Pakistan is struggling hard to build strong institutions including an institution of education. The educational standard in Pakistan is below average because our teachers pay more attention to the completion of the curriculum rather than focusing on the quality education and basic concepts related to the different subjects.
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Literacy and Non Formal Education
In the recent few years, Pakistan has been striving hard for the betterment of its educational institutions. Like many other developing countries, Pakistan is trying to introduce a system of education that will be free of corruption and there will be provided quality education to the students.
Mass illiteracy is one of the major reasons why Pakistan is facing many problems. The universal primary education that is provided in most of the public, as well as private schools, is not sufficient to meet the educational needs of the students. Teachers are not active enough to guide students towards more productive and creative ways. The only thing they demand from students is to cram the curriculum.
School children in Pakistan
Moreover, there is a huge number of dropouts or out of school children in Pakistan that is also one of the major reasons why Pakistan has been regarded as a country having a poor literacy rate. It is very necessary to increase the enrollment figure at Pakistan’s educational institutes. Unfortunately, our authorities are not paying much attention to this issue. According to a recent survey, Pakistan has been recorded as having the second-highest number of out of school children across the world.
According to the Annual Status of Educational Report (ASER), almost 40% percent of students belonging to the rural schools of the country are even unable to write or read a sentence in Urdu. These schools may be public or private but the results are quite pathetic. Children who made it possible to reach the 5th grade at the school level can read and write an Urdu story.
For positive growth, children should be directed to use their abilities and talents to pursue and to open up to new things while exploring different ways in life. Cramming notes results in early drop out as many students are weak in this process. So, it becomes difficult for these students to make it possible to stand with the rest of the class. This is hailed as one of the biggest reasons for out of school children in Pakistan. Meanwhile, gender gaps and poor quality of education also affect the educational growth in Pakistan.
Literacy and Non Formal Education
The Literacy and Non-Formal Education Department was established in 2002 by the government of Punjab, Pakistan. It was designed to tackle problems related to the out of school children or those students who have been dropped out of the schools on account of poor academic performance.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has recently introduced the first policy of literacy and non-formal basic education in the Pakistan. The Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat has criticized the previous government for building bridges and pulls made of concrete rather than focusing on the educational policies and departments in the country. He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the first policy of the literacy and non-formal basic education.
He explained how the previous government has spent millions of rupees on the Orange Line Train and billions are supposed to spend as subsidy. In March 2020, the literacy policy of Pakistan was explained thoroughly. On account of this policy, Pakistan is going to open up positive ways in the near future in the educational sector. Our plans for a 100% literacy rate can be fulfilled if we work hard on the educational policies of the Pakistan.
Minister for Literacy and NFBE Department
Moreover, the Minister for Literacy and NFBE Department Raja Rashid Hafeez has also offered some words of wisdom to the people during the conference. The policy for literacy and non-formal basic education has been made to remove illiteracy from the country by using non formal ways of learning. It is striving to provide non-formal education to young people and to the dropouts. People belonging to all age groups can easily benefit from this policy.
The main cause behind this policy is to enable the poor students of the country to get educated. The out of school children in Pakistan can benefit from this policy. The government of Pakistan is leaving no stone unturned to help the students in achieving a good future. Through this policy, Pakistan will be able to enhance its literacy rate. Though the task seems quite difficult, with proper planning and understanding of the policy, we can achieve it.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
It has been said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has taken the lead in introducing the first-ever literacy policy in the Punjab. Meanwhile, the new literacy policy will help in building educational institutes in the remote areas of the country. The PTI government is successfully keeping its promise of making this nation an educated one. Enhancing the literacy rate of the country is the top most priority of the PTI government. It is worth noticing that the new literacy policy is stressing over talents and research and it further opens up ways to the bright future.
Concluding Thoughts
Pakistan needs to introduce some serious reforms in this context. The government of Pakistan is supposed to not only make reforms but to impose strict action upon these reforms as well. We should think beyond all the political gains and for the betterment of the country. Larger development funds should be arranged for this purpose. Authorities need to revise the curriculum taught in the schools. Professionals and fully experienced teachers should be called to teach students for a better learning process.
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