An Analysis of Educational Policy 2009: Are We Moving Towards Right Direction?
By: Sultan Alam Faculty AKUIED-PDCN
The newest education policy in Pakistan was developed in 2009.
Some of its features are:
- The policy endorse that basic education for all must be provided without segregation of sectorial segments and it must be considered as integral part of the human development by providing the access towards educational opportunities.
- This policy encourages research and development processes to improve quality of teaching and learning processes, adding to knowledge and to develop innovations in content and pedagogy.
- The policy shows concern over quality of text books and the content inside the text books and enforces to add quality in the textbooks and other learning materials.
- The policy encourages private sector to produce and publish textbooks and develop reforms to bridge the public-private divide.
- This policy encourages national and international educational institutions to develop collaborative efforts to improve the standards of education.
- The policy has mentioned to carry out technical and vocational education to develop the professional skills among youth.
- The policy has enforced about the national education management information systems as a data base to be used at decision-making processes.
- This policy has seen as national strategic tools to guide the educational development in Pakistan by broadening access, designing quality standards and allocation of needful resources.
The analytical situation is quite evident that it has tried to involve all the stakeholders working in education field to carry out collaborative efforts to improve the quality of education. Unfortunately, the practical grounds present an opposite picture. There are various systems offering different level educational course, methods and approaches to improve learning. The whole society is segregated in different segments. As a result, the majority of students are unable to find their way to carry out a better tomorrow. Hence, there is dire need to revisit the policy, by making it applicable to the needs of the mass. The existing plans must be reviewed so that they must reflect the goals of the policy. This is how we can improve our standards of education and make our new generation’s future bright and prosperous.
A UNITED NATION CAN NOT EMERGE THROUGH THIS TYPE OF POLICY
Where is the progress of the last 70 years in the education sector ? Conferences, seminars, policies,meetings, are held but decline in standards go on. When financial managers assume the role of academic heads the only things that follows is educational disaster. Faculty is not interested in raising standards but getting a paper published , then apply for promotion. Where are those visible changes in the education sector, including best universities of the country, that has left an impact on society in parts or as a whole? Educational policies are good for academic analysis to publish and present papers but the rot goes on. Religious, sectarian, political, cultural biases, prejudices in educational curriculums lead to diversity and not unity. First of all let us decide our how the government uses education , a tool to divide and an urge to cling to narrow minded ideas and concepts or to broaden our mental outlook and make more human .