Voice Of Children

LAHORE: “India and Pakistan face the same education problems,” said Dr Rukmini Banerji speaking on the first day of a regional seminar organised by the South Asian Forum for Education Development (SAFED) and Idarae Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) in collaboration with the Education Testing Service (ETS) at a local hotel in the city. Presenting her paper, Every Child in School and Learning Well, Dr Banerji who is the Director of Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) Centre, India, quoted examples from her study in India and said despite schools having an enrollment rate as high as 96 per cent, attendance mostly ranged between 60 to 90 percent. She said, “Even if a child is enrolled, it does not mean they are being educated if they are absent from school.” Dr Banerji said her study had revealed that children were actually entering school much earlier than the ‘mandatory age,’ which she said was six years. She advocated that education standards be set keeping needs of a specific system in mind. She said questions were being raised as to how annual academic progress in children’s learning could be ensured. “Children are being forced to carry a burden of expectations which perhaps they are not capable of meeting.” Dr Banerji recommended that children be grouped based on their learning level instead of ‘school grades.’ ITA Programme Director Baela Raza Jamil said, “Once the right to education is enshrined in the Constitution, laws monitoring its execution need to be developed and reviewed periodically.” She added that the seminar was a regional continuation of the Salzburg Global Seminar which was held in December last year to ‘close mobility gaps in education worldwide’. Jamil said dialogue between regions could help resolve issues pertinent to the education of children. ETS Senior Vice President Dr Michael Nettles said the organisation was working in the US to ‘close education gaps’ in the system. Speaking via video conference, Dr Nettles said it was essential for regions to indulge in a dialogue to resolve educational problems. Claiming that one-third of Punjab’s budget was spent on education, Planning and Development Secretary Tahir Ali said much of that money was spent on teachers’ salaries. Ali said provision of ‘education for all’ and ensuring equity in education were key challenges to work towards. MNA Bushra Gohar said political influences needed to be removed from the education system as this had hindered the process of teaching and learning. “Our education system is teaching hatred,” said Gohar while demanding that there be greater transparency and accountability regarding the budget spent on education. “If we continue to be a ‘security state,’ we will fail to prioritise our children.” Beaconhouse National University School of Education Dean Dr Tariq Rahman recommended that the mother language education (MLE) structure be included in the system. He said a study had revealed that a child grasps concepts better when tutored in his mother tongue. In his paper, Language Policy, Weakening of Languages and MLE in Pakistan, Dr Rahman said English and Urdu were being ‘favoured’ by the state and this had translated into linguistic elitism. Dr Rahman identified more than 50 minor languages and 6 major languages in the country and said a child established a strong sense of identity when taught in his mother tongue. Dr Rahman said an ‘across the board’ policy of incorporating an MLE structure into the educational system was the only way to remove the stigma associated with the use of indigenous languages. Sindh Education Foundation Director Aziz Kabani faced criticism from the audience for his take on ‘test scores’ being used to gauge learning. Kabani said education had become a commodity. “Education has become quantifiable and market trends dictate how a child must be prepared for it.” Kabani said the state needed to decide whether it wanted to pursue a ‘child-friendly’ or ‘test score’ pedagogy. Ravish Amjad asked whether an increased private sector role would help bridge the quality-inequality gap. Amjad, a research and policy analyst at ASER, said the 2011 ASER report had indicated that learning outcomes were better in private than in government schools, adding that it was a ‘relative performance’ report. She suggested greater attention towards the quality of teacher, curricula development and missing facilities in schools. IG Research and Evaluation Director Dr Gordon MacLeod in his paper, Teacher Education Models That Work, said ‘teacher quality’ was a fashionable trend. He said there was a lack of formal information to understand the issues related to teacher education in Pakistan. The Citizen’s Foundation Academics and Training senior manager Rahila Fatima said they encouraged teachers in ‘self reflection’ practices and teachers were recruited from the same area as the school. St Joseph’s College for Women, Karachi, Principal Bernadette Dean said they prepared students to take up informed and participatory roles in moving towards creating a ‘just’ society (citizen education). She requested the government to raise the status of citizen education which she said was currently at the bottom of the ‘subject hierarchy’. The seminar will continue on Thursday. Dr AH Nayyar, Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy and Zubeida Mustafa are scheduled to speak. Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2012.

Islamabad—Fifty-five new schools constructed by UNICEF in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with funding from Australia and the Netherlands were inaugurated on Wednesday. Australian High Commissioner Timothy George, the Charg‚ d’Affaires of the Embassy of Kingdom of the Netherlands Sander Janssen and the UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Dan Rohrmann inaugurated the schools at a ceremony held in Gari Habibullah Government Primary School in earthquake-affected area. “Education is an investment in the future of individuals, communities, and the nation”, said Australian High Commissioner Timothy George. “Australia is proud to be supporting UNICEF’s work, in partnership with the Pakistan Government, to reconstruct 149 schools for providing thousands of children a safe space to continue - or in some cases commence - their education”. Speaking on the occasion, the Dutch Charg‚ d’Affaires Sander Janssen said, “In any society, children are the future. These new schools in the earthquake-affected regions are an asset and we believe that quality education for children is necessary for the good future of Pakistan.” He stated, “it is now up to the Provincial Government to make sure that these new schools are properly maintained and that they continue providing quality education”. UNICEF has constructed seismic resistant state-of-the-art schools in Mansehra district as part of the Pakistan Earthquake Education Program for children affected by the tragedy in 2005. With the 55 new schools, 206 of the planned 219 schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have now been completed and handed over to the provincial education department. The remaining schools are at differing stages of construction and will be completed by the end of June 2012. “Education is not only the basic right of every child but also a necessity for national development,” said UNICEF Pakistan Representative Dan Rohrmann. “Creating opportunities for children in the wake of the 2005 earthquake is a mission UNICEF embarked upon soon after the tragedy.” He said, with the invaluable support of the Australian Agency for International Development and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, along with ERRA, PERRA, KP Education Department and a host of other partners, we have managed to support the `build back better’ initiative of the government. “These new schools provide equitable access to education and combined with the child-friendly schools and learning environments, children will be exposed to a more interactive and empowering learning environment,” Rohrmann added. With the added elements of health and hygiene; clean drinking water and improved sanitation, he said, the parents, teachers and community members have a unique opportunity to ensure that every child of school-going age is enrolled and does not drop out. To date, the Netherlands Government has provided US$32 million and the Australian Agency for International Development AU$19 million to UNICEF for the Pakistan Earthquake Education Program. The newly inaugurated 55 schools in Mansehra district were built at a cost of Rs 394 million (US$4.7 million). Nearly 5,755 children are currently enrolled in these schools. UNICEF has trained hundreds of teachers in pedagogy, teaching methodology and psycho-social support for the new schools. The opening of the new schools coincides with a UNICEF campaign recently launched across the country with the aim to enroll every child of school-going age at school and to encourage those already enrolled to stay in school. —APP

Mansehra—Nazriya Pakistan Council (Trust) Islamabad opened its new chapter in Mansehra on Monday to rally the people around a noble cause for fortifying the foundation of Pakistan. The Hazara division was always rich in spirit of patriotism and love for Islam and this new chapter which was close to their hearts was welcomed by the intellectuals, educationists, scholars, professionals and other people from different segments of society in the area. Zahid Malik, Chairman Nazriya Pakistan Council and Editor-in-Chief, Pakistan Observer while addressing the ceremony held in a Mansehra Public School and College expressed his faith that the youth of Pakistan are bestowed with unparalleled qualities of head and heart. No doubt Pakistan is passing through its difficult period but the resilience of the nation will take it forward soon as Pakistan has blessing of Almighty Allah. The NPC is a non-political body with an aim to serve the people and the country irrespective of political affiliations, colour, creed or caste. The purpose of opening chapters is to rally the like-minded people for the noblest cause. Focus is on young generation as the youths are future builders of Pakistan. They should be armed with ideology of Pakistan. On NPC’s initiative, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has approved to hold 5-minute morning assembly in all educational institutions on Quaid-i-Azam, Allama Iqbal and Islam. Books are also being published to highlight messages of such towering personalities. Umer Gul Swati, Principal of Mansehra Public School and College was appointed convener of Mansehra Chapter by the Chairman NPC Zahid Malik. In his remarks he said Ideology of Pakistan can not be ignored at any stage especially when some unscrupulous elements are trying to create divisions and conflicts in the nation. It is this Nazriya which can defeat all negative forces in the country. He said the new NPC chapter will promote cause of Pakistan in this part of the country. Shah Jahan Khan Swati, President of Mansehra District Bar said Hazara has very important role in creation of Pakistan as people of this area during referendum in the then NWFP overwhelmingly voted in support of Pakistan. He said there is a need to work in rural areas and among women in spreading message of Pakistan. Kanwar Dilshad, Executive Secretary of NPC said Nazriya Pakistan is actually continuation of concepts already floated by Muslim leaders of South Asia. Lord Minto accepted demand of Muslims of India in 1911 for separate electorate. He said NPC has initiated several projects for promotion of Nazriya Pakistan. Dr. Ayub Sabir, an expert on Iqbaliat said Iqbal presented concept of Pakistan in his Allahabad Khutba which formed a base for new state of Muslims in India. Allama Iqbal through his poetry and essays awakened Muslims. A large number of students, lawyers, intellectuals and scholars of Mansehra attended the ceremony. Later in the afternoon, a seminar was held on Nazriya Pakistan at Modernage Public School and College in Abbottabad where thought- provoking speeches were delivered to highlight the very concept of Pakistan. Zahid Malik said in his speech that he always foresaw a multi-dimensional bright future of Pakistan and that was primarily because of the unmatched God given talent of youngsters of Pakistan. Two- nation theory took its hold when the last Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) left Makkah for Madina. Then a journey was set off from “Sabz Gunband to Sabz Parcham”. It is also a fact during his stay in UK, Quaid-i-Azam was given a special message by the last Prophet to go to India and serve the Muslims. Pakistan is an extension of holy city of Madina, he said. Besides publishing books, the NPC is trying to rallying leaders of public opinion in this mission. Message is being spread in a simple way. More chapters will be opened in other cities. He appealed to the wealthy persons and business houses to sponsor a poor child either in a Tat school or a foreign standard school till the student does his matriculation at least. “NPC is going to launch a countrywide campaign in this regard”, he said. He complimented the Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal for launching its Sweet Homes in the country where the marginalized children, mostly orphans, are being looked after and educated by various philanthropists. Zahid Malik advised the participants to work hard and shun despondency and do not get trapped by foreign-funded anti-Pakistan propaganda. Pakistan, he expressed his faith, has the blessing of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and it was bound to stand on its own feet and play a befitting role in the comity of nations. Dr. Ghulam Qasim Marwat, an educationist in his long lecture proved that the concept of Pakistan has its long history supported by civilizations and traditions. This concept cannot be undermined at all. Abdul Wahid Mir Siraj, a foreign educated Principal of Modernage Public School and College who is also convener of Abbottabad NPC chapter said Pakistan has bright future, its people are talented and it is bound to enter into a new phase of progress and peace. Later, a delegation of NPC visited Abbottabad Golf and Country Club where rare photographs of Quaid-i-Azam were placed in a room.

LAHORE: The built-in inequality in classrooms is stopping children from learning well. This dilemma has put India in a “big stuck” and the situation in Pakistan is no different when looked through the lens of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER). This was stated by ASER Centre, India, director Dr Rukmani Banerji during her presentation on “Every child in school and … learning well? Evidence and experience from India” at the opening session of a two-day international conference on “Quality – Inequality Quandary – Transacting Learning Relevance & Teacher Education in South Asia” organised by the South Asia Forum for Education Development (SAFED) and Idara-i-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) in collaboration with the Education Testing Service (ETS), Princeton; UK aid and Foundation Open Society Institute at a hotel here on Wednesday. Dr Banerji said survey reports in rural India showed that classes’ composition was complex in terms of students’ age, language and learning levels, resulting in huge implications for instruction and equity. Quoting ASER survey results, she said students of different learning levels and capacities were sitting in a classroom and teachers were teaching all of them on a par. Resultantly, students’ learning levels were found far less than the desired levels. At least, she said, fifth standard students must be fluent in reading Grade-II text and solve similar level arithmetic questions. She regretted that textbook level for a specific grade was too difficult for most children and classrooms were not friendly at all. Still, Dr Banerji said, “big change can happen if governments make strategic moves based on evidence and reality”. In India, she said, close to 200 million children (97 per cent) aged 6-14 were enrolled in schools. There was a need for India as well as Pakistan to move from ensuring schooling to guaranteeing learning for all children. ANP vice-president Bushra Gohar said children should be more important to any government and stressed the need to invest more in education from country’s own resources instead of looking toward the World Bank and other donor agencies. She said only “political will” could help bring about a change in the depressing education scene in the country. Calling for strict accountability process, Ms Gohar stressed the need for improving village schools as well as strengthening public-private partnership. She said there was a lot of political pressure for posting and transfers of teachers and “teachers have been lost somewhere in the system”. Punjab Planning and Development Department Secretary Tahir Ali said the Punjab government was spending one-third of its budget on education, but not getting the value for money. He said available resources needed to be used efficiently and more focus should be on service delivery. Stating that equity in education was as big challenge as Education for All, Mr Ali stressed the need for providing equal opportunities and level playing field to children of all segments of the society to expect impact. At present, he said, there was a two-fold discrimination in terms of educational opportunities for all — public and private schooling as well as rural and urban divide. He said there was a need to continuously invest in education to transform 59 per cent of country’s youth into quality human resource. With the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, he said, it was now responsibility of the state to provide education to all and this would not be possible without private sector’s support. ITA Programmes Director Baela Raza Jamil said it was quite a journey since 2000 to address sub-optimal functioning of public schools through a sector-wide approach to bring quality education to Pakistani children. She said this regional seminar would hopefully serve as a platform for several policy dialogues on key themes. Speaking through a video link, ETS senior vice-president Dr Michael said ETS would take ideas from this seminar to educate children at their early age.