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Showing posts with label Public Schools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Public Schools. Show all posts
Monday, January 23, 2017
Monday, April 4, 2016
SADIQ TECHNOTHON 2016
Check out our huge photo album from the Sadiq Technothon 2016:
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Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Principal Prof Nauman Ahmad Qureshi Visited BCU, UK.
Sadiq Public School Bahawalpur and Birmingham City University, UK have
agreed to a potential partnership. Principal Sadiq Public School
Bahawalpur Prof Nauman Ahmad Qureshi while talking to APP told that he
was invited to visit Birmingham City University UK by the International
Office of the university where in a meeting with Director International
Office Mr John Kirk it was decided that passing out students of Sadiq
Public School will be given admissions in different faculties of the
university. He told that partnership will also include teacher exchange
and teacher training programs. He said that Miss Maggie Wootton Head of
Partnerships Team and Shaaf Tauqeer Regional Manager Middle East, North
Africa and Pakistan were also present at the meeting. He told that he
also had a meeting with Mr Parmjit Chima Head of School of Engineering,
Design and Manufacturing Systems as majority of the school students are
interested in mechanical engineering program of the university. He told
that Mr Parmjit Chima showed him various sections of his faculty
including the manufacturing of Formula One cars by university students.
He told that he also met Professor Cliff Allan Pro Vice-Chancellor of
the university and discussed various aspects of potential partnership.
He told that Shaaf Tauqeer Regional Manager Middle East, North Africa
and Pakistan and Mr Rob Hurlbutt Regional Manager for South Asia gave
him tour of the university campuses. He said that under the partnership,
school students will attend Summer School at Birmingham City University
every year and a delegation of 12 students and 2 teachers will visit
Birmingham City University on July 12 to attend this year’s Summer
School. He appreciated the efforts of Old Sadiqians Shaaf Tauqeer
Regional Manager Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan and Muhammad Ali
Zamir Project Coordinator SPS-BCU Partnership for their role in
developing this partnership.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Students Visit Cocoa Boutique
It was the most exciting day as the students visited Cocoa Boutique -
Malaysia's largest chocolate paradise and Genting Highlands which are
located at the height of more than 6000 ft. above the sea level. The
most joyful thing was to visit the world's largest hotel, First World
Hotel at Genting Highlands. It has 30 counters and 7354 rooms to
accomodate the customers and visitors. It offered the students a variety
of activities to amuse themselves in Snow World, Haunted Adventure
Ride, Psycho Circus at the Hotel, shopping and a ride on cable cars. In
the evening, the students visited the temple of Batu Cave and Murugan
Statue. The dinner was arranged at BBQ.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Private Schools: The truth and untold story
By Kashif Mirza
I would like to address the independent Pakistani media, which has the capacity of setting agendas and mobilizing public opinion and, through them, the government, parents, and the general public. I need to respectfully point out that the public education system is almost destroyed in the country and, if the current debate regarding private education is not channelized in a healthy direction, the private education system, which caters to nearly half the Pakistani population, particularly the middle and lower-middle classes, will suffer a similar fate. It needs to be stressed that Article 25-A of the Constitution declares that it is the State’s responsibility to provide “free and compulsory education to all children from the ages of 5-16 years”. It is not fair that this justifiable public wrath is being deflected towards private schools.
Quality and good education is not inexpensive anywhere in the world. The only difference is that funding comes from government or other sources. This explains why some of the best non-profitinstitutions in the world like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge, along with some of the leading Pakistani educational institutions, are also amongst the most expensive. The time has now come to tell the truth and untold story of private schools. Everything stated is factually correct and we challenge anyone to enter into an intelligent public discourse on these matters for the benefit of the people of Pakistan:
Under Article 25-A of the Constitution, it is the responsibility of the State to provide education. Though it is not their role, private schools are helping the government with the fulfillment of its moral and constitutional responsibility. Private schools graduates have risen to the highest positions in Pakistan and internationally. Private schools enhance opportunities for admission into leading national and international universities, and open up unparalleled job opportunities for young, lower-middle class and middle-class Pakistanis.
Private schools conservatively educate more than 50% of children in Pakistan, and nearly 60% in Punjab. There are 173110 private schools in all over the Pakistan. In which there are 97810 in Punjab; 32850 in Sind; 24660 in KPK; 5880 in Baluchistan; 2380 in Islamabad ICT and 9450 private schools working in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and others areas of Pakistan. About 23839431 students are studying in these 173110 private schools. Approximately 15 lac teachers work at these schools. On the other hand if we see the last 10-year, only in Punjab more than 9000 public schools decreased from 63000 public schools to 54000 public schools and the same situation is also there in other provinces of Pakistan.
The students, staff, and owners of almost all private schools have contributed generously whenever the country has been stricken by earthquakes or floods from 2005 to 2014. Private schools are fully aware of their social responsibility. Most critically, in more recent times, Private Schools have been contributing to the creation of a progressive and internationally minded youth who are playing their part in the development of a modern Pakistani state.
The government talks of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is not a reliable measure even for households. For private schools, it is completely irrelevant. In short, the cost of operating schools increases by an average of 15-20% per annum. We are prepared for an intelligent debate with anybody on this statement. Private schools do not exist in an economic vacuum: when the input costs of every sector of the economy are going up, how can private schools remain magically immune? They do not possess Aladdin’s lamp to reduce costs. Private schools are treated as fully commercial entities by the government, and pay 33% income tax, 17% GST, 3% Super Tax, 6% EOBI, 6% Social Security, heavy property commercialization fees, commercial property taxes, school registration fee, registration visit fee, sports funds, school affiliation fee, affiliation visit fee, renewal fee of school registration, renewal fee of school affiliation, building fitness certificate fee, building hygienic certificate fee, endowment fund, commercial utility bills, service tax, professional tax, trade tax, building board rent tax, parking fee, sanitation fee, scouting fund, armed licenses fee, and a host of other taxes and levies…
It is important to mention here that after paying all above costs and more than 25 government taxes, out of 173110 schools, there are 85% schools which charge below than Rs 1000 fee. Moreover, there are 11% schools which charge below than Rs 2000 fee and only 4% schools are charging above than Rs 2000. It is very much clear that 96% schools are not in the limit of heavy fee structure. On the other hand, according to the government data per student cost in a public school is about Rs 7960 per month with poor quality of education.
Despite of all above untold story and facts there are also more crippling input costs for private schools. It has been alleged by some that private schools have raised their fees by percentages ranging from 30% to even100% in August 2015!This is factually incorrect. The average fee increase for the vast majority of private schools has varied between 10-12%.In many cases, “Aug/Sept 2015 fee increases” are in fact the outcome of children moving from pre-primary to primary school, primary to middle, or middle to secondary/higher secondary levels. Every private school in the world, including those managed by the government, has different “fee brackets”, since facility and faculty costs increase substantially as students progress to different/higher levels.
Most private schools in Pakistan operate out of rented premises. Rents increase by 10% per annum. Typically every 3 to 5 years, lease agreements are renewed, at which point landlords aggressively renegotiate lease terms. Landlords are aware that schools have limited options because their cost of relocation is very high. The compounded impact of annual rent increase (10%) and end-of-term lease renegotiation (any percentage)is an average of 15-20% or more per year. Staff & teacher salaries account for approximately 50% of the fee income of private schools. Teachers’ salaries are revised upwards, on average, from 10% to 20% per year but based on performance appraisal; in some cases, the increases are far higher.
Average electricity expenses across Pakistan have increased by17% per annum over the last few years. Private schools pay the “Commercial tariff”, which is the highest tariff category. In addition, many private schools operate generators for back-up power. Maintaining generators is prohibitively expensive. After December 2014, private schools have exponentially increased their expenditure on the provision of security – a fundamental responsibility of the state. There are also other escalating costs of construction and capital items construction cost (steel, cement, paint, wood, etc.) has increased every year by at least 15% per annum. An additional 16% GST has further affected this cost. Over the past 3 years, on average, computer equipment has increased by 15% per annum, laboratory equipment by14% per annum, school furniture and fixtures by 18-20% per annum, vehicles by 12%, etc with an additional 16% GST! Many private schools use diesel generators. The capital cost of generators has increased by an average of 18% per annum. The above investments are depreciated in the annual expense of private schools, since capital is not free – it has a cost.
Now the question is how will zero to 5% fee increase impact teachers? The 173000 private schools in Pakistan are collectively the largest employees of professional women in the private sector in Pakistan. Approximately1.5 million teachers work at these schools. Private schools will not be able to adequately reward these teachers or continue to offer free education to their children which are approx. 3-millionchildren. Private schools will not be able to spend on the professional development of teachers.
How will zero to 5% fee increase impact students& parents? Private schools will gradually lose qualified professionals to other sectors. Private schools will not be able to maintain current levels of service. The number of children per class will increase, co-curricular, extra-curricular and value-added services may be cut down, and quality and overall standards will therefore suffer. Private schools remain committed to providing the best possible security arrangements for students. With 0% or 5% fee increase, we now require that the government post Police & Rangers outside every school. This is anyway the government’s responsibility, more so under the current security conditions. Scholarships and financial aid for millions of students across Pakistan, which private schools offer despite financial constraints, may be affected.
Quality and good education is not cheap anywhere in the world! Some of the leading non-profit schools and universities in Pakistan are also amongst the most expensive: IBA Karachi, LUMS, LSE, BNU, AKU, KGS, Aitchison College, and dozens of others. This is because they source the best faculty and resources from across Pakistan. Aitchison College, Lawrence College and Sadiq Public School, whose Boards are controlled by the government, are far more expensive than most private schools, even though their lands and buildings are free and they are recipients of government grants. Does this not mean that the government is “profiteering”? If not, why is the private sector profiteering?
We, APPSF, recommend that Govt. employees and bureaucrats of all levels should be required to send their children to government schools. This is the most effective way of uplifting government schools. Were the media to focus on the uplift of government schools, the government would not be able to escape its responsibility and shift the blame and public wrath to private schools.
Moreover, Government must declare exemption from all the 25 taxes imposed on private schools till the achievement of 100% education rate. Based on capacity, leading private schools should be encouraged to enter into public-private partnerships. We, too, are ready to play a constructive role to uplift the standards of government schools. Until the state schools are improved, government should issue ‘fee vouchers’ to lower-middle class and middle class families to send their children to private schools. This is common in many developing& developed countries and will help the government escape rising public wrath against its inability to meet its constitutional and moral obligations. Unless points highlighted above are given serious consideration by the government, we fear that private schools to suffer the same fate as public sector schools – with grave consequences for the future of the nation.
I would like to address the independent Pakistani media, which has the capacity of setting agendas and mobilizing public opinion and, through them, the government, parents, and the general public. I need to respectfully point out that the public education system is almost destroyed in the country and, if the current debate regarding private education is not channelized in a healthy direction, the private education system, which caters to nearly half the Pakistani population, particularly the middle and lower-middle classes, will suffer a similar fate. It needs to be stressed that Article 25-A of the Constitution declares that it is the State’s responsibility to provide “free and compulsory education to all children from the ages of 5-16 years”. It is not fair that this justifiable public wrath is being deflected towards private schools.
Quality and good education is not inexpensive anywhere in the world. The only difference is that funding comes from government or other sources. This explains why some of the best non-profitinstitutions in the world like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge, along with some of the leading Pakistani educational institutions, are also amongst the most expensive. The time has now come to tell the truth and untold story of private schools. Everything stated is factually correct and we challenge anyone to enter into an intelligent public discourse on these matters for the benefit of the people of Pakistan:
Under Article 25-A of the Constitution, it is the responsibility of the State to provide education. Though it is not their role, private schools are helping the government with the fulfillment of its moral and constitutional responsibility. Private schools graduates have risen to the highest positions in Pakistan and internationally. Private schools enhance opportunities for admission into leading national and international universities, and open up unparalleled job opportunities for young, lower-middle class and middle-class Pakistanis.
Private schools conservatively educate more than 50% of children in Pakistan, and nearly 60% in Punjab. There are 173110 private schools in all over the Pakistan. In which there are 97810 in Punjab; 32850 in Sind; 24660 in KPK; 5880 in Baluchistan; 2380 in Islamabad ICT and 9450 private schools working in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and others areas of Pakistan. About 23839431 students are studying in these 173110 private schools. Approximately 15 lac teachers work at these schools. On the other hand if we see the last 10-year, only in Punjab more than 9000 public schools decreased from 63000 public schools to 54000 public schools and the same situation is also there in other provinces of Pakistan.
The students, staff, and owners of almost all private schools have contributed generously whenever the country has been stricken by earthquakes or floods from 2005 to 2014. Private schools are fully aware of their social responsibility. Most critically, in more recent times, Private Schools have been contributing to the creation of a progressive and internationally minded youth who are playing their part in the development of a modern Pakistani state.
The government talks of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is not a reliable measure even for households. For private schools, it is completely irrelevant. In short, the cost of operating schools increases by an average of 15-20% per annum. We are prepared for an intelligent debate with anybody on this statement. Private schools do not exist in an economic vacuum: when the input costs of every sector of the economy are going up, how can private schools remain magically immune? They do not possess Aladdin’s lamp to reduce costs. Private schools are treated as fully commercial entities by the government, and pay 33% income tax, 17% GST, 3% Super Tax, 6% EOBI, 6% Social Security, heavy property commercialization fees, commercial property taxes, school registration fee, registration visit fee, sports funds, school affiliation fee, affiliation visit fee, renewal fee of school registration, renewal fee of school affiliation, building fitness certificate fee, building hygienic certificate fee, endowment fund, commercial utility bills, service tax, professional tax, trade tax, building board rent tax, parking fee, sanitation fee, scouting fund, armed licenses fee, and a host of other taxes and levies…
It is important to mention here that after paying all above costs and more than 25 government taxes, out of 173110 schools, there are 85% schools which charge below than Rs 1000 fee. Moreover, there are 11% schools which charge below than Rs 2000 fee and only 4% schools are charging above than Rs 2000. It is very much clear that 96% schools are not in the limit of heavy fee structure. On the other hand, according to the government data per student cost in a public school is about Rs 7960 per month with poor quality of education.
Despite of all above untold story and facts there are also more crippling input costs for private schools. It has been alleged by some that private schools have raised their fees by percentages ranging from 30% to even100% in August 2015!This is factually incorrect. The average fee increase for the vast majority of private schools has varied between 10-12%.In many cases, “Aug/Sept 2015 fee increases” are in fact the outcome of children moving from pre-primary to primary school, primary to middle, or middle to secondary/higher secondary levels. Every private school in the world, including those managed by the government, has different “fee brackets”, since facility and faculty costs increase substantially as students progress to different/higher levels.
Most private schools in Pakistan operate out of rented premises. Rents increase by 10% per annum. Typically every 3 to 5 years, lease agreements are renewed, at which point landlords aggressively renegotiate lease terms. Landlords are aware that schools have limited options because their cost of relocation is very high. The compounded impact of annual rent increase (10%) and end-of-term lease renegotiation (any percentage)is an average of 15-20% or more per year. Staff & teacher salaries account for approximately 50% of the fee income of private schools. Teachers’ salaries are revised upwards, on average, from 10% to 20% per year but based on performance appraisal; in some cases, the increases are far higher.
Average electricity expenses across Pakistan have increased by17% per annum over the last few years. Private schools pay the “Commercial tariff”, which is the highest tariff category. In addition, many private schools operate generators for back-up power. Maintaining generators is prohibitively expensive. After December 2014, private schools have exponentially increased their expenditure on the provision of security – a fundamental responsibility of the state. There are also other escalating costs of construction and capital items construction cost (steel, cement, paint, wood, etc.) has increased every year by at least 15% per annum. An additional 16% GST has further affected this cost. Over the past 3 years, on average, computer equipment has increased by 15% per annum, laboratory equipment by14% per annum, school furniture and fixtures by 18-20% per annum, vehicles by 12%, etc with an additional 16% GST! Many private schools use diesel generators. The capital cost of generators has increased by an average of 18% per annum. The above investments are depreciated in the annual expense of private schools, since capital is not free – it has a cost.
Now the question is how will zero to 5% fee increase impact teachers? The 173000 private schools in Pakistan are collectively the largest employees of professional women in the private sector in Pakistan. Approximately1.5 million teachers work at these schools. Private schools will not be able to adequately reward these teachers or continue to offer free education to their children which are approx. 3-millionchildren. Private schools will not be able to spend on the professional development of teachers.
How will zero to 5% fee increase impact students& parents? Private schools will gradually lose qualified professionals to other sectors. Private schools will not be able to maintain current levels of service. The number of children per class will increase, co-curricular, extra-curricular and value-added services may be cut down, and quality and overall standards will therefore suffer. Private schools remain committed to providing the best possible security arrangements for students. With 0% or 5% fee increase, we now require that the government post Police & Rangers outside every school. This is anyway the government’s responsibility, more so under the current security conditions. Scholarships and financial aid for millions of students across Pakistan, which private schools offer despite financial constraints, may be affected.
Quality and good education is not cheap anywhere in the world! Some of the leading non-profit schools and universities in Pakistan are also amongst the most expensive: IBA Karachi, LUMS, LSE, BNU, AKU, KGS, Aitchison College, and dozens of others. This is because they source the best faculty and resources from across Pakistan. Aitchison College, Lawrence College and Sadiq Public School, whose Boards are controlled by the government, are far more expensive than most private schools, even though their lands and buildings are free and they are recipients of government grants. Does this not mean that the government is “profiteering”? If not, why is the private sector profiteering?
We, APPSF, recommend that Govt. employees and bureaucrats of all levels should be required to send their children to government schools. This is the most effective way of uplifting government schools. Were the media to focus on the uplift of government schools, the government would not be able to escape its responsibility and shift the blame and public wrath to private schools.
Moreover, Government must declare exemption from all the 25 taxes imposed on private schools till the achievement of 100% education rate. Based on capacity, leading private schools should be encouraged to enter into public-private partnerships. We, too, are ready to play a constructive role to uplift the standards of government schools. Until the state schools are improved, government should issue ‘fee vouchers’ to lower-middle class and middle class families to send their children to private schools. This is common in many developing& developed countries and will help the government escape rising public wrath against its inability to meet its constitutional and moral obligations. Unless points highlighted above are given serious consideration by the government, we fear that private schools to suffer the same fate as public sector schools – with grave consequences for the future of the nation.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Girls grab top positions in IUB Bcom exam
Girls outperformed their male counterparts in the annual Bcom examinations of the Islamia University Bahawalpur.
IUB Vice Chancellor Dr Qaiser Mushtaq was the chief guest at the result announcement ceremony. He congratulated the position-holders and wished them a bright future ahead. A total of 1,119 candidates appeared in examination of which 792 were declared pass. Afzala Khan, a student of Punjab College of Commence got first position with 1,214 marks, Komal Nayab of Allama Iqbal College, Bahawalpur, grabbed second with 1,188 and Farwa Saeed of Punjab College of Commerce Rahim Yar Khan secured 3rd by obtaining 1,182 marks.
distinction: Aleeza Ahmed, daughter of prominent physician Dr Ahmed Hassan Khera has secured nine A in O-level examination of Sadiq Public School, Bahawalpur.
According to the result, Aleeza Ahmed got seven A stars and achieved distinction. Following her outstanding performance, the management of Sadiq Public School waived off 80 percent fee for Aleeza until completion of her further A-Level education. Principal and education staff of the school has greeted both Dr Ahmed Hassan Khers and his wife Dr Mrs Anjum Khera on the success of their daughter Aleeza Ahmed.
IUB Vice Chancellor Dr Qaiser Mushtaq was the chief guest at the result announcement ceremony. He congratulated the position-holders and wished them a bright future ahead. A total of 1,119 candidates appeared in examination of which 792 were declared pass. Afzala Khan, a student of Punjab College of Commence got first position with 1,214 marks, Komal Nayab of Allama Iqbal College, Bahawalpur, grabbed second with 1,188 and Farwa Saeed of Punjab College of Commerce Rahim Yar Khan secured 3rd by obtaining 1,182 marks.
distinction: Aleeza Ahmed, daughter of prominent physician Dr Ahmed Hassan Khera has secured nine A in O-level examination of Sadiq Public School, Bahawalpur.
According to the result, Aleeza Ahmed got seven A stars and achieved distinction. Following her outstanding performance, the management of Sadiq Public School waived off 80 percent fee for Aleeza until completion of her further A-Level education. Principal and education staff of the school has greeted both Dr Ahmed Hassan Khers and his wife Dr Mrs Anjum Khera on the success of their daughter Aleeza Ahmed.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Upcoming School Calendar at Sadiq Public School
Here is the upcoming summer calendar for Sadiq Public School:
- Saturday, June 6 - Boarders leave home after school.
- Sunday, June 7 - Summer Vacation begins (June 7 - August 24).
- Monday, June 8 - Scout Camp
- Monday, June 8 - Excursion to Northern Areas
- Thursday, July 18 - Ramzan UL Mubark
- Monday, July 17 - Summer School begins
War of words: Declamation contest starts at PU
LAHORE:
The All Pakistan Bilingual Declamation Contest 2015 started at the Punjab University on Tuesday.
PU Vice Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran inaugurated the contest. PU Students Affairs Director Shahid Mehmood Gull, Institute of Education and Research Director Dr Mumtaz Akhter, Deputy Director Zubair Akhram and faculty members were also present.
Forty universities from the country, including Government College University Lahore, Forman Christian College Lahore, PAF College Murree, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Sadiq Public School Bahawalpur, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai University Sindh, University of Sargodha, University of Gujrat, Preston University Karachi, COMSATS Karachi and GCU Faisalabad are taking part in the contest.
Topics for the debates include, ‘I am a son of the soil, I am not for sale’, ‘Where is the man made in image of God?’, ‘You, me, Pakistan and future’, ‘Sarcasm is my super power’, ‘I am not stupid, I just have bad luck when thinking’ and ‘But wait, there is more’. The concluding ceremony will be held on Wednesday (today) at the Faisal Auditorium.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2015.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Sadiq Public School: State of Education in Pakistan
Earlier this month, an important regional seminar was held in Lahore to address issues of equity and quality in school education. It was organised by ITA, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Agahi and South Asia Forum for Education Development in collaboration with Education Testing Service USA, DFID, UKAID and Open Society Foundation as a follow-up of the Salzburg meetings.
Following the example of Prathom and ASER Centre (Annual Status of Education Report) in India, ITA has been carrying out annual surveys of school education in Pakistan.
The inaugural session of the seminar was addressed by Rukmini Banerji, Director ASER Centre India. She spoke about the ASER experience in India. She said that 97 percent (gross) of children aged 6 to 14 are enrolled in schools, but 50 percent of them in grade 5 cannot read grade 2 level texts. The data for arithmetic is equally depressing. The challenge in India, according to her, is how to effectively improve learning outcomes.
In Pakistan, the conditions are no better, if not worse. The net enrolment at the primary level is around 60 percent. Attendance of teachers and students in schools leaves much to be desired. According to the Pakistan Task Force report released last year, on a given day 15 to 20 percent of public sector teachers are found absent leaving children for one day a week, without teaching. It is estimated that out of 365 days of the year in Pakistan, public schools teaching takes place only on 120 days or so - the rest of the days, the schools are either closed or remain busy in other activities; teachers have to attend to such non-teaching duties as election related assignments.
In Pakistan today, about eight million children are out of school at the primary level and according to an estimate, the number of 5-16 years old out of school is 20 million. And 40 percent of those who do join school at the age of 5, dropout during the first two years.
In a paper presented at the ASER seminar, Dr Faisal Bari and Ms Nargis Sultana drew attention to the fragmentation of education in Pakistan. To quote: “Our education system is divided on lines of geography, class, income/wealth, medium of instruction, cost, syllabi, curricula and gender and these differences manifest themselves in differentials in access, dropouts and in the quality of education that is imparted. And existing differences in educational provision will, inevitably, create even bigger differences in the future. If our objective is to educate all children, and at least to a minimum standard, so that they can have some equality of opportunity, or at least a bigger set of opportunities available to each of them, we need to challenge the existing differences and divisions.”
Ms Banerji in her talk mentioned some remedial steps to improve learning outcomes. These included organising summer camps for laggard students, regrouping of students in the classes and reviewing the text books which she found a little too difficult to read and comprehend. She also recommended child-friendly practices in the classrooms and outside.
And better teacher-training programmes.
India has already promulgated a Right to Education Legislation and after the 18th Amendment, Pakistan has yet to do so. Some of the recommendations made on the basis of the ASER India findings 2011 are:
* India has made impressive progress in enrolment. Now is the time to turn from inputs and access, and focus on the challenge of how to improve quality.
* Learning outcomes must move to centre stage.
* Large-scale corrective action to build the basic skills of reading arithmetic is urgently required.
* There are real challenges in Indian classrooms. These include diverse age groups, wide variations in ability and multiple classes sitting together. Teachers need to be equipped in a practical way to be able to teach effectively under these circumstances.
Dr Iffat Shah, who summed up the findings of the Lahore ASER seminar, made in this connection, a few thought-provoking observations: “Teacher quality is fundamentally important to student learning - although we do need to remember that the teacher is not the only factor that affects learning. Teacher quality seems to be most frequently measured in terms of academic credentials. But there is little or no evidence that higher credentials or pre-service training lead to better quality of teaching. We also heard some evidence suggesting that teachers are struggling and demotivated. However, there is some evidence that school-based professional development can prepare better teachers, as assessed by their students’ learning. We need to know far more about teacher educators and teacher education colleges. A variety of models of teacher education was presented. It will be important to assess the impact of these teacher training or professional development programmes on teacher practice and student outcomes. If there is no positive effect on teaching quality and student learning, then it will be a wasted effort. It was claimed that finding out about impact may be expensive, but I submit that not knowing will be far more expensive.”
More wise words came from Zubaida Mustafa, Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy, Ahsan Iqbal, Kasim Kasuri and Ali Moeen Nawazish. Hoodbhoy emphasised a thorough review of the existing out-dated educational system. He was critical of the exam-based learning, which rests on memorising and not “internalising” knowledge. Kasuri said that schools were not relying on real life skills, and that teacher training only improved “professional practices”, but failed to improve the learning outcome of a child. There was need for relating it to school-based monitoring. Ahsan Iqbal remarked that the problem lay with the insensitivity of the ruling elite towards education. Quality teachers were needed to impart knowledge relevant to changing global requirements. He pleaded for enhanced allocations for education and standard curriculum designed by the federal government. Zubaida Mustafa dilated on the plight of the poor children and observed that when children are undernourished and stunted, and have not been exposed to a healthy and positive social environment that encourages mental and cognitive stimulation, they will not have the capacity to benefit optimally from good pedagogy and excellent textbooks. She advocated stringent social controls on the private sector, not by pulling them back, but by encouraging them to take the weaker section of the society along with them.
The Education For All targets and the Millennium Development Goals to which Pakistan is committed will remain a distant dream, unless education is given the highest priority and urgent steps are taken to upgrade and modernise it.
There is much to learn by our governments and the private sector from the wisdom spelt out in the ASER’s seminar briefly highlighted in this column.
As far back as 1947, in his message to the All Pakistan Education Conference, Quaid-i-
Azam had warned: “The future of our state will and must greatly depend on the type of the education and the way in which we bring up our children as the future servants of Pakistan.” We still are waiting for the emergence of political will from our rulers in this benighted country.
Following the example of Prathom and ASER Centre (Annual Status of Education Report) in India, ITA has been carrying out annual surveys of school education in Pakistan.
The inaugural session of the seminar was addressed by Rukmini Banerji, Director ASER Centre India. She spoke about the ASER experience in India. She said that 97 percent (gross) of children aged 6 to 14 are enrolled in schools, but 50 percent of them in grade 5 cannot read grade 2 level texts. The data for arithmetic is equally depressing. The challenge in India, according to her, is how to effectively improve learning outcomes.
In Pakistan, the conditions are no better, if not worse. The net enrolment at the primary level is around 60 percent. Attendance of teachers and students in schools leaves much to be desired. According to the Pakistan Task Force report released last year, on a given day 15 to 20 percent of public sector teachers are found absent leaving children for one day a week, without teaching. It is estimated that out of 365 days of the year in Pakistan, public schools teaching takes place only on 120 days or so - the rest of the days, the schools are either closed or remain busy in other activities; teachers have to attend to such non-teaching duties as election related assignments.
In Pakistan today, about eight million children are out of school at the primary level and according to an estimate, the number of 5-16 years old out of school is 20 million. And 40 percent of those who do join school at the age of 5, dropout during the first two years.
In a paper presented at the ASER seminar, Dr Faisal Bari and Ms Nargis Sultana drew attention to the fragmentation of education in Pakistan. To quote: “Our education system is divided on lines of geography, class, income/wealth, medium of instruction, cost, syllabi, curricula and gender and these differences manifest themselves in differentials in access, dropouts and in the quality of education that is imparted. And existing differences in educational provision will, inevitably, create even bigger differences in the future. If our objective is to educate all children, and at least to a minimum standard, so that they can have some equality of opportunity, or at least a bigger set of opportunities available to each of them, we need to challenge the existing differences and divisions.”
Ms Banerji in her talk mentioned some remedial steps to improve learning outcomes. These included organising summer camps for laggard students, regrouping of students in the classes and reviewing the text books which she found a little too difficult to read and comprehend. She also recommended child-friendly practices in the classrooms and outside.
And better teacher-training programmes.
India has already promulgated a Right to Education Legislation and after the 18th Amendment, Pakistan has yet to do so. Some of the recommendations made on the basis of the ASER India findings 2011 are:
* India has made impressive progress in enrolment. Now is the time to turn from inputs and access, and focus on the challenge of how to improve quality.
* Learning outcomes must move to centre stage.
* Large-scale corrective action to build the basic skills of reading arithmetic is urgently required.
* There are real challenges in Indian classrooms. These include diverse age groups, wide variations in ability and multiple classes sitting together. Teachers need to be equipped in a practical way to be able to teach effectively under these circumstances.
Dr Iffat Shah, who summed up the findings of the Lahore ASER seminar, made in this connection, a few thought-provoking observations: “Teacher quality is fundamentally important to student learning - although we do need to remember that the teacher is not the only factor that affects learning. Teacher quality seems to be most frequently measured in terms of academic credentials. But there is little or no evidence that higher credentials or pre-service training lead to better quality of teaching. We also heard some evidence suggesting that teachers are struggling and demotivated. However, there is some evidence that school-based professional development can prepare better teachers, as assessed by their students’ learning. We need to know far more about teacher educators and teacher education colleges. A variety of models of teacher education was presented. It will be important to assess the impact of these teacher training or professional development programmes on teacher practice and student outcomes. If there is no positive effect on teaching quality and student learning, then it will be a wasted effort. It was claimed that finding out about impact may be expensive, but I submit that not knowing will be far more expensive.”
More wise words came from Zubaida Mustafa, Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy, Ahsan Iqbal, Kasim Kasuri and Ali Moeen Nawazish. Hoodbhoy emphasised a thorough review of the existing out-dated educational system. He was critical of the exam-based learning, which rests on memorising and not “internalising” knowledge. Kasuri said that schools were not relying on real life skills, and that teacher training only improved “professional practices”, but failed to improve the learning outcome of a child. There was need for relating it to school-based monitoring. Ahsan Iqbal remarked that the problem lay with the insensitivity of the ruling elite towards education. Quality teachers were needed to impart knowledge relevant to changing global requirements. He pleaded for enhanced allocations for education and standard curriculum designed by the federal government. Zubaida Mustafa dilated on the plight of the poor children and observed that when children are undernourished and stunted, and have not been exposed to a healthy and positive social environment that encourages mental and cognitive stimulation, they will not have the capacity to benefit optimally from good pedagogy and excellent textbooks. She advocated stringent social controls on the private sector, not by pulling them back, but by encouraging them to take the weaker section of the society along with them.
The Education For All targets and the Millennium Development Goals to which Pakistan is committed will remain a distant dream, unless education is given the highest priority and urgent steps are taken to upgrade and modernise it.
There is much to learn by our governments and the private sector from the wisdom spelt out in the ASER’s seminar briefly highlighted in this column.
As far back as 1947, in his message to the All Pakistan Education Conference, Quaid-i-
Azam had warned: “The future of our state will and must greatly depend on the type of the education and the way in which we bring up our children as the future servants of Pakistan.” We still are waiting for the emergence of political will from our rulers in this benighted country.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Sadiq Public School: Private & Public Education in Pakistan
In Pakistan during the 1970s, the government nationalised all private schools, severely restricting the growth of this sector and its potential in educating young Pakistanis. Fast forward 20 years and we find that private sector initiatives in the area of education have re-emerged all over the country.
This hasn’t happened in a vacuum though. Rather, private schools are more in demand than ever before at a time when Pakistan’s public school system is facing very big problems. Some of the major problems public schools face include limited financial resources, poor quality of content and above all, parents who can give little attention to their children’s studies at home. Pakistan’s public schools are either overcrowded or underfunded. These issues have largely fuelled the recovery of private schools in Pakistan. Although traditionally, private schools have been a luxury only the rich can afford, this is not necessarily the case in the current comeback of the private sector in Pakistan’s education system. According to the Human Development in South Asia’s 1998 report, 70 per cent of the schools in Pakistan have no toilets, 68 per cent have no drinking water, 92 per cent have no playgrounds, 60 per cent have no boundary walls and 16 per cent are without a building. A delegation from the UK visiting Pakistan has also noted a lack of desks, books, blackboards, electricity, doors and windows, not to mention the problem of overcrowded classrooms. And the phenomenon of ghost schools, institutions which receive government grants but do not exist, is now common knowledge. These are just some of the realities of Pakistani public schools, especially in rural areas.
The country’s public school system was once able to produce literate, disciplined students. Today, it is an open drain of corruption and backwardness. This is why private schools have become an alternative for parents serious about educating their children, despite personal financial constraints. Although, generally speaking, private schools have often been criticised for worsening the problem of inequality in education, the available evidence clearly indicates that the private education sector is providing quality education and is very important in Pakistan.
Naveed Ahmed Wassan
Published in The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2014.
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Saturday, January 31, 2015
The Madrassa Myth: in Pakistan, Public Schools may be the Problem
A group of young boys wearing tight, crocheted caps rock back and forth
as they recite verses from the Quran. Their voices–some loud, some
hushed–resound through the domed mosque in a cacophony of swirling
melodies.
Recent reports have pointed to Pakistan's Islamic, religious schools like this one as training grounds for terrorists. But most students attend the schools-–called madrassa–for a purely spiritual purpose.
"I studied in a public school until 7th grade and then I left to come here," said Mohammad Kamran Rafeeq.
"I liked learning about my faith and I had two friends who had studied here. They said the teachers were really good, so I came and enrolled."
At seventeen, he one of the oldest in this class. He moved from Kashmir four years ago to live and study at this madrassa near the city of Peshawar.
The madrassa provides Rafeeq and his fellow students with room and board. Nearly every waking hour of the day is geared toward becoming a hafiz–memorizing the Quran in its original Arabic. Qazi Wajid ud-Daym, who helps run the school, said the kids learn the meaning of the verses they read, but they avoid any particular stream of interpretation.
"We only teach the memorization of the Quran," he explained. "We decided to stop the other classes before they became an issue because different sects interpret the Quran differently. That caused problems so we basically dropped everything but just the words of the Quran."
But the reality in Pakistan is that most students do learn a variety of interpretations of Islam. And not necessarily in madrassas. Even the public school curriculum was infused with religious undertones by the military dictator Zia Ul-Haq in the 1970s.
Dr. A.H. Nayyar is a retired professor who's studied the effects of this dramatic shift. He said, "They had lessons on Islamic principles and Islamic practice and Islamic history in books on English, in books on social studies. And in some cases, also in books on mathematics."
More troubling, said Nayyar, is the very radical and militant view of Islam that was inked into the country's national public school curriculum, and into the hearts and minds of students.
"There were lessons in textbooks which actually told students, and still continue to do in the latest books, that jihad is enjoined upon all Muslims and getting ready for jihad, not just by fighting yourself, but also if you can't fight supporting it by providing it money and help and so on and so forth, is supposed to be duty of each and every Muslim," he said. "No wonder that jihad has now become so deep-rooted in Pakistani society."
Nayyar and others say it's ironic that people in the West equate madrassas with radical Islam since the vast majority of school-age kids in Pakistan go to public schools.
"Madrassa enrollments at most were about 1.5 percent. So think of it as, you know, kind of a fringe experience," said Jishnu Das, a senior economist at the World bank.
Das has done a lot to debunk what's called the "madrassa myth." It' the idea that Pakistani kids have gone off to madrassas, radicalized en masse, and sent off to commit acts of terrorism. While he said this does happen on a small scale, the reasons for going to a madrassa tend to be far more benign.
"It had nothing to do with poverty, it had nothing to do with availability," Das said about his research on education in Pakistan. "This was primarily, you know, one brother is going to public school, one sister is going to private school, one kid is going to the madrassa. Why? Because he wants to really learn the Quran and become a hafiz. What do you do about that? One kid wants to become a priest. Should we say you're not allowed to go to the seminary? And that's precisely what it seemed like."
Back at the madrassa, Rafeeq said he plans to go back to Kashmir to continue his secular schooling, though he'll keep up with his religious studies on the side.
When I ask if he hopes to take part in militant jihad, a smile briefly flickers across his face.
"I'd like to," Rafeeq said, "But I don't know if I'll have the heart for it in the end."
It's impossible to know where Rafeeq's interest in jihad comes from: his public education, madrassa instruction, or something else entirely. Regardless, his quick grin is evidence enough that another generation of Pakistanis could easily be lured into a violent future–perhaps through the very institutions meant to give them a better life.
Recent reports have pointed to Pakistan's Islamic, religious schools like this one as training grounds for terrorists. But most students attend the schools-–called madrassa–for a purely spiritual purpose.
"I studied in a public school until 7th grade and then I left to come here," said Mohammad Kamran Rafeeq.
"I liked learning about my faith and I had two friends who had studied here. They said the teachers were really good, so I came and enrolled."
At seventeen, he one of the oldest in this class. He moved from Kashmir four years ago to live and study at this madrassa near the city of Peshawar.
The madrassa provides Rafeeq and his fellow students with room and board. Nearly every waking hour of the day is geared toward becoming a hafiz–memorizing the Quran in its original Arabic. Qazi Wajid ud-Daym, who helps run the school, said the kids learn the meaning of the verses they read, but they avoid any particular stream of interpretation.
"We only teach the memorization of the Quran," he explained. "We decided to stop the other classes before they became an issue because different sects interpret the Quran differently. That caused problems so we basically dropped everything but just the words of the Quran."
But the reality in Pakistan is that most students do learn a variety of interpretations of Islam. And not necessarily in madrassas. Even the public school curriculum was infused with religious undertones by the military dictator Zia Ul-Haq in the 1970s.
Dr. A.H. Nayyar is a retired professor who's studied the effects of this dramatic shift. He said, "They had lessons on Islamic principles and Islamic practice and Islamic history in books on English, in books on social studies. And in some cases, also in books on mathematics."
More troubling, said Nayyar, is the very radical and militant view of Islam that was inked into the country's national public school curriculum, and into the hearts and minds of students.
"There were lessons in textbooks which actually told students, and still continue to do in the latest books, that jihad is enjoined upon all Muslims and getting ready for jihad, not just by fighting yourself, but also if you can't fight supporting it by providing it money and help and so on and so forth, is supposed to be duty of each and every Muslim," he said. "No wonder that jihad has now become so deep-rooted in Pakistani society."
Nayyar and others say it's ironic that people in the West equate madrassas with radical Islam since the vast majority of school-age kids in Pakistan go to public schools.
"Madrassa enrollments at most were about 1.5 percent. So think of it as, you know, kind of a fringe experience," said Jishnu Das, a senior economist at the World bank.
Das has done a lot to debunk what's called the "madrassa myth." It' the idea that Pakistani kids have gone off to madrassas, radicalized en masse, and sent off to commit acts of terrorism. While he said this does happen on a small scale, the reasons for going to a madrassa tend to be far more benign.
"It had nothing to do with poverty, it had nothing to do with availability," Das said about his research on education in Pakistan. "This was primarily, you know, one brother is going to public school, one sister is going to private school, one kid is going to the madrassa. Why? Because he wants to really learn the Quran and become a hafiz. What do you do about that? One kid wants to become a priest. Should we say you're not allowed to go to the seminary? And that's precisely what it seemed like."
Back at the madrassa, Rafeeq said he plans to go back to Kashmir to continue his secular schooling, though he'll keep up with his religious studies on the side.
When I ask if he hopes to take part in militant jihad, a smile briefly flickers across his face.
"I'd like to," Rafeeq said, "But I don't know if I'll have the heart for it in the end."
It's impossible to know where Rafeeq's interest in jihad comes from: his public education, madrassa instruction, or something else entirely. Regardless, his quick grin is evidence enough that another generation of Pakistanis could easily be lured into a violent future–perhaps through the very institutions meant to give them a better life.
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