Pakistan is a third world country. It’s evolution is quiet random. People coming from different races and different regions live here. After the independence it is constantly facing problems. One after an other in the form of poverty, loans, interests, hidden wars, interests of great powers in this region, etc. I am not going to discuss political history of Pakistan over here. I just want to mention that only the reign of Ayub Khan was unforgettable for economic progress after that there always remained a mixed impression of economy, business, trade, etc. These economical states affect the education system in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s literacy rate is not even somewhere close to the neighboring countries India, Srilanka, Iran, Bangladesh are the countries with increasing literacy rate.
*Pakistan
Defination: age 15 and over can read and write
Total Population: 49.9%
Male: 63%
Female: 36% (2005 est.)
Literacy Rate of some countries are as mentioned
*India
Defination: age 15 and over can read and write
Total Population: 61%
Male: 73.4%
Female: 47.8% (2001 census)
*Srilanka
Defination: age 15 and over can read and write
Total Population: 90.7%
Male: 92.3%
Female: 89.1% (2001 census)
*Bangladesh
Defination: age 15 and over can read and write
Total Population: 47.9%
Male: 54%
Female: 41.4% (2001 census)
*Iran
Defination: age 15 and over can read and write
Total Population: 77%
Male: 83.5%
Female: 70.4% (2002 est.)
*China
Defination: age 15 and over can read and write
Total Population: 92.2%
Male: 96%
Female: 88.5% (2008 census)
*Maldives
Defination: age 15 and over can read and write
Total Population: 93.8%
Male: 93%
Female: 94.7% (2006 census)
Source: CIA World Factbook
Pakistan has four provinces. Punjab is considered with the largest population. Sindh, KPK and Blochistan are listed after Punjab respectively. Northern Punjab is the most advanced area of Pakistan. It has progressed so much and literacy rate in those areas are also very high than southern Punjab. This area of Punjab is under the influence of feudalism. Landlords own the lives of of the people living in these areas. Those land lords don’t want the people to be more aware. Education will off course lead those people to rebellion acts. Landlords don’t want it. So, they are a big problem to increase the literacy rate in those areas.
Sindh is also a big province. Inner Sindh is completely under the feudalism. Those feudal lords are mostly the influential personalities. They are in the government. They have the power of money. They can buy the corrupt politicians in no time. And if some one is not “For Sale”, they will do whatever they can to snatch there interests. They don’t want the people to become educated. There own children study in expensive and top ranked schools and universities around the World and children of the people living under their influence don‘t have even the facility of basic education. Karachi is the city which is the most literate area of Sindh. But many people in Karachi come from inner Pakistan to do job and earn there living. They are mostly illiterate. They don’t even know hoe to write there own name. But they still want there children to be educated.
Blochistan is largest province by area in Pakistan. It has a little population. There are huge distances between cities and colonies. Many areas are unpopulated. People live in small communities with a great distance between two of them. So, it is very difficult to get them educated. Mostly they live in small tribes and sometimes those tribes are huge. Whole the community wants to live according to the conventions of the tribes. Some tribes love their children to be educated. Some don’t want the education and watch it in the perspective of alien civilization.
KPK is the province with beautiful people and mountains. Most people like there children to get admitted in Maktab or Madrisa. But now thinking of people is changing. And they have startes to get there children admitted in government and Private schools. Literacy rate is increasing out there. Those people are actually warm hearted. They have sense enough to run with the new world but they also have their conventions. Their faithful to everything. If there is a job to be done by them they will do whatever to make it done.
There is not a single education system in Pakistan. People with different standards have different educational systems. People who can afford huge fees want there children to be in Cambridge or Oxford based systems. Mediocre want their children to be with elite class or to be in an English Medium. But the cost of those systems doesn’t allow the people to get admitted their children in their desired systems. So, private schools are only place for them. The poor has no choice other than opting the government schools.
Now it comes to the syllabus and way of teaching. In a third World country’s grass root level is always expected to be conservative and old fashioned. As it is in Pakistan. Teachers in government schools are mostly not enough qualified to be a teacher. Secondly there way of teaching is so dumb and old fashioned that students are forced to cram the lessons. Now a days when World is so much progressed, the cramming is rusting the students’ mind.
In some countries Syllabus is changed in every 2 or 3 years. But you will be amazed to hear that in Pakistan syllabus is not changed even after ten years. At the level of high school some stories and lessons are being studied by the 2nd generation. I studies the lesson my mother studied some 20 or 25 years ago.
So firstly we need an equal system in Pakistan. Same at all levels. Secondly there should be a corruption free system. All the students should be treated equally and should have option to opt the field they want.