Deciphering Pakistan's Education Riddle Wajid Hassan Deciphering Pakistan's Education Riddle Wajid Hassan Feb, 2 nd , 2015 1 Deciphering Pakistan's Education Riddle Wajid Hassan 2 Deciphering Pakistan's Education Riddle Wajid Hassan About the Author Mr . Wajid Hassan is an Engineer by profession and a political scientist by passion, with profound interest in international politics, regional politics of Asia, education and science. His highly-cultivated judgment skills illustrate his capability of managing complex situations which he gained through his extensive experience in Networks and Electronics Engineering. Mr. Hassan is distinctly recognized for providing technical support , managing troubleshooting and configuration with style. Mr. Hassan is a Ph.D. candidate in Technology Management at Indiana State University, USA. He earned his Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Wichita State University, USA. In recognition of his technical expertise, he was awarded the IEEE- P Gold Medal in the early days of his career. Mr. Hassan also worked on the Government of Pakistan - Vision 2030, a Satellite Development Project and designed Autonomous Robots as one of his interests. He also served as a lecturer for engineering classes and taught several courses . He worked for AT&T, USA for the past four years and is a computer networking enthusiast. As an esteemed writer, Mr. Hassan has contributed to several research papers, national and international conferences and journals of repute. Deciphering Pakistan’s Education Riddle grew from his interest in education reform for his beloved country, Pakistan. He firmly believes that every Pakistani should have the right to a free compulsory education. He doesn’t take his ability to r ead and write for granted but esteems it as a high academic value above all things . Mr. Hassan’s political involvement expanded from Volunteer Student Leader to serving as Graduate Senator in the Student Government of WSU. After being nominated several times by the students’ body and being acknowledged for his achievements, his political career progressed to now serving as Senior Vice President of Pakistani American Congress. He continues to interact with various Pakistani-American organizations located in the United States. Admired for his professionalism and interpersonal skills, Mr. Hassan has an extensive circle of devoted friends and students. Highly competent in the use of his time management skills, he tutors engineer students in his free time. This not only encourages him but also provides a source of inspiration for his students and friends alike. He is well known for his persuasive style using details and facts, strategic thinking, strong analytical ability and clarity of vision. During his leisure, Mr. Hassan enjoys reading about education reform and exploring advance technical subjects such as Robotics and Space Technology. He likes fine arts , relishes a brisk walk, a fine dash of paint upon the canvas and time well spent with friends. 3 Deciphering Pakistan's Education Riddle Wajid Hassan Acknowledgement: My parents and grandparents deserve endless thanks for their prayers, patience and continuous support. I must also thank my family, including Amber, Saad, Samad, Beenish and my Dad, who gave me constant support. I must also not forget to pay tribute to my friends in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad - Pakistan as well as in Seattle, WA; Wichita, KS; Philadelphia, PA and Washington D.C. with whom endless discussions and analyse s led me to the conclusions in various sections of the book. I would also like to thank the various contributors of the Readers Club at UIT and Pakistani American Congress, USA that helped shape my initial ideas for this book. Although the ideas and opinions presented here are my own, they are a resultant of the vibrant Pakistanis who actively and constantly deliberate over the important and critical issues of Pakistan. Dedication: This book is dedicated to the most important person in my life: my mother, Shahnaz Bano. And also to the young and inspiring generation of Pakistan who give me hope that one day Pakistan will become one of the most audacious nations in the world. I am so grateful to Almighty Allah Who give s endurance and encouragement and who has guided me and has given me the capabilities to work on a project like this. Disclaimer: The author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this paper and does not accept responsibility for any omission and errors as they are not deliberate. Feedback Information: Readers’ feedback is a natural continuation of this process, if you have any comments regarding how we could improve the quality and contents of this book, or otherwise provide comments, you can contact us through email at [email protected] . Please make sure to include the book title and ISBN in your message. 4 Deciphering Pakistan's Education Riddle Wajid Hassan BOOK CONTENTS Preface P.20 1. Introduction P.23 2. Understanding the Causes of Pakistan's Dismal State of Education P:32 3. Pakistan's Dilemma of Priorities in Development : Higher Literacy or Civic Sense P.60 4. Comparison between the State of Education in Pakistan with the Rest of the World P.76 5. Brain Drain: Sabotaging Pakistan's Development P.97 Review and Critique on National Policies on Education and Current Constitutional 6. Measures & Legislation P.118 7. State of Women Literacy in Pakistan : Issues and Concerns P.139 8. Role of NGOs in Educating Pakistan : A Sign of Hope P.163 9. Madrassa Educational System : A Form of Alternative Education in Pakistan P.187 10. Pakistan's Academic Institutions and Facilities P. 207 11. Higher Education in Pakistan : Status Quo and Future Prospects P.226 12. Faculty Development : Investment in the Human Capital The Bright Prospects and Signs of Progressive Pakistan: 13. Resultant of an Evolving Educational System P.254 14. Recommendations P.278 5 Deciphering Pakistan's Education Riddle Wajid Hassan Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2 UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF PAKISTAN 'S DISMAL STATE OF EDUCATION 1. Introduction 2. Issues to Educational Reforms in Pakistan a. Social / Political Issues b. Culturalism - Kummis c. Gender Difference d. Poverty e. Government Policies f. Lack of Awareness in Parents and Students g. Lack of Training h. Teacher and School/University Related i. Faculty Development j. Lack of Information k. Lack of Opportunities l. Lack of Adequate Facilities m. Excess of Students in the Classes n. Lack of Opportunities to get Free Education o. Low Teaching Standards p. Schools must be at Appropriate Places q. Feudalism must be Eradicated r. Child Marriage s. Enormous Population t. Women’s Awareness 3. Ideas to increase literacy rates a. Elders encouraged to sending Kids to school b. Control the Corruption c. Electronic Media needs to play its Positive Role d. No Politics in the Educational Sector e. Complete Adoption of Urdu language in place of English f. Uniform Educational System 4. Conclusion 6 CHAPTER 3 PAKISTAN 'S DILEMMA OF PRIORITIES IN DEVELOPMENT: HIGHER LITERACY OR CIVIC SENSE 1. Introduction 2. Benefits of Civic Responsibility 3. Belligerence for Private and Public Property 4. Causes of Lack of Civic Sense in Pakistan a. Lack of awareness of the civil duties & empathy b. Above everything else 'Lack of Basic Education' in Pakistan c. Socially Corrupt Society - Fairness Honesty Decency d. One Bad Apple Spoils The Whole Barrel e. Schools don't teach civics f. Curriculum is out of date g. Lack of exposure h. Corrupt and spoiled leadership i. Disregard for the law j. Biasing due to racism k. Intolerance l. Lack of Punctuality m. Lack of Courtesy n. Poverty o. Non-existent public forums for underprivileged and poor 5. Consequences due to non-existent Civic Sense 6. Islam and Civic Sense 7. The Role Teachers Play & Investment in Education can bring wonders 8. Authors Recommendations to Develop Civic Sense in the Pakistanis a. Investment in Education ( Curricula and Teachers ) b. Moderation in behavior c. An active of an Electronic Media d. Ban on demonstrations while providing media for any protests ( print & electronic media) 9. Conclusion 7 CHAPTER 4: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE STATE OF EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD 1. Introduction 2. Basis of comparison (literacy rates, GDP, percentage of GDP for education, religion, population) a. Comparison Factor : Population b. Comparison Factor : Ethnic background c. Comparison Factor : Existing Literacy rate d. Comparison Factor : Religion e. Comparison Factor : GDP / PPP 3. Countries Compared a. Pakistan and Finland b. Pakistan and Bangladesh c. Pakistan and India d. Pakistan and Malaysia e. Pakistan and Sudan f. Pakistan and Sri Lanka g. Pakistan and Singapore 4. Other factors of comparison a. Number of Institutions b. Salary Structures 5. Conclusion: Models for Excellence Chapter 4 List of tables and figures Figure 1 Population of countries compared with Pakistan ( in millions) Figure 2 Comparison of existing literacy rates of the countries Figure 3 GDP/PPP of countries compared with Pakistan Figure 4 Percentage of average GDP allocated to Education from 2005 – 2010 Figure 5 Educational Reforms in Malaysia Figure 6 Number of Institutes in each country (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary) Table 1 Ethnic Composition of Pakistan and other countries used for comparison Table 2 Religious Faction in countries compared for Education System Table 3 PPP of countries compared with Pakistan Table 4 Comparing Pakistan's literacy rate with the countries in comparison Table 5 Comparing Pakistan with Singapore 8 CHAPTER 5 BRAIN DRAIN : SABOTAGING PAKISTAN 'S DEVELOPMENT 1. Introduction 2. Defining Layers of Brain Drain a. Privileged and Intellectual elite b. The Lure of Incentives, Academics and Safety c. Remittances d. Internal Brain Drain e. Favourite destinations 3. Reasons for Leaving Pakistan a. Peace and security b. Economics c. Ethnic and sectarian conflicts d. The pull effect of the first world countries Visa, Green Cards…Citizenship e.