How to improve the education system?

 The secret of development of any society lies in education. Along with developing the personality of an individual, education also has positive political, economic and social effects on the society and thus a happy and conscious society is formed.

According to the Constitution of Pakistan.

The Constitution of Pakistan has pledged that free and compulsory education will be provided to all children between the ages of five and sixteen years. But after the 18th Amendment, education along with 47 other matters has been transferred to the provinces. Now it is the responsibility of the provincial governments to ensure the provision of this basic right to their citizens. However! In the case of Pakistan, there have been innumerable defects in the education system from day one and no one has tried to solve them in a sincere manner. Although this question has always been repeated by educationists and rulers, how can our education system be improved? But the problem remains.

In the following lines some suggestions are being given which may to some extent determine the way of improvement of this system.

1. Political consensus

Due to the vested interests of the various political parties of the country, there was never a political consensus in formulating the curriculum or national education policy. Therefore, there has often been a gap in the quality and continuity of the education system. Someone comes and introduces public, private and madrassa system and someone ends everything in the name of uniform curriculum. Some adopt a policy of nationalization and some prefer privatization. In general, there is a double standard of education in Pakistan. The English education system's IB curriculum, O-levels and A-levels for the rich and matric and intermediate systems for the poor.

The previous government's concept of uniform curriculum was good, but it also had several flaws. A shortcoming was that it was not agreed upon by all political parties and stakeholders. It is necessary for all the stakeholders, especially the political leaders, to agree on one point (for the sake of the country and the nation) and lead the education system towards improvement.

2. Curriculum revision

The world is undergoing rapid changes, which have many effects in our lives. But our curriculum, curriculum goals and standards, textbooks, quality of teachers and libraries are the same as they were decades ago. No positive change is seen in them. Revision of the curriculum every four to five years is essential and should involve all stakeholders ie educators, teachers, school principals, students, parents and administrators. If this happens, we will be able to move with the times, otherwise we will be far behind in the way of development as we are today.

3. Increase in education budget

Developed countries of the world allocate a good amount of money for education in their annual budget, but in Pakistan this rate has always been unsatisfactory and low. In the year 2021-22, the education budget in the Kingdom of God was 1.5 percent of GDP. A review of the annual budget of the last half century shows that this budget has been limited to 1.5% to 3% and 3% only three times i.e. in 1987, 1998 and 2015. In comparison, if we examine the education budget of some developed countries in the world, it is found that in the year 2021, Norway tops with 6.4%, while New Zealand 6.3%, UK 6.2% and USA 6.1% of their total budget allocated and spent for education. If we look at our neighboring country India, it is known that the education budget there is also 3.1%. There is a need for our rulers to seriously increase the education budget and ensure its sincere and responsible use.

4. Teacher training

Teacher education and training is very important for the improvement and success of any education system. Teacher training programs are not only the guarantor of quality education, but also an effective source of awareness towards the elimination of some social evils. For example, training of teachers can help break society's hatred, corruption, nepotism, theft and caste idols. But unfortunately in our country teachers are recruited without any teaching training. Although there is a structure for teacher training at the government level, it also has numerous deficiencies and needs to be addressed on a priority basis. Licensing should be mandatory for teachers and provision should be made for pre-service and in-service training.

5. Discouragement of rota culture

In our society, if someone parrots some topics and narrates them, unfortunately, it is considered competent. However, when the student is asked what this means, he has no idea. Natchez has seen countless candidates who are MS, MPhil or PhD degree holders in various subjects and do nothing but define a concept in their subject. When asked what this definition means? Explain this concept in simple words or where this concept can be applied in normal life or where it is seen, then they keep quiet. The result is that even with a degree with excellent grades and honors, one does not get a good job. Now is the time to eliminate rota culture from our education system. For this, necessary changes have to be made in the examination system, textbooks and curriculum. Teachers have to prepare accordingly. It will not be possible overnight but this change is possible gradually and also fruitful.

6. Accountability

Currently in our country there is neither reward for good work nor punishment for damage caused by irresponsible behavior. If so, nominally. Our education system needs to be made such that teachers do their duty honestly. Their mission is to go wherever they are posted and teach well. In such cases, those who perform their duties well should be rewarded and rewarded, and if they are negligent, they should be called to account and there should be an effective system of accountability. A good monitoring system has been introduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past decade, which has seen substantial increase in teacher attendance, quality teaching and student enrollment in government schools. Many so-called English-medium and some slightly better schools have dropped out of government schools and those schools have closed down permanently. This model can be extended to other provinces of the country with further improvements.

7. Educational partnership

Our educational institutions work in isolation, confined within their walls. Partnerships between different institutions are negligible. If one school or college is performing well, it does not benefit other schools and colleges or if a school is consistently performing poorly, there is no one to step forward and hold its hand. It would be good if the institutions could partner with each other. Share your experiences, resources, successes and difficulties with each other and support each other. Exchange teachers for some time, form a committee of headmasters and principals, prepare a school development plan together, review each other's curricular and co-curricular activities and give expert feedback for improvement. After some time, see how all the organizations move together on the path of development.

8. Use of technology

The use of technology and other modern resources is very important in today's times. Unfortunately our educational institutions do not equip themselves with technology and modern resources and still stick to traditional methods. The result is that the world is moving too fast and we are lagging behind. It has also been observed that many institutions have modern computers, multimedia, smart board, laboratory equipment and thousands of books but the equipment and library doors are locked. When asked, it turns out that it is not allowed to use or does not have the skills to use. Somewhere it has also been heard that using them leads to fear of damage. Therefore, they do not touch the goods. In my opinion, it is a thousand times better to spoil such equipment by using it than to let it spoil. There is a need for all educational institutions to be provided with modern resources, to be given the skills and courage to use these resources, and to keep updating themselves as per the requirements of the modern era.

9. Parent participation

Parents are the most important stakeholder of any educational institution. They send their children to you with the hope and blind faith that you will make them a good person and give them a quality education that guarantees a successful future. They are starving themselves but provide for the children's fees, stationery, copies, books, uniform and other necessities in time. But unfortunately they do not involve them in any decision making nor are they properly informed about the academic performance of their children. Many institutions treat parents as a burden. In this triangle of parents, educational institutions and children, one side always compromises, which has a negative impact on the quality of education.

Conclusion

Quality education is the right of all children and citizens. Now is the time for all the stakeholders to sit together and unanimously revise the curriculum and increase the education budget substantially. Along with teacher training, accountability should also be provided to end rota culture and improve educational institutions. Collaboration of educational institutions, use of modern resources and involvement of parents in educational matters are some of the steps towards quality education.

Also read this:

An Ideal Student