Public Service Commission, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has called for adopting a uniform medium of instruction in public and private schools and colleges with one set of books and syllabus so as to provide opportunities to the educated youth who could compete for jobs and services on equal footing.
The suggestion of adopting uniform medium of instructions tops the annual report 2008 of the commission for improvement of education standard and services efficiency. This is for second time that the provincial Public Service Commission is pointing toward the matter.
The present system of education based on two mediums of instructions namely English and Urdu is being followed the province. The private model schools follow English medium while in the public sector schools; Urdu is followed as medium of instructions.
The report said such kind of dichotomy in the system leads to the creation of two separate classes of educated youth with a different set of mind and standard of education. Candidates, coming from Urdu medium school, being lower in standard than English medium school, cannot compete with the standards of later school, and finding no job through selection on merit and got frustrated.
For creation of a national outlook and cohesiveness, a uniform medium of instruction is required to be adopted in the educational system. Education is imparted to the youth in the province in four tiers, ie elementary, secondary, college and university levels.
It has been noticed that the teachers complain at each level that they have to teach the basics of the subjects, which the students should have studied at the lower level. There is no coordination between the University and college, College and Secondary, Secondary and Elementary levels for the purpose of syllabi, teaching methodologies and educational pursuits are being carried out in isolation in each tier.
The educational system needs close coordination and linkages between all its tiers. In this connection, not only review of the syllabi will be required but also refresher courses of 15 days duration are needed for college lecturers in the universities and for school teachers in the college during vacations, which will improve the teaching skills of the teachers. Successful completion of a refresher course may be made mandatory for elevation of the teachers to the next higher position/grade. The courses could be arranged with a minimum cost in the shape of some honoraria to the master trainers and grant of normal TA/DA to the course attendants.
Human resource is in abundance in this province and in the adjoining tribal areas, which needs proper education and training to make them useful citizens of the province contributing to the provincial/national development and economy as well catering for external demands.
The educational system needs complete revamping to provide higher education to those who are talented and will find place after completing their education instead of producing Masters without opportunities of employment who could be enticed subsequently by anti-state elements. The mediocre need not be given higher education but should be given professional, technical and skill development trainings keeping in view the internal and external labour and work markets. Technical and vocational training programmes should be revisited and should be devised according to market needs with emphasis on research and technical training instead of theoretical knowledge.
The internal markets and external requirements must be kept in view while revising the technical and vocational training programmes and the Chambers of Commerce and Industries must be consulted in this regard. Education up to secondary level may be made universal for all to be provided at State's expenses.
Master's degree holders in specialised subjects like MCS, MSc Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Biology etc, could not answer simple questions of Pakistan Studies, Islamiyat and questions about government's institutions which they should have learnt at Secondary School and College level. The examples are already given that MCS candidate could not answer the question where Minar-e-Pakistan is located and what is its historical significance. A Master Degree holder in Islamiayat could not differentiate between "Imam" and "Islam".
The courses at university and college in specialised subjects need to be designed in such a manner that 15 to 20 percent contents of the courses should include important events/points from Pakistan Studies, Islamiyat and current affairs in addition to character building process so that the students, on completion of their studies, at least know the basic issues being faced by the province and the country.
The "Note-Culture" developed at college and university level dissuades the students from an in-depth study of the subject. The teachers give them the notes on important questions likely to be set in the examination papers, which are memorised by the students, and they get through the examinations without completing the courses/syllabus.
This culture, which is spreading day-by-day, is designed to get the students passed through the examination but it does not encourage them to obtain educational excellence. The practice therefore needs to be curbed and the concerned authorities should evolve a system of examination so that the teachers complete the courses in a given year. They should also distribute the courses on working days. The principle of the schools/colleges must keep regard of distribution of work and evolve a monitoring system to ensure that the courses are completed in time.
The Universities are allowing private examinations in many subjects in which no laboratory or practical experimental work is involved. Such examinations are passed through its intricacies. The Commission has noticed a lot of weaknesses in students getting Master's Degrees as private students in comparison with regular universities' students. The universities are required to carry out a careful analysis of the issue and should evolve a system where under private candidates can be awarded degrees only when they attain the required educational standard.
The examination system needs complete overhaul to eliminate subjectivity and to introduce objective type examination system where under instead of 5 or 10 long questions based on selective chapters of the course and memorisation, the students are confronted with 100 or shorter questions covering the entire course. This will also discourage the Note-Culture and will force the teachers to complete their course contents and the students will have to study the entire course instead of any selective study, which will certainly improve their standard of education.
Private schools, colleges and institutions of higher education have increased at a brisk pace in the province, which are necessary in view of lack of educational facilities provided by the public sector. However, many of private schools and colleges do not have adequate laboratories, equipment and sports facilities, which are, must for proper education, physical growth and mental alertness of the students. In the absence of such facilities, no student can achieve high educational standard or find a sound character building environment.
The regulatory system, presently in vogue does not seem to be working properly and the concerned authorities need to establish an effective control, monitoring and evaluation systems where educational institutions in the private sector with adequate educational facilities are awarded NOCs and their functions are effectively mentioned whereas institutions which cannot provide appropriate facilities are discouraged and their NOCs are cancelled, institutions awarding Med and Bed degrees should not be recognised unless they have teaching arrangements for students in High Schools/Colleges in public or private sector to attain their required teaching experience as prescribed for Bed and Med degrees by the Institute of Educational Research University of Peshawar. Similarly no private Nursing School should be allowed to work unless they have appropriate arrangements in hospitals of the provincial government or hospitals registered with and recognised by the government for the training of students nurses.
The Commission has noticed that the universities have neither adequate research facilities nor they give any importance to research work in the relevant field of studies. Research should be important component of studies at mater's level so as to upgrade the standard of education to bring it at a level nearer to international standards. Research inculcates creativity in the students, enhance their knowledge and skills and creates a good literature/reading-material in the subject, if properly supervised and guided by the concerned scholars. The University of Peshawar and perhaps other universities also, instead of research work allow one additional paper in the subjects at Master's level which factor needs to be rationalised and research made mandatory for every subject at Master's level.
In the schools, colleges and technical/vocational institutions and in the concerned departments, teachers are appointed against administrative posts. The functions attacked with administrative posts mostly consist of human resource management, financial matters and development related issues. The teachers appointed against the said posts do not have necessary experience in the relevant fields and consequently public work suffers.
The Management and Teaching Cadres in the Higher Education, Elementary and secondary Education, Technical Education and Health Departments need to be separated from each other in view of the fact that administration and teaching are totally different subjects and each one requires proper educational and training. These of the Management cadres can then be given training in courses like Mid Career Management, Senior Management and National Management curses and training in teaching skills could be arranged for the Teaching Cadres. This change will certainly improve efficiencies.
A number of major issues directly relating to the improvement of educational standards have been raised above which involve revamping of teaching methods, revision of course contents at different level. Many administrative measures would be required to be undertaken for more co-ordinated efforts to upgrade the standard.
There would be many stakeholders in this process. The government may, therefore, consider to constitute a Task Force of all stakeholders, concerned authorities and educationists to address the issues raised above and many other points connected with the subject matter and to recommend some practical measures to be taken for improvement of educational standards and efficiencies in the province.
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