Prof Dr Athar Khan
OUR so-called national education policies, which have been formulated and promulgated in the past, did not conform to the technical standards and requirements of an education policy document.
Some of these were simply suggestive of guidelines for preparing an education policy, while others represented particular government’s programs of educational reform and development. Their implementation, therefore, had been subjected to individual government’s own priorities and political commitments. Of course, each new government had its own programs and priorities, which, did not necessarily coincide with those of the outgoing regime. Each new government, therefore, came up with its own education policy.
At least once it so happened that while the same party came into power it came up a still new education policy. This created, practically, a situation of absence of an effective and acceptable education policy that could perpetuate and outlive the change of government in the country. Under the circumstances it is deemed inevitable to prepare nation’s education policy in the form of a National Education Act as it is in many developed countries of the world. This will give the nation’s education policy force of law and ensure its continuance and enforcement without being affected by change of governments in the country. Such a policy document shall provide definite directions and reference points to all education sector reforms and developments.
The national education act provides for: a) Establishment of a national education system which has its own identity. b) Legislative provision for formulation, continuation and implementation of educational policies and reforms. c) Providing facilities and making opportunities of education available to all instead of thrusting education upon masses. d) Devising broad-based and structured national education system, which allows for effective private sector role in education. e) A broad-based and diversified curriculum offering unlimited choice of subjects and occupations without increasing such facilities in the existing educational institutions and putting too much burden on the public exchequer. f) Extended duration of vocational, technical and professional education without upsetting present institutional structure of the national education with view to produce manpower required for all categories of occupations and professionals who excel in professional knowledge and competence by any international standard. g) Institutionalization of systems of student guidance and personnel programs to inculcate in students discipline from within, thereby maximizing educational activities and “calm on educational campuses”. h) Opportunities of continued personal and professional growth and development through the process of education aimed at improving social and professional competence and economic productivity among the people of Pakistan. i) Establishment of National Education System and structure of education institutions for regulating instruction and framing regulations ancillary to them in accordance with the provisions of the act that provide for:
1) Facilities and opportunities of education to all citizens of Pakistan to suit to their individual needs, aspirations and capabilities and to fulfill their obligations as citizens of Pakistan and members of Muslim Ummah in particular and as members of the world community in general. 2) Structure of the national educational system emphasizing a tiered institutional order by school year, without too much changing the existing structure of education of the country. 3) A broad-based integrated system of education providing maximum number of student population of all ages and categories easy access to opportunities of general and vocational education. 4) Raising duration and standard of the college and the university education to make them comparable with the very best of the institutions of the world without upsetting the present educational structure of the country. 5) Expanding the base and graded education of vocational, technical and professional education to prepare students for varying levels of occupational positions in the job market. 6) Inter-institutional and inter-disciplinary movements and shifting both in horizontal and vertical positions to allow students’ educational and occupational adjustments according to their interests, capabilities and resources as well as the changing demands of the job market. 7) Defining curriculum objectives for all classes and levels in terms of objectively measurable tasks and capabilities to allow for establishing for national standards of education for all levels and categories of education. 8) Teaching by objective to replace the present day textbook centred teaching to allow teachers academic freedom and autonomy in the use of subject contents and methodologies 9) System of public and internal examinations, which maximizes objectivity and eliminates use of unfair means in the examination. 10) A system of school guidance services at to minimize wastage of students’ time, energies and capabilities 11) Student union activities to be organized and channeled to create discipline in the educational institutions and directing students’ leisuretime and youthful energies to useful activities. 12) A system of student personnel services to be organized in the institutions of higher education to minimize students’ educational and personal problems and facilitating learning and achievements of their goals of education. 13) Establishing institution based programs of professional growth and development for education personnel. 14) Strengthening and expanding programs of teacher education by introducing specialization in various jobs of teachers and establish programs of professional education and training for teachers of higher educational institutions and educational planners and administrators. 15) Regulating establishment of educational institutions and teaching curricula of foreign origin as well as enrollment of Pakistani students into such institutions and teaching programs.
—The author is Ex. Professor and Advisor to the Vice Chancellor, Sarhad University of Science & Technology, Peshawar and Ex Prof of Educational Planning and Management and Dean Faculty of Education Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad.
