor greatly reduces enrollment, as the children (5-9 years) age who should
enter the primary schools, do not join them and that greatly hinders the objective of
Universalisation of Primary Education.
Another impact of poverty appears in the form of high dropout rate. Children enrolled, do not
complete the five grade cycle of primary education. More than fifty percent of children leave
schools after completing the third grade. In a way it leads to a waste in the use of various
inputs. Economic poverty drives the children out of schools, who join various odd jobs to
supplement the income of their families though indirectly. Economic poverty emerges out as
a main piece of villain in achieving UPE.
Parent’s lack of understanding of the value/benefits of education is another factor for low
enrollment. Illiterate parents do not realize the benefits which would accrue to their children
if they become literate and educated. The horizons of illiterate parents are limited and they
can’t perceive the benefits of education properly that would accrue to their children.

6. Research has revealed that there are specific causes of low enrollment, participation rates
of female education at the primary level
The causes responsible for low male/female participation rates at the primary level have
been outlined and suitable strategies need to be formulated to remove them for ensuring
universalisation of primary education. Top of all, inefficient supervisory system of schools
(male and female) needs to be improved. The government of the Punjab’s decision to
provide text books to primary school children free of cost is a welcome step as it provides a
measure of financial relief to the poor parents. The legislation has already been done in
Punjab to force parents to send their children to primary schools of the relevant age group.
It needs to be pursued most vigorously. The administration should ensure the
implementation of the legislation since passed. The National Education Policy discussed
above is a part of the National Plan of Action (2001-15), Ministry of Education, Islamabad.
The salient features of the policy with respect to elementary, primary educations have been
outlined above for the information of the reader. If he / she is interested in going through the
National Plan of Action on Education for all (2001-2015) he may study the document to
acquaint himself with the problems and suggested remedies. The next section is devoted to
the problems of Higher Education.
The Pakistani state embarked upon a number of policies ever since the birth of the country. These were:
expansion of education and literacy (modernization); dissemination of Urdu (vernacularization);
ideological socialization; and privatization. Let us take them turn by turn.
Modernization
All education policy documents of the state emphasize the link between modernization and an educated
work force. Thus, achieving hundred percent literacy was an avowed aim of all governments. This aim has
not been achieved even now, though literacy increased from 16 per cent in 1951 to 54 per cent of the
population in 2013. The provinces which now control education continue this major policy, but results are
still disappointing owing to disproportionate population growth, the elite investing in private education
and far less spending on state education than adequate.