Importance of education in economic development
Education, a strong correlation with economic development
Islamabad, Oct 12: Education is considered to have a strong correlation with social and
economic development. In contemporary times when the focus is on the
'knowledge economy' the role of education becomes all the more
important in the development of human capital.
After all, a society
of literate and skilled citizens has more chances of development at the economic and social levels.
Education can reduce poverty and social injustice by providing the
underprivileged resources and opportunities for upward social mobility
and social inclusion. Yet, until the National Education Policy (NEP)
2009 was unveiled, the budgetary allocation for education in Pakistan
was on the decline.
The lack of political commitment of the
state has resulted in multiple educational systems which are inherently
discriminatory and biased in nature. A large number of students are
unable to attend schools. According to the Education For All Global
Monitoring Report (2007), almost 6.5 million children in Pakistan do
not go to school. Countries like India, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ghana,
Niger, Kenya and Mali are placed in relatively better positions. The
only country that has a worse situation than Pakistan's is Nigeria,
with more than eight million children out of school.
number of students who make it to schools, however, drop out by class
five. According to NEP, about 72 per cent make it to grade five which
means a dropout rate of 28 per cent. This significant figure further
brings down the chunk of the population that makes it to school.
Such a large number of students outside school means that they are
deprived of the opportunity to learn and acquire skills for playing a
meaningful role in society. Social exclusion is a great loss at the
individual and societal levels. Most of these out-of-school children
experience poverty and unemployment and some get involved in criminal
activities as well. Constitutionally, the provision of basic education
to citizens is the state's responsibility. Is the state carrying out
its responsibility? The state needs to analyse the reasons be hind
the number of out-of-school children. They come from poor families and
cannot afford the luxury of education despite their desire for it.
The real issue of educational apartheid comes to the surface only after
joining a school. Enrolling in a school does not ensure the provision
of quality education. There is one question which is central to
quality: what kind of school is it? The answer to this question may
include the state of the building, faculty, management, curriculum,
textbooks, examination system and medium of instruction as well as the
socio-economic background of the children.
The reference to
socio-economic background is crucial as schools - like social classes -
are stratified in terms of social status. So social exclusion is not
only at the access level but also at the quality level. The widening
difference between private and public schools is responsible for the
gaping chasm between resources and opportunities given to the poor and
the rich. Children from elite schools have enhanced chances of
employment and social integration whereas children from public schools,
no matter how bright they are, are disadvantaged in terms of getting
exposure to quality education.
The famous slogan 'education
for all' needs to be revisited. Is it sufficient to enrol every child
in school? The continuance of disparity and exclusion goes on depending
on the quality of the school. Thus the slogan needs to focus on
'quality education for all'. It is the quality aspect which is missing
in disadvantaged schools. Instead of taking some constructive measures
to improve the conditions the state is taking the easy route of
offering private schools as an alternative.
officials publicly give statements that public schools have failed and
the only alternative left is private schools. I do not intend to
underplay the significant role private schools can play in the uplift
of the educational system in Pakistan. My only contention is that they
are there to complement the system and should not be presented as an
alternative to public education.
Education has failed
miserably to reduce poverty gaps, social injustice and oppression. The
education policy suggests that "the educational system of Pakistan is
accused of strengthening the existing inequitable social structure as
very few people from public-sector educational institutions could move
up the ladder of social mobility".
What action plan has been
given in the new education policy to ensure that this won't happen in
the future? Simply referring to a problem does not mean that it has
been taken care of. The education policy should have given a clear and
concrete blueprint to combat social exclusion, inequality and social
injustice. The existing discriminatory educational systems are not only
perpetuating the socio-economic gaps between the haves and have-nots,
they are also responsible for further widening these gaps.
writer is director of the Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences at
the Lahore School of Economics and author of Rethinking Education in
Pakistan. -Shahid Siddiqui
"I AM IRFAN KHAN BELONG TO RAWALAKOT AZAD KASHMIR TODAY I DTUDY YOUR COMMENTS ON EDUCATION ROLE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT I AM APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS A LOT"
Name: MUHAMMAD IRFAN KAHN
City, Country: RAWALPINDI
"your performance is nice keep it up"
City, Country: adis abab,ethiopia
"its a well conducted research.the situation in kenya is not much different although the government has really tried.congratulations!"
Name: kinya zipporah james
City, Country: thika-Kenya
"i liked this article very much and its very interesting too."
Name: rohan chandra
City, Country: delhi,india
"its a very nice article"
City, Country: jorhat,india
"very informative piece, hope to see more mork"
"I really enjoy your research and im saying more grease to your elbow."
Name: Dogara Harris Maude
City, Country:Pambegua Nigeria
"I am success from your written. thank you very much"
Name: Puna Das
City, Country:chabua and india
"i heartedly appreciat your measures in awareness in bringing the attention of all the concerned authorities towards the worst condition of education sector in pakistan.sir i am also angaged scince 15 years to the field of education as teacher from primary level to university level.the thing i have found responsible to the criticle conditions of education in pakistan is the exterime ignorance and deprivation of education sector are the policymakers of our beloved country who conciousely bussy in damaging education and the poor masses of pakistan."
Name: muhammad ismail
"I really need it for my assignment,great and informative piece of work,carry on."
Name: Hurmat Malik
"soooooo goooooooo dear"
City, Country: lahore
"i just enjoy using this wep it helps me to finish my work in no time"
City, Country:south africa
"I am surprised upon reading your essay.We have so much similarities here in the Phils. We encounter the same scenario and problems. I am glad that you post this in the net. I hope many people will read this specially our policy makers. You are extremely correct. It should NOT be EFA(Education For All) It should be QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL. Indeed only true education will help us elevate the quality of life."
Name: cynthia p. rivera
City, Country:Quezon City, Philippines
"The education is increasing and when it is increasing it will decrease"
City, Country:brits,south africa
"Thnk you sooooooooo much sir"
Name: Sohail sameer
City, Country:Islamabad pakistan
"I like your article-It is interesting,but you have not really shown the relationship btn education and economy"
"Child is meant to Learn, Not Earn."
Name: Arslan Hassan
City, Country:Lahore, Pakistan
"Asalam o alaikum, Thanks for this piece of imformation. Iused it in my assignment."
Name: Muhammad Mohsan
City, Country: lahore,pakistan
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Playgrounds shortage perturbs students, kids
Islamabad: Shortage of playgrounds in the twin cities of
Rawalpindi and Islamabad irked kids and students in different
The situation forced them to use green areas
and residential streets as playgrounds, creating problems for the residents.
of the students, aged 12-17, can be seen on green belt in different
areas. The civic body has constructed a few parks in different sectors,
but these didn't not fulfil the requirements of all the sectors.
parents of the kids have expressed concern over the lack of playgrounds
and urged concerned authorities concerned to construct more grounds in
the areas especially for kids.
A physical education instructor told
the agency that a child's playground is a place they can retreat to
when they want to relax after a busy day at school and their other
obligations. He said that it gave them a chance to release some energy
and have fun.
"As an adult, you surely know all about the need
to escape from the stresses of everyday life," he added .
that learning through play was an important process and
a fundamental part of a child's development.
that promote different types of play are vital for a child's cognitive,
emotional, physical, and social development, " he
He said playgrounds provide crucial and vital opportunities for children to play.
of CDA when contacted said that the civic body had constructed many
playgrounds in the federal capital for the residents.
healthy activities like different types of games. He assured that the
CDA would construct more playgrounds for students including kids in the
city to provide them safe places for exercise and entertainment. The nation
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IBSA awards prizes to outstanding scouts
Islamabad: Participants of a prize distribution ceremony of `Scouts Week' called
for reviving the spirit of scouting among students in federal colleges
to make them useful and active citizens of the country.
colourful function was arranged at Islamabad Model College for Boys
(IMCB), F-8/4 to award prizes to outstanding scouts of Islamabad Boy
Scouts Association (IBSA).
Director General Federal
Directorate of Education (FDE) Shaista Pirzada, who was the chief guest
on the occasion, said the new generation is well informed about
physics, chemistry and other subjects but is drifting away from social
and moral values.
"We have neglected the importance of social
service and confined the students to just their studies. It is the sole
responsibility of the teachers to educate the students about values of
sacrifice, caring and sharing," she said adding that teachers must play
their role in inculcating real human values of love and brotherhood,
and nurture an urge among the students for serving humanity.
said students are the future of a nation and they must be educated
about the historical facts and sacrifices rendered by our forefathers
in achieving an independent country.
Shaista Pirzada directed
all principals of the federal institutes to conduct scouting activities
in their respective institutions. Scouts are well prepared to cope with
any natural calamity and disaster but they lack training of swimming,
she said and announced that these scouts would be given training of
swimming at Sports Complex.
Provincial Secretary IBSA Zahoor
Hussain said the Association is playing a dynamic role in training the
boy scouts and enabling them to cope with any emergency situation
effectively. He thanked different organisations including Anjuman
Hilal-e-Ahmar and Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) for their support in
training the scouts.
One of the scouts, Ishaque, exhibited his
oratory skills in a speech on `Scouting is Service' and stressed on the
role of scouting in the character building of the students through
inculcating the spirit of patriotism. The collective activities of
scouts of different provinces promote a sense of togetherness and
kinship, and it is time to renew the scouting movement, he said.
Mohammad Ali Jinnah was the first Chief Scout, who believed in the
positive role of scouting for physical and mental growth and
development of a student's personality.
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Headstart students planted 200 saplings
Islamabad: Almost 30 students from Headstart A-level Branch Sunday
started their campaign to plant around 200 trees along the
Margalla Road in Islamabad.
According to a press release
issued here the students belonged to the 'Planting A Better Future' society.
worked along with Capital Authority Development (Environmental
Department), and were graciously welcomed by Mr Altaf a Forest Officer
and Dr Suleman DG Environment.
The club is organised by Maham
Faisal Khan also in her first year of A-level's and Mohammad Ibrahim
Khan. Although, their aim was to plant fruit trees in villages this
project was greatly appreciated, as the club had no funds to put its
intentions into action. They plan to spread awareness of environment
related issues and create recycling revolution.
The need for
such spirit is greatly needed in Pakistan as only 4.8 per cent
approximately of its landmass is forested with 1 per cent of this
depleting every year. The news
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