By YesPakistan.com Staff Writer

South Asia suffers in an educational wasteland.

Consider these chilling statistics taken from the report Human Development in South Asia 1998:

-There are 50 million elementary school aged children who have not seen the inside of a school - nearly equal to the total population of the United Kingdom

-There are almost 400 million illiterate adults - about one-half of the total illiterate adults in the world.

There are 243 million women who are unable to read or write - around two-thirds of the adult female population of South Asia.

Of the 150 million children currently enrolled in elementary school, over 60 million will drop out before completing primary schooling.

It is clear that a practical strategy must be adopted to correct this trend which is throwing countries like Pakistan backwards instead of moving forward not just in terms of education. Education is a major factor in human development, and the less educated an individual is, the more likely he or she is to suffer from poverty and other forms of human deprivation.

The report suggests that the following six tasks must be undertaken to change the "educational wasteland of South Asia":

1. Enrolling all children in primary schools

This necessary task will not only require massive mobilization campaigns on the part of governments and NGOs to sensitize parents and community members to the importance of education for children.

It will also require the construction of buildings where these schools will be located. Alternatively, to save time and money, the non-formal school system could be capitalized on to save time and money. Not only could schools be conducted in simple makeshift rooms or buildings, which would cut costs, but this system would ensure that more children would have access to schooling more quickly. On average, it takes about two years to complete the construction of a school building.

2. Improving the quality and relevance of education

One of the weaknesses of the educational system in places like Pakistan is the emphasis placed on rote memorization of information which has little relevance to children's daily lives. A curriculum which is not only engaging, but also practical will not only be more useful in the long run but will also reduce the number of dropouts. While children drop out for a number of reasons, the irrelevant curriculum in schools also plays a part in this problem.

3. Providing more and better teachers

The profession of teaching is not one most young Pakistanis aspire to. Obviously, with low wages and minimal community support, it is a neglected vocation that must receive more encouragement from society and parents, especially. While Pakistan needs doctors and engineers, the two preferred professions amongst most Pakistanis, there is also a very great need for good teachers to build the mind's of the next generation. The government and NGOs must engage in a mobilization campaign to encourage Pakistanis to pursue the profession of teaching, as well as raising the wages for teachers as an incentive towards this goal.

Teacher training is also a crucial element of this plan. Sadly, many teachers do not know how to relate to their students, let alone teach them properly. Cases of physical punishment of children for minor and major offenses abound in Pakistan, doing nothing to encourage student morale or interest in education. Teachers need to be properly trained not only in the subject matter they are teaching but also in the proper manner of conveying education to their students.

4. Removing all gender disparities

Girls are often passed over when it comes to education in countries like Pakistan, especially in poorer parts, where, if parents are given a choice between educating a boy and a girl, they will choose their son.

Here, a mobilization campaign is once again necessary. In this case, it will be to emphasize that girls are just as much in need of education as boys. In fact, since they will one day be mothers of the next generation, they must be educated to pass on this knowledge to their children, who are one of the first beneficiaries of an educated mother.

5. Building relevant technical skills

As mentioned above, the education curriculum in schools must be relevant in order for countries like Pakistan to get out of the South Asian educational wasteland. Not only must it speak to children's life experience, it must also provide them with formal, technical skills that they can use to secure a means of income as they grow older. This training will lend added encouragement to parents to enroll their children in school, where their children will not only learn "book knowledge" but also skills that can improve their family's financial situation and way of life.

6. Mobilizing adequate financial resources.

Even in an informal school system, which is generally considered more cost-effective than its formal counterpart, funds are needed to keep schools going. Governments and NGOs must ensure their educational projects are properly funded, not just by private donations, but also by using creative means to ensure regular income when donations may be low. Trust funds, endowments and other such means must be looked into to ensure that schools which meet the needs of Pakistan's millions of illiterate children are not only established, but remain in place for decades to come.

Date/Time Last Modified: 6/17/2002 3:44:34 PM

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