BBaasseelliinnee AAsssseessssmmeenntt SSttuuddyy RReeppoorrtt District Jhang (1) Ver 2.00 Update on 10-Feb-09 Sr. # CONTENTS Page # 1 Key Counterparts in Government 3 2 Map 3 3 Summary 4 4 Situation Analysis 7 5 Table 1: Tehsils & Unions in the District 7 5 Table 2: Population Size And Growth Of Major Cities 8 Table 3: Socio Economic Indicators, Coverage (Vis-1Vis Punjab), Ranking , 6 8 MDG Targets MICS (2003-04) District-wise Data 7 Table 4: Literacy Ratio Ranking Of Punjab Districts (Age 10 years & above) 9 8 Table 4a: Population That Has Ever Attended School 9 9 Table 4b: Literacy-Population 10 Years And Older 9 10 Table 4c: Gross Enrolment Rate At The Primary Level 9 11 Table 4d: Net Enrolment Rate At The Primary Level 9 12 Table 5: Institutions by Level, Gender, Location and Sector(Public) 10 13 Table 6: Enrolment by Stage, Gender, Location and Public Sector 11 14 Table 7: Teachers by Level, Gender, Location and Sector 11 15 Table 8: Physical Facilities by Level and Gender (Public) 12 16 Table 9: Status of Public Schools by National, Provincial and District 13 Table 10: Sanctioned, Filled-in, Vacant and Contract Teacher's Posts by Level 17 13 and Gender (Public) 18 Table 11: OXFAM Project List of selected Schools 14 19 Table 12: Summary of School Baseline Survey Report (WSIP Schools) 15 20 Table 13: Summary of School Baseline Survey - Cluster Schools 17 21 Table 13a: Summary of School Councils – WSIP Schools 22 22 District Based Baseline Reports on Learning Levels 23 23 Table 14: Summary of Learning Levels WSIP Schools 25 24 Table 15: Summary of Learning Levels Cluster Schools 31 25 Table 16: Summary of Class Room Environment – WSIP Schools 32 26 Analysis of Learning Environment 33 27 Organogram of District Office 35 Baseline Assessment Study Report - District Jhang Page 2 of 34 Key Counterparts in Government Sr # Name Designation Contact No 1 Sultan Hameed District Nazim 047-9200200 & 100 2 Asad Islam Mahni District Coordination Officer (DCO) 047-9200081 3 Liaqat Ali Nasir EDO Education 047-9200128 Baseline Assessment Study Report - District Jhang Page 3 of 34 Summary Jhang District is a predominantly rural district, 23 % of its population lives in urban areas. It covers an area of 8,809 km².[3]. Jhang lies in the Faisalabad Division of Punjab province. Other than agriculture and agri-based industry, Jhang is famous for its wood-carving and furniture which is second to none in the world. It has a population of 2.83 million and a literacy rate of 37 percent. It has 4 Tehsils/sub-districts and 128 Union Councils. The total number of public and private schools is 4230. Out of which 912 or 22% are private. In spite of facilities being equal up to middle level, where they are higher for girls, the enrolment of girls continues to lag behind boys, considerably. This gap may be ascribed to missing facilities, lack of security, quality and poverty. District Jhang - Gender Equality vs. Equity - the case of education provision and enrolment! Table a: Institutional Provision Girls and Boys at Primary-Middle Levels Institutions Enrollment Level Boys Girls Mixed Total Male Female Total Pre-Primary /Primary* 1133 1063 628 2,824 175,455 130,777 306,232 Middle 124 133 22 279 42,689 20,928 63,617 Table b: Enrolment of Girls and Boys at Primary- Middle Levels Institutions Enrollment Level Boys Girls Mixed Male Female Pre-Primary /Primary* 40% 38% 22% 57% 43% Middle 44% 48% 8% 67% 33% The data in tables 1 and 2 above highlights a very important issue regarding provision of education with respect to gender. Whilst the institutional provision at primary level (katchi to Grade 5) is almost equal in Jhang district the enrolment of girls is 6% less than boys The data is however, more stark and illustrative at the middle level (Grades VI-VIII), where the provision for girls’ institutions is higher than boys but enrolment is much lower at 33% for girls and 67% for boys. Thus, on the one hand, gender equality in provision is available, but gender equity is not which is based on: addressing issues such as, distance and security of travel to the school, security within the school, quality of education with respect to teacher provision, conducive learning environment with adequate facilities, positive attitudes and of course poverty. At the middle level in Punjab the government is providing stipends of Rs. 200 per month to each girl child and Jhang is one of the districts where this is present. Another important point to consider from the data is that there are only 16 % enrolled girls in middle schools when compared to their enrolment at the primary level! This also reinforces the transition gaps from primary to middle level of education, which in turn is a disincentive for many households who do not see a future for girls’ education or for that matter of boys as primary graduates! This is a critical policy and planning issue that needs to be addressed urgently The 8, target Whole School Improvement Program (WSIP) project schools have been selected from 8 Union Council (UCs). These are in need of urgent support and will be provided both, infrastructure and soft interventions of construction, learning materials, strengthening of school councils and capacity building. There are 37 schools additionally selected in clusters for capacity building, community participation and health/hygiene support to mobilize maximulem number of girls for primary enrolment. WSIP Sr.# Category of School Cluster School Total Schools 1 Primary Schools (P/S) 7 22 29 a Elementary Schools (E/S) 1 12 13 3 High Schools (H/S) - 5 5 8 39 47 Baseline Assessment Study Report - District Jhang Page 4 of 34 The enrolment in 8 WSIP schools is 1181, with 91% girls, whilst the number of teachers is 23. In the 8 target schools enrolment will be increased during the project period by 15-20% (1350 -1425) In the 39 cluster schools, with 95% girls, enrolment is targeted to increase by at least 10% (from 5423 to 6000) during the project period in primary grades. The basic purpose of the baseline assessment is to ascertain what, and how well children learn in primary education from grades 1-5 in the subjects of Maths, English and Science. The first baseline was undertaken to establish benchmarks and indicators of improvement as well as strategies for supporting teacher education in target schools The project has two categories of schools 1. WSIP Schools: with a comprehensive set of interventions i.e School Infrastructure, Furniture, TLM & WSIP for the capacity building, child friendly environment and gender parity 2. Cluster Schools : with only the soft elements or capacity building interventions to be made i.e Capacity building/training, child friendly environment and community participation. Jhang District: In district Jhang the total number of students in the baseline is 470 (5 students from each class) for both categories of schools WSIP and Cluster Schools. Whilst all 8 WSIP schools were targeted for the baseline with a total of 220 children tested in all five grades, 25% or 9 (min) cluster schools were selected, from which 250 students were assessed. These categories are earmarked as experimental (WSIP) and control (cluster) schools throughout project’s lifeline (April 2008 - January 2011). The targeted learning areas/subjects for baseline assessment are English; Math and G. Science. The tools of assessment in the subjects were developed by the ITA team according to the format of the Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) to ensure consistency of approach between the mainstream system of the public sector assessment system and the baselines developed for the project. The items were taken from the contents and chapters of the Punjab Text Book Board books provided by the government free of cost to all public sector schools. The tools were pre-tested and finalized. Objectives of Baseline Assessment of Students’ Learning Level To diagnose the learning baselines of grade I-V learners in To identify problematic and weak areas of learning in core subjects To relate students’ deficiencies to areas of learning support for teachers To develop effective, practical and measureable strategies for improving learning outcomes sensitive to local contexts A training session was held for the district assessment teams on the administration of assessment tests, students sampling methodology and paper checking in September 2008. Learning level baselines conducted for grades 1-5 of 9 WSIP schools for 3 toughest subjects: English, Maths and Science revealed the following results: English Mathematics Science Average 38 48 40 42 The average students’ learning levels is 42 % which is above the 33% government pass rate. However averages mask variations as results, which are extremely poor for grades 4 and 5 students. The average overall result is better than other districts of the project. However, there is a need for focused improvement for grades 3-5, to at least achieve a target average of 50% in specific subjects. The learning environment and basic facilities need urgent support for better learning outcomes. Baseline Assessment Study Report - District Jhang Page 5 of 34 The cumulative average results of district Jhang in these assessed areas are above the government passing score of 33% : English (38%), Math (48%) and G. Science (40%). Results look better as averages and reveal a positive outcome for the lower primary classes 1-2 as compared to the upper primary classes 3-5. All items that relate to comprehension, vocabulary and application are weak all around. Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 Average English Math Avg English Math Science Avg English Math Science Avg English Math Science Avg English Math Science Avg English Math Science Avg 64 70 67 52 72 37 54 24 47 73 48 18 19 27 21 31 30 23 28 38 48 40 42 There is a severe need of improvement in all subjects particularly in grades 4 and 5.