Asset or Liability: Who Am I?

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden.
I will push you up to success or down to disappointment.
I am at your command.

Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me,
For I can do them quickly, correctly, and profitably.
I am easily managed, just be firm with me.

Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a
machine and the intelligence of a person.

You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin.
Show me how you want it done. Educate me. Train me.
Lead me. Reward me.
And I will then…do it automatically.

I am your servant.
Who am I?
I am a habit.

Golden Rules

·         Never cheat with the job responsibility

·         Always respect your elders

·         Always value your family first

·         Never disappoint

·         Always trust on God and self

·         Give at least one hour for personal growth daily

·         Help others as usual

·         Keep balance between personal and professional life

·         Be generous

·         Always remember your beloved ones (Mother, sisters, aunt and fiancée)

·         First understand then understood

 

Team Building

 

Moulding leaders

I  once observed a potter making beautiful pots. He shaped the clay, patiently, with skill and a clear idea of what the pot will eventually look like. If you think about it leaders, too, are like potters with the skill to transform something out of nothing as they develop the potential of people and capitalise from it.

Leading is a process of inspiring, guiding, motivating, attracting and directing effectively. And all this results in change — change in society, change in thinking, change in environment and a change in attitudes, ultimately.

But where does this leadership come from? Who produces leaders? Producing future leaders is the responsibility of our education system. For this reason alone our curriculum, school system in fact the overall education system should be designed in a way that the learners here are provided with an opportunity to exhibit their talents and polish their leadership skills. Furthermore, our curriculum and classrooms should be learner-centred, providing space to the learners to grow and grant them the opportunity to work with a diverse people around them.

But learners here are passive partners in the teaching and learning process as they are more like followers than leaders. Hence they are expected to follow the instructions given to them by their teachers. Their mutely following our instructions makes us proud as we see this as a mark of respect for ourselves. But is this really going to help the children move ahead in life or is it going to hold them back and destroy their hidden self.

Analysing it from the point of view of the students, we need to change our attitude. We should jump from dictatorship to the democratic approach where students are considered active partners in the teaching and learning process. Further, we need to provide them opportunities through which they are able to enhance their leadership skills. Following are some unique strategies through which the schools can help their learners practice their leadership skills inside and outside the school.

Teaching the underprivileged

The students can be encouraged to visit orphanages or childcare centres for general knowledge or language sessions with the children there as these children may not have much access to quality educational facilities. The activity requires being prepared to answer all the children’s queries by inculcating a sense of responsibility and planning which happen to be key leadership qualities.

Social service programmes

Such activities need good planning and execution abilities. The social service programmes may include blood donation
drives, taking care of the elderly, lending a helping hand to the disabled, etc. All these events and the likes can be connected with the social studies curriculum of a school.

Organising school events

As perhaps the finest leadership development strategy, school managements may encourage students to help organise events such as sports day, cultural programmes, music events, singing competitions, quizzes, debate or felicitation programmes.

These are no one-man tasks and require students to work as a team. There would be a need to appoint leaders for every small task and the teachers can guide these leaders by making valuable suggestions or giving useful tips on how to accomplish the work.

Helping the environment

There are still many among us who are actually unaware of environment protection measures. The students can appeal to such citizens to save water and suggest ways of keeping the surroundings clean and tidy by adopting effective waste disposal measures. Tree plantation programmes can be a good activity where the students can be divided into groups with a leader appointed for each. The leader will guide the students on how to proceed with the tree planting. At the same time, they can also prepare charts and banners which will give the people some information about the importance of planting and saving trees.

Sports activities

Playing sports which may involve teams can be great leadership activities for students. The team with a good leader chalking out effective strategies at the right time will obviously win the challenge. Thus sports activities can be considered the best way to develop unity and hard work among the participating students.

Securing the future of our country asks for an investment in our students, the future leaders of this land. Educators need to act just like those skilled potters knowing just what to do to make the best pottery.

 

Gender leadership and professional development programs

Professional development programmes are essential for both male and female teachers and head teachers. Such programmes enhance abilities, capabilities, skills and knowledge of individuals. Literatures suggest that the effectiveness of professional development programmes depend on the participation of male and female teachers. However, the participation of male and female teachers varies from context to context. In developed countries the participation of female teachers and head teachers in professional development programmes is higher than males’ teachers (Johnston, 1998).  Evidence suggests that women more interested in attending professional development programmes than their counterpart male head teachers. The professional development progarmmes are important because they improve the skills and knowledge about teaching and learning (Johnston, 1998; Ramsden, Margetson, Martin and Clarke, 1995).  Johnston (1998) noted that women believe more than male head teachers about the importance of professional development programmes. Women also believe that professional development progarmmes enhances their practices. However, women head teachers less believes on their academic roles than male head teachers. They also feel more alienated and isolated in their work environment.  Furthermore, women seek role models and mentors for their professional development. In Park’s (1996) work on professional development for teachers, he  argues that in most of the world teaching, like other work traditionally classified as 'women's' such as housework, child-care or nursing, is under-valued by society because it is seen to be associated with low level skills and is thought to be instinctive or natural. The notion that teaching comes naturally and that anyone can teach well suggests that these activities are uncreative, unchallenging, and unskilled (Park, 1996).  Such assumptions could readily lead to further assumptions, particularly by men, that professional development and other steps to learn about and improve teaching are unnecessary or a waste of time and resources.  Researchers are increasingly recognizing that perceptions of low self-efficacy may not be a cause of women’s failure to move through the academic ranks, rather the effect of a culture in which they feel under-valued and sometimes alienated (Acker, 1992). As such, it is important to shift the focus away from 'problems' of women, to the problems caused by 'the politics of privilege' (Ramsay, 1995) in which male characteristics and life patterns are made the norm, thereby marginalizing the activities, experiences and characteristics of women.

In various studies it is found that women’s level of participation is higher in professional development activities. Their involvement seems that they enjoy such opportunities and desire to seek out collaborative rather than competitive relationships with colleagues.  Women have greater appreciation of interacting with colleagues in a non-threatening environment which encourages openness and valuing of the individual (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger & Tarule, 1986). In the study of Bhalalusesa (2010) demonstrate that women had the intrinsic motivation to succeed in their career and professional development as independent human beings. However, due to traditional values and cultural expectations of their societies, they also felt that starting and maintaining a family was imperative. He also presents that women who want to pursue their career and professional development outside their context, face challenges. Brown (2000) describe that small numbers of women at middle and senior grades in academic departments and in the administration  recommended women are given particular encouragement to undertake career training.  In Pakistan, it has been found that women mangers are quite insignificant, and the general workplace atmosphere is incongruous, unsafe, discriminatory and unequal.  Women are struggling and striving hard against many socio-cultural forces to establish their rights and contribute as an economic and managerial force (Alam, 2009). A number of debates have been made to identify that they type of group should be involved in professional development programmes. The mix male and female group should be effective or single sex group be more effective. Brown (2008) argues that one way of addressing the inequalities which exist in universities is not to hold single sex courses. Men are not always aware of the problems they face and mix groups are useful in that respect.
In traditional norms, women are considering to play reproductive roles while male are supposed to perform productive roles in the society. The finding of Bhalalusesa (2010) suggests that educated women realize that they can also play the role of a provider for the benefit of the entire family while at the same time trying hard to maintain their traditional roles as wives and mothers.

            In Pakistani context, women headteachers’ experiences in educational leadership, particularly professional development programs for educational leader’s remains under researched.  This study, therefore, aims to fill this gap in the knowledge base by providing a contextual perspective on the influence of women public sector primary teachers’ participation in professional development programs on their professional and personal experiences.

Parenting: a real challenge

PARENTING a child is not about simply providing basic necessities like food, clothes, shelter and education to the child. It also demands an effort to understand their emotional requirements and adjust accordingly.

It is about being considerate and sensitive to the growing physical and psychological needs of the child that emerge at various stages of their growth. Children need social and moral guidance as they grow so as not to face any developmental hurdles. In this regard, parents need to provide a framework in which their children can learn to manage their lives without being exposed to growing challenges.

It is imperative that parents maintain an atmosphere in which children can develop their cognitive skills while focusing on their emotional intelligence.

When parents are overly authoritative or critical, their children suffer from lack of confidence and become filled with
self-doubt. This weakness continues to live with them hampering their progress on a number of occasions.

On the contrary, parents who react to the misbehaviour of their children by letting them see the logical consequences of their actions help them rectify themselves by discovering the difference between what is good and what is bad.

Children must be made to feel accepted and loved by their parents. Parents have daily opportunities to show their love to their children which can be shown through words and actions.

Insecurity among children, which is a natural phenomenon, can be addressed by showing concerns and adopting appropriate measures. Parents have to choose when, where and how to address different situations.

Good performance shown by the child must be rewarded as it would motivate them to produce better result next time.

Most parents are so busy that they cannot afford any time to teach their children at home.

They usually send them to coaching classes and feel satisfied if the child spends most of his evening hours there. This attitude generates a gap between the child and the parent as they hardly have any time to sit together for an informal family chat. Parenting a child is not an easy task as it exposes the parent to a host of challenges which keep emerging on various stages of the child’s developmental phase. Parents must never forget that a child learns what he lives and parents play a vital part in shaping the personality of the child and making him what he can be proud or ashamed of.

 

Think and Reflect

 

A Powerful Quotation

 

 

Aways Extend a Hand to Help Others

 

First Women Taxi Driver in Pakistan

 

Give Your Team the Gift of Becoming a Better Boss

1. Inspire team members to high performance.

2. Focus on the big picture.

3. Make work and opportunity to learn.

4. Demonstrate concern for team members.

5. Resolve conflicts and insist on cooperation.

6. Ask team members to stretch.

7. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

8. Walk your talk.

 

Speaker and Members of GB Legislative Council

 

 

How many of you will do this?

 

 

Full of Tears....

 

Dedicated to all Mothers, Wives, Daughters and Sisters

 

 

Passion for Learning

 

Education is the Right of every Children

 

Women and faith

LAST year, I had gone to Afghanistan for a series of lectures on women’s rights. I also spoke on this subject in a gathering of distinguished ulema and one of the issues which came up for discussion was about women being naqisat al-’aql (short of reason) and naqisat al-iman (short of faith).

 I asked if these definitions were in the Quran, as I did not find them anywhere in the holy book. When I asked if they were in the hadith, the answer was yes. However, I pointed out that any hadith which goes against the Quran cannot be accepted as authentic.

 All the ulema agree that the Quran gives equal rights to men and women and both enjoy equal dignity. Then how can a woman be short of reason and faith? An alim who was insisting on women’s shortcomings was unable to reply and instead murmured and sat down.

Recently I was going through a book written by Maulvi Nazir Ahmed, a great scholar of Islam with somewhat liberal views, where he discusses the story of the creation of Adam (AS) and his being expelled from paradise for eating the forbidden fruit.

 Maulvi Nazir Ahmed mentions that though Satan could not mislead Adam as he was firm in his resolve not to eat the forbidden fruit, he succeeded in misleading Hawwa (Eve) as she was short of reason and she persuaded Adam; both ate and were expelled from paradise.

It is highly surprising that a scholar of the stature of the Maulvi did not bother to consult the Quran, which nowhere says that Satan succeeded in misleading Hawwa. The Quran directly blames Adam for being misled and thrown out of paradise.

 In Ayah 121 of Surah Ta Ha it is said “And Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray.” Here Adam is directly being blamed for allowing himself to be misled and going astray, while Hawwa is not mentioned.

Despite this, Maulvi Nazir Ahmed and most of our ulema blame Hawwa for yielding to temptation and persuading Adam to eat the fruit of the tree. The evidence of the Quran is totally ignored and the ulema rely on hadith. Why did it turn out this way?

 The reason lies in our anti-women attitude and thinking in general, which dictates that women are inferior to men and that men are the rulers. Where does this attitude come from? Naturally from the patriarchal values which are prevalent in society.

 We would continue to think this way and quote prominent ulema without understanding that our ulema were products of certain periods and were prisoners of their time. In other words, we have to adopt a socio-cultural approach to religion. What we call Islam is not merely based on the Quran and Sunnah but also our social and cultural values. The social structure of that time was not only patriarchal but the prevalent patriarchal values also deeply penetrated our understanding of the Quran and our theology, though we consider our theology divine.

 Women in the past feudal and patriarchal structure of society were subjected to severe restrictions including the denial of any public role. The segregation of women from men also became part of our treatment of women. During the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) time women played active roles, took part in various public debates and even accompanied the Prophet to the battlefield.

 However, all this changed once Islam entered the era of monarchy and a feudal culture became the ruling culture. The monarchs maintained large harems and made women their prisoners to be guarded by eunuchs. It was in this environment that women lost the rights that they had been given in the Quran and Sunnah. Men were now projected as their superiors, totally ignoring what the Quran had to say.

 The Quran gave equal rights to women in every respect (see verses 33:35 and 2:228). The holy book did not use words such as husband and wife but used zawj or zawja instead (zawj or zawja means one of the couple). Thus the husband and wife are referred to as zawj and our ulema, later on — under the influence of the feudal and patriarchal culture — began to quote a hadith that had prostration (sajda) been allowed for man, I (the Prophet, peace be upon him) would have ordered the wife to prostrate before her husband.

 The Quran also avoided using the word ba’al as in Arabic it signified a deity. The Quran uses the word ba’al only three times and that too for narrating stories of the past; otherwise, it uses the word zawj for ‘husband’. The use of the word ba’al was avoided lest it be misinterpreted. The husband in Islam is no more than one half of the couple, signifying the equality of both husband and wife. Yet our ulema privilege the husband over the wife.

 Since women were confined to their homes and their role reduced to that of a housewife, they lacked experience of the outside world, while parents thought that a person destined to be a housewife did not need any higher education. The woman thus usually remained illiterate and could acquire no experience of public life outside the home and hence came to be described as naqisul ‘aql (short of reason).

 Today, conditions have changed drastically; women are working in every field of life and have become great achievers. In fact, they have proved themselves to be superior to men in several fields. To describe them as naqisul ‘aql is to display one’s own self as being short of reason.

 The writer is an Islamic scholar who also heads the Centre for Study of Society & Secularism, Mumbai.

Child Labor is Sin

 

Where are all the women?

 WHEN I was a young lecturer a knock came at my office door. “Oh”, said the young man as I opened it, “So sorry — I was looking for Dr Reynolds.”

 This is a story from the ‘olden days’ but things have not changed that much. I think of one eminent woman friend whose writing was criticised for “a streak of vulgarity”. Or the colleague serving on a selection committee where a man expressed surprise at her support for another woman because she was “so much better looking”.

 Women’s under-representation in all spheres of public life (in the UK) was the prompt for last week’s British Academy debate at the Culture Capital Exchange’s Inside Out Festival: ‘Where are all the women?’

 Speakers included women working in film, business, nursing and the police, as well as two representatives from higher education, traditionally a place where women seem assured of a presence.

 Vicki Bruce, head of the school of psychology at Newcastle University, argued that we still need more role models, more portraits of achieving women on the walls.

Meanwhile, Morag Shiach, vice-principal and executive dean at Queen Mary, University of London, wants to see the sector address the lack of women at senior management levels.

 According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, just under 20 per cent of all UK staff who hold the title of professor are women, though women make up nearly 45 per cent of the sector’s academic staff. Women in non-academic roles constitute the majority, but few occupy the most senior roles.

 Something needs to be done — and done soon. Because there is a new problem creeping up on higher education. The women themselves.

 Too often women are choosing not to go on with their studies at postgraduate level or, where they do, not choosing a life in academia at the end of them. At undergraduate level, it is hard to maintain the virtues of anonymous assessment with the introduction of virtual learning where everything links back to a name.

 And though money troubles beset everyone, girls are more often reminded of their ‘selfishness’ in studying for a PhD.

 Once awarded a PhD, young academics face the prospect of short-term contracts and need to be willing to move jobs. Women find this more challenging than men. But they also worry about the impact of career breaks necessitated by children, or the need to care for elderly relatives.

 Add in the fact that they are often advised that success is more difficult for women, and you wonder that there are any women academics at all.

 Finally, at the highest levels, the most senior management positions are judged on research output rather than teaching expertise and — for all the above reasons — women are likely to have done more of the latter.

 The offices of principals and vice-chancellors are governed by long working hours which are by no means family friendly. And so women do not apply.

 What can we do about it? Last year, the Guardian Higher Education Network published a series of answers from top women academics ranging from mentoring to self-promotion. A new book by Elisabeth J Allan, Women’s Status in Higher Education: Equity Matters, recommends more strategies.

 Of course, we should be thinking about colour, race, experience, class too. If we don’t have difference and diversity now in higher education then we won’t have it in the future. ‘No woman ever produced a Shakespeare’ goes the taunt. The proper response is: ‘Well, who did then?’ We need Shakespeare’s mother, his sister and his daughters in our universities too.

 — The Guardian, London

Education for All?

 

Poverty is the Biggest Issue of our Society

 

 

Culture Matters in Division of Roles and Responsibilities Between Male and Female

 

Physical Chain is Strong or Mental Chain?

 

 

How to reduce poverty?

 

Count Number of Hourses in the Picture

 

Presentation at International Conference

 

Feedback Session

 

 

Training Follow-up

Training Follow-up

Feedback Session

http://realplayer.com/

DIGNITY OF HUNZA

 

DIGNITY OF HUNZA

 

 

DIGNITY OF HUNZA

 

 

DIGNITY OF HUNZA

 

Education is the Right of Every Citizen

 

A case for appropriate education

Have you ever wondered that the plumbers who fix your leaky taps or electricians who mend faltering appliances, too, must need proper training and education in their trades? Do you ever consider that the vast workforce of paramedics who manage X-ray machines or other diagnostic equipment cannot perform without an appropriate learning interface? And does it cross the minds of our education planners that the spread out array of vocational and technical functions cannot be well executed in the absence of an effective training and educational platform? These and many related questions require a thorough appraisal.

The need for technical manpower exists in almost all the domains of our practical life. For example, architects and engineers cannot implement their building designs without the assistance of masons, welders, carpenters, electricians, concrete mixing technicians, landscape workers, site supervisors, quality surveying clerks, draughtsmen, data entry operators, excavation labourers, fabricators and many other tradesmen. Similarly, the idols in the fashion design industry are dependent upon an army of vocational personnel and technicians. Cutting masters, jockey machine operators, embroidery machine foremen, tailors, block print technicians, dyers, draughtsmen, catwalk technicians and stage show managers are only a small cross section in the overall realm of this glamorous context.
Despite the established importance of these well-known domains of technical education, there are enormous problems experienced in the training and proper placement of technical manpower. Absence of compatible training facilities and options is one of the foremost mentions. But many emerging trades and vocations do not have any training modules to provide theoretical education and practical training.
It is normally believed that the personnel would learn the required techniques on the job, which is not correct. No trade
practitioner can become a master of his trade without a solid educational background in the relevant field. Such educational programmes are essentially designed to provide knowledge in key theoretical concepts and their applications.
The focus is normally tilted to equip the pupil in the tricks and traits of the applications side of his or her work. For example, a building painter is taught the basic typologies of paints, and accessories; their chemical, physical and applicational properties; understanding of surfaces and the peculiarities associated with it as well as a broad range of dos and don’ts. With vocational qualification under his belt, the prospects for a technician are enhanced by manifolds. He can become a self-employed entrepreneur after sufficient experience. These technical hands are also in good demand in lucrative labour markets overseas. Besides, the trained technical personnel can become contractors and service providers in order to enhance their social and economic status.
Interfaces between the vocational and technical training institutes with potential target groups are a core issue. The country has a well-laid structure of polytechnics, monotechnics, vocational schools and skill-building centres. Punjab and Sindh have specific authorities to manage technical and vocational training. Many federal programmes also augment this sub sector. But it is found that the linkup between the needed fields relevant to society and development of training modules is lacking. For instance, a majority of the drivers in our country learn the skill without attending a proper driving school. They may learn the basics of operating a vehicle but possess no comprehension about road signs, highway codes, speed limit regimes and road safety measures. As a result, the unsafe operation of passenger and freight vehicles along the highways or cars and vans in the city streets render our mobility patterns entirely unsafe.
These half-skilled workers are also unable to venture in the overseas job market due to illiteracy, lack of proper certificates and absence of networking with better prospects. The image given to vocational and technical education is another handicap. Occupations in our society are graded according to strict social taboos and stigmas. The janitorial and sanitary workers are considered as social untouchables. No one would even allow them to share home utensils or drinking glasses within the working environment. Health care technicians, too,  face similar social tribulations in everyday life.
Society does not give a respectable status to practitioners of vocational and technical trades in general. It is for this reason that many talented souls hailing from white collar middleclass households are prevented by their family elders from joining technical trades. They end up obtaining conventional education with mediocre attainment and continue to suffer for the rest of their lives.
Few prerequisites must be addressed in this respect. An objective need analysis should be carried out to bolster those desirable trades and occupations with a large application. Motorcycle mechanics, computer hardware technicians, refrigeration mechanics, beauticians, media/production support staff, mobile phone repair technicians and paramedics are some probable categories.
Existing training facilities should be re-modeled to transform their performance according to the prevailing demands of local and overseas markets. There should be collaborative arrangements with counterpart institutions of other countries.
And media support may be sought to build up positive images of all kinds of occupations. It must be remembered that Pakistan possesses an unmatchable wealth of willing human resource. The country will be able to ward away much economic and social suffering if we plan to divert it to the most productive uses.
The writer is professor and chairman, Department of Architecture and Planning, NED University, Karachi.

The many facets of education reforms

Education is not only a basic human right but also critical for the survival and well-being of a nation in the 21st century. Pakistan, with its current population of 175 million, which is projected to grow to 380 million by 2050 (UN, World Population Prospects, 2009) needs an education revolution to meet the needs of its citizens. An effective and successful education revolution will require the participation of all Pakistanis.

With more than 68 million children under the age of 15, the country cannot afford to ignore the status of education, and its pressing issues of access and quality. For a developing country, the consequences of not acting today to provide opportunities for its youth can be disastrous for many years to come. Thus, it must become a major concern of all members of society to participate very actively in bringing about a positive change in education (see “Time for an education revolution”, Dawn Education, Oct 17, 2010).
Education, from elementary school to professional and higher education, is the single most important engine that drives progress in the economy, civic life and democracy. Bringing about an education revolution requires drastic changes in the prevailing attitudes toward education management, financing, curricula reforms, academic flexibility, research collaboration, the training of young people in fields that are needed in the local communities and industry, and much more. It also requires a long-term commitment of the stakeholders to make investing in education a priority for the government as well as the community.
Such initiatives require the long-term leadership of educationists and visionaries. The newly-established Sugra Begum Centre for Education Policy and Development (SuBCEPAD) and Pakistan Education Council (PEC) at the University of Punjab initiated their advocacy activities by organising a three-day international conference on issues, challenges and reforms in education at the Quaid-i-Azam Campus of the University of the Punjab last month.
SuBCEPAD will produce undergraduates and graduates in education policy and development and will supply policy-makers and educators with much-needed research, data and new approaches on how to improve the status of education in Pakistan.
PEC will use the information provided by SuBCEPAD to increase public awareness through activities such as an annual national education forum, other platforms and scholarly publications to voice new ideas and brainstorm the best approaches and policies to improve education.
The third International Conference on Education: Issues, challenges and reforms served as the first national and international forum for all educationists, policy makers, faculty and students of education and sciences that made public the most important and pressing issues that education is facing in Pakistan.
A comprehensive approach

An effective reform of the education system in Pakistan requires a drastic bottom-up approach; without the improvement of colleges it will be very difficult to improve the quality of university graduates, and without improving the quality of learning at the high school and even elementary level, college preparation is very limited. At present, education at all levels in Pakistan suffers from severe issues ranging from a substandard quality of teaching, a lack of resources and poor financial management. Administrative and financial decisions are often blocked in a gridlock between the district governments on one hand and the provincial education departments on the other. Thus, no comprehensive reform or education revolution will be successful if the proposed solutions do not take into account all levels of education and apply across-the-board.
Numbers don’t lie

The students’ lack of opportunities to get a quality education translates to a missed opportunity to alleviate poverty through economic growth and development. The United Nations has projected that by 2050 Pakistan’s population will double to about 380 million, with the projected workforce at approximately 221 million people. The government must increase spending on education by several folds from the current less than two per cent of GDP, to at least four per cent by 2020.
For a realistic approach, Sartaj Aziz, the former finance minister and the current rector at Beaconhouse National University suggested in his keynote address that budget planning must have specific and attainable goals for the next five years, increased gradually each year instead of planning unrealistically large allocations for a longer-term period. While having an ambitious goal for the next 10 years is desirable, it becomes very difficult to project that goal in attainable terms each year.
By planning on shorter timelines with more realistic goals, both federal and local governments are better focused and dedicated to allocate the assigned percentage of funds for education and deliver it on time. It is crucial for Pakistan to tackle the issue of education funding before it becomes a problem that cannot be controlled. Right now, there is a unique opportunity to invest in human capital by providing adequate education and skills to the emerging workforce and translating a current weakness into a point of strength (see “Tailor-made education”, Dawn Education, Feb 24, 2008).
In addition to increased government funding, educational institutions and everyone in the community must get involved to support efforts for saving the education system and the future of the country. Ways to increase funding include tapping into the alumni resources of education institutions, establishing endowment funds both for institutions and to support scholarships for needy students, community involvement and contributions to education through fundraising public campaigns. For these methods to be effective, it is vital to get the word out about the nationwide need to assist education.
Student-teacher mandatory service

The young demographic of Pakistan, where about 40 per cent of the population is under the age of 15, translates into about 70 million children that need an education and professional training. To have a better planning approach for the expected number of children, a base line of the population increase must be calculated and to it a 10 per cent growth above the base line should be added. This number of children must be accommodated in the existing school system, by maximizing both human and physical resources.
The colossal job to educate young children with limited resources and secure a future for them and the country can be addressed in several ways. One very effective approach to address this urgent need is by introducing one to two semesters of teaching school children as a requirement for undergraduate and graduate degrees. For this teaching period the tuition fees of the college/university students could be waived. The rotating number of students who are trained to teach before graduation will provide a great temporary human resource to schools. At the same time, it may interest many students to take up teaching as a career. Thus, this mandatory programme will serve as a community service while addressing the urgent need for more teachers and provide children with the newest teaching methods.
Tapping into existing resources

Improving the quality of education is as urgent and necessary as it is to improve its access to the vast number of children waiting to be educated.
Existing human and physical resources must be tapped to ensure that regular collaboration among professionals and institutions through joint research programmes take place.
Even when no research programme is taking place in such institutions, it is a missed opportunity for the overall academic structure. One approach to encourage this culture is that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and other funding agencies practice a policy that requires both intra- and inter-institutional collaboration as a requirement for grant awardees. A new category of grants called collaboration grants may be established. Such grants could also include those where a graduate student would spend 6-12 months in another appropriate institution in Pakistan or abroad to carry out one or more research aims of his/her dissertation. Such a grant programme could also include short working visits of an expert to a grant awardee’s lab.
Mandatory teacher training

No education revolution can be successful without first enhancing the quality of teachers. Without quality faculty no real improvements will take place. Programmes such as the National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (NACTE), an autonomous body established by the HEC to accredit all teacher education programmes offered in the public and private sector institutions in the country, and Pre-STEP training to improve the quality of basic education teaching are encouraging initial steps. Prof Dr Mahmood Ul Hassan Butt, Chief of Party, Pre-STEP emphasised on, in his keynote address at the international education conference, the importance of training teachers starting at the basic levels.
Thus, Pre-STEP has introduced the Elementary Associate Degree, a two-year programme, and the Bachelor of Education (Honors) a four-year programme, both approved by HEC for teachers of basic education initially in 15 universities across the country in efforts to improve the quality and skills of teachers. As per government decision, after 2018 no teacher will be inducted unless he/she has the required qualification of B.Ed four years programme after 12 years of schooling. In addition to improving teaching at basic levels, continuous programmes must train teachers at all levels. It is especially important that all faculty members should undergo training in new teaching methods. Additionally, meritorious faculty must be rewarded accordingly when results are produced.
Delegating responsibility

The task of collaboration and cooperation is not only an inter-institution opportunity, but may be most importantly an intra-institution pursuit. In addition to introspective examination and finding ways to share resources, institutions and everyone in academia and administration must look at other ways of increasing efficiency.
By delegating tasks to graduate students and staff assistants, the academics and administrators can do more, do it more effectively and, at the same time, empower the delegates with ownership and responsibility.
Community service

A major source of untapped opportunities is the lack of community service and internships for students. Community service ensures that students receive civic education and responsibility in their formal education by taking over tasks that are tangible and improve their community. It becomes an essential part of their training to have hands-on education as well as to see the power that their ideas can have in “real” life when put in practice.
Stronger involvement in the community means more opportunities for students and faculty to come up with inventive, effective ways to solve problems. Currently, most educational institutions are ignoring this part of training while there is an overwhelming need both for improving the quality of learning though practice, as opposed to only theory, and many communities in need of assistance.
Teaching science to children

Another approach to improve the quality of education to children is by employing scientific experiments and practical work as opposed to working only from texts.
It is very important for students to actually participate, experiment and become familiar with their study materials if they are required to be proficient. Teachers must change the rote-learning teaching methods and find innovative ways to make teaching a more active, participatory and real-life related subject. Only then can they ask for critical thinking and innovative ideas from their students.
Meeting of the minds

The crisis of education cannot be solved by any magical formula. It requires sustained, effective, and pro-active action from everyone involved. The quality of learning needs to be improved by providing continuous training to all teachers, introducing teaching methods that emphasise critical and creative thinking, and increase the support to education institutions by expanding their resources. In addition, education must become available to as many students as possible for the country to be able to develop its human resources and be competitive in the 21st century. It should be a platform free of political influences, a learning environment where students feel free to gain knowledge and express their ideas freely.
The writers work for the Promotion of Education in Pakistan Foundation, Inc., USA.