Rizwan Ghani
THERE is a lot of hue and cry in media about National Single Curriculum. Government will support NSC to show its performance so it will not listen to alternate views. The 5-year time duration of implementation of one curriculum is failure of policy makers to develop one national education system. It should be understood that our education system in its current form cannot help achieve ultimate objective of creating millions of jobs, making our economy strong and exercising independent foreign policy. We need to change our foreign policy for achieving desired results otherwise we are destroying our future. Trade is foreign policy of USA. Democracy and capitalism are its political and economic system. Dollar is its currency. Armed forces are used to protect trade interests of the country. It is the US Commerce Department that imposes most sanctions on other countries. For example, the Bureau of Industry and Security in DoC imposed further sanctions on Huawei and 28 other affiliates on 17 August 2020. Developments like digital currency, technology and alternate trading options like EU, BRI are taken as direct threat to national interest commonly known as American way of life.
Education is not a priority in America. According to 2019 ECFMG report 53% American medical graduates and 43% international medical graduates were given training posts respectively. The country used to rely on its STEM based immigration system to maintain its completive edge in global market. The edge has been challenged or lost due to globalization, privatization and multinationals. Due to availability of cheap goods in international market, there is no incentive for governments and local markets to invest in education. Same is true for UK, France and many other European countries. Although USA has national assessment of educational progress program called NAEP, but its annual report is no more a priority. It is approved by Congress and administered by the National Centre for Education Statistics (NCES). NAEP conducts national assessments of more than 58 subjects taught in schools periodically. Maths, reading, science and writing are most frequently reported at the state and district level usually for grades 4 and 8. The assessment is done at grade 4, 8 and 12 in both public and non-public (private) schools across the nation and student performance among other things is reported in context teacher experience.
Similarly, in UK also the National Curriculum Assessment of student and teaching is done through Standards Attainment Tests (Sats) in 3-age based stages (7, 11 & 14 years) in reading, writing, mathematics and science. But trade is priority. The assessments were introduced following the introduction of a National Curriculum to schools in England and Wales under the Education Reform Act 1988. As the curriculum was gradually rolled out from 1989, statutory assessments were introduced between 1991 and 1995, with those in Key Stage 1 first, following by Key Stages 2 and 3 respectively as each cohort completed a full key stage. Trade is the 21st century “Quick fix” alternate for education. As per 2018 PISA report, USA and UK scored in reading (505/504), maths (478/502) and science (502/505) against OECD averages of 487 (reading), 489 (maths) and 489 (science) respectively. PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) conducts tests of 15-year old students of 44 OECD member states comprising 90 percent of world’s economy. Our NSC policy has shrewdly skipped NAEP, Sats and PISA like system of checks and balances because education is costly, politically non-productive and financial support of businesses and private education institutions.
Education is first causality in global alliances of trade (capitalism), democracy (decentralization of power down to union level, 18th Amendment etc) and privatization (less government as compared to DC system during colonial era). Corruption and other attractive incentives are used to keep the third world governments in trading blocs. Sanctions are also used as part of carrot and stick policy. The end objective is to create illiterate countries as their permanent export markets. In Pakistan’s case it explains increase in duration of education, scrapping of vocational and technical institutions, closing of seed corporations, research centres and perpetual problems for SMEs, value addition and so on. Regarding other observations about our education system, critics of our Madaris should study 19th century Bible institute movement and number of theological institutes. Pakistan government needs to return mosques under Auqaf and Religious Affairs Departments under DC as they used to be during the colonial era or after partition. It will end street power of clergy, improve religious tolerance in the country and end foreign interference in the country permanently. Madaris should be registered as proper education institutions in which students should be allowed to choose from modern subjects like IT, science and arts subjects with good job prospects along with religious teaching. Finally, Pakistan can have a standardized education system without touching public and private educations setups including Madaris at province and national levels with help of simple policies. All developed countries have addressed these issues easily and we can also do it. Education is one factor in the larger picture. We have seen examples and their results in this piece. The earlier government gives its foreign policy the earlier ministries and public can prepare the policies accordingly.
—The writer is senior political analyst based in Islamabad.
