Feedback Session
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
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, 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.
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.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Connecting classrooms to connect cultures
With the advent of faster and widely-accessible
information, communication and transportation technologies, we are living in an
era where our actions increasingly influence and are influenced by realities in
other parts of the world. Truly understanding our own communities, province and
country requires gaining a deep understanding of the relationships of
interdependence they have with the rest of the world.
Global knowledge can no longer be associated with a small group of “worldly” people, as it once was, but is now basic and requisite for individuals to make sense of their everyday lives. In an effort to connect students from Pakistan to the world and provide them with global insight, many schools and classrooms across Pakistan, and indeed across the world, are engaging in international school partnerships with schools in the UK.
These partnerships take different forms, from teachers and students exchange, to curriculum-based project-work partnerships between two classes of students, to hopefully long-term, ongoing relationships between two schools.
The success of such learner-centred and intercultural dialogue-aimed partnership can be difficult to define, as it depends on the purpose and motivations underlying the partnership’s establishment. However, a review of the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms Project and a scan of existing exchanges with increasing demand suggest that these partnerships are proving exceedingly successful in addressing a critical missing link of internationalising education in Pakistan.
Connecting Classrooms is running successfully across Pakistan and 30 clusters have been formed with British Council’s technical and financial support. One hundred and fifty schools are now directly linked with 90 schools in the UK. These are non-elite schools and mostly represent government schools.
A cluster is a mixture of public and low-cost private schools with a greater emphasis on bringing public and private schools together in turn strengthening and supporting government’s policy decision of public-private partnerships in education.
More than 3,000 teachers have received training and learning opportunities in student-centred teaching and learning, student voice and curriculum-based projects through Connecting Classrooms. Information and Communication Technology is being used successfully and hands-on trainings have been conducted for all schools for the effective use of ICT for strengthening and sustaining these partnerships beyond the project timeline. These 3,000 are expected to cascade the learning to another 4,000 by the end of the project.
Connecting Classrooms partnerships have provided a wide range of opportunities for all involved particularly learners, from the enrichment of educational experiences and the broadening of school culture, to pedagogical dialogue. Students, teachers, administrators, parents and communities all stand to benefit from Connecting Classrooms, albeit in different ways.
For students
In a society bombarded by stereotypical images and negative and dramatic media, Connecting Classrooms is providing students from Pakistan and the UK with the opportunity to learn about another country or culture from the people who know it best — those that live and study there.
As students engage with primary sources of information, they begin to question previously-held assumptions, evaluate media biases and develop a greater appreciation for difference and start to look at these as diversity rather than divides. While learning about another place and way of life, students are also engaged to reflect upon their own lives.
Connecting Classrooms pioneered the inclusion of students in teachers training as equal participants. Everywhere in the world and in Pakistan, too, teacher training courses, although mainly concerned about the students and learners never extend an invitation to them. This innovation of the British Council has met with resounding success as students’ voice was institutionalised in the ethos of schooling and learning.
One student participant said, “This was an unthinkable situation for us to be participating equally and working alongside our teachers. We now have an understanding of limitations of teachers as well as students but more importantly we have agreed to transform our school culture as equal stakeholders by helping other students and teachers.”
Connecting Classrooms provides opportunities for students from Pakistan and UK to jointly research discuss and consider their own identities and develop mutual respect for each other’s identities. Connecting Classrooms partnerships illustrate the concept of global interconnectedness in an extremely tangible way. Conversing with their partners on issues of common concern has deepened the understanding of students from UK and Pakistan about international issues while enhancing their sense of active citizenship at local, national and international levels.
By incorporating collaborative learning activities, partnerships have encouraged students to locate and explore common ground and develop cooperative learning skills. Partnerships have also brought a unique intercultural element to collaborative learning activities. While learning with and from their peers in other countries, students from UK and Pakistan have started to develop and hone cross-cultural communication and correspondence skills.
For teachers and others
Connecting Classrooms partnerships is strengthening of relationships among staff members as school staff identify and work towards the achievement of common goals and outcomes for internationalising education.
According to one head teacher who visited UK as part of the project, “We came here as strangers and have transformed into a team. We have learnt so many new ideas to improve our schools but most importantly we have developed a shared vision to lead and inspire positive change through our students.”
Connecting Classrooms provides the impetus for the establishment of international professional learning communities. Teachers, heads and administrators are enabled to connect with the partner school’s administration to discuss approaches, strategies and challenges of school management. Similarly, teachers are conducting dialogue with other educators about their experiences in the classroom and sharing ideas about how to enhance learning.
A teacher commented after receiving training, “We have discovered and learned about the value of voice of students and parents in schooling and education. We have recognised the joys of patience and tolerance. Our minds were challenged to new ideas, we were encouraged to explore new horizons, question our practices and apply new theories.” Another teacher remarked, “We have been awakened and made aware of the true global nature of education.”
Parents, guardians, community ...
Parents engage directly in educational processes by helping theirchildren with partnership-related schoolwork, attendingConnecting Classrooms functions and supporting the partnership by encouraging children to learn about another culture and country. Connecting Classrooms provides opportunities for parents who have relevant cultural, linguistic or travel experience to share their experiences in the classroom not only for students but also for teachers.
Connecting Classrooms encourage a better understanding of different societies, cultures and religions and an appreciation of such values as social justice, democratic processes, equality and sustainable development. It also provides a forum in which respect for differences can be explicitly modelled. Extending the outreach of an international school partnership allows new information and ways of thinking to permeate throughout the community.
In these tumultuous times when Pakistan is not only struggling with grave security and law and order challenges but is also faced with a fast eroding public sector education, it is critical that the learners and youth of Pakistan are provided with international opportunities. Such opportunities could achieve two critical successes — (1) Challenge negative perceptions about each another and develop sound foundations of mutuality by appreciating diversity and (2) a real opportunity to present the true face of Pakistan which is robust, resilient and progressive, at the moment of course almost against all odds.
The writer is British Council’s director for Sindh & Balochistan, and its country lead on schools and education.
Global knowledge can no longer be associated with a small group of “worldly” people, as it once was, but is now basic and requisite for individuals to make sense of their everyday lives. In an effort to connect students from Pakistan to the world and provide them with global insight, many schools and classrooms across Pakistan, and indeed across the world, are engaging in international school partnerships with schools in the UK.
These partnerships take different forms, from teachers and students exchange, to curriculum-based project-work partnerships between two classes of students, to hopefully long-term, ongoing relationships between two schools.
The success of such learner-centred and intercultural dialogue-aimed partnership can be difficult to define, as it depends on the purpose and motivations underlying the partnership’s establishment. However, a review of the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms Project and a scan of existing exchanges with increasing demand suggest that these partnerships are proving exceedingly successful in addressing a critical missing link of internationalising education in Pakistan.
Connecting Classrooms is running successfully across Pakistan and 30 clusters have been formed with British Council’s technical and financial support. One hundred and fifty schools are now directly linked with 90 schools in the UK. These are non-elite schools and mostly represent government schools.
A cluster is a mixture of public and low-cost private schools with a greater emphasis on bringing public and private schools together in turn strengthening and supporting government’s policy decision of public-private partnerships in education.
More than 3,000 teachers have received training and learning opportunities in student-centred teaching and learning, student voice and curriculum-based projects through Connecting Classrooms. Information and Communication Technology is being used successfully and hands-on trainings have been conducted for all schools for the effective use of ICT for strengthening and sustaining these partnerships beyond the project timeline. These 3,000 are expected to cascade the learning to another 4,000 by the end of the project.
Connecting Classrooms partnerships have provided a wide range of opportunities for all involved particularly learners, from the enrichment of educational experiences and the broadening of school culture, to pedagogical dialogue. Students, teachers, administrators, parents and communities all stand to benefit from Connecting Classrooms, albeit in different ways.
For students
In a society bombarded by stereotypical images and negative and dramatic media, Connecting Classrooms is providing students from Pakistan and the UK with the opportunity to learn about another country or culture from the people who know it best — those that live and study there.
As students engage with primary sources of information, they begin to question previously-held assumptions, evaluate media biases and develop a greater appreciation for difference and start to look at these as diversity rather than divides. While learning about another place and way of life, students are also engaged to reflect upon their own lives.
Connecting Classrooms pioneered the inclusion of students in teachers training as equal participants. Everywhere in the world and in Pakistan, too, teacher training courses, although mainly concerned about the students and learners never extend an invitation to them. This innovation of the British Council has met with resounding success as students’ voice was institutionalised in the ethos of schooling and learning.
One student participant said, “This was an unthinkable situation for us to be participating equally and working alongside our teachers. We now have an understanding of limitations of teachers as well as students but more importantly we have agreed to transform our school culture as equal stakeholders by helping other students and teachers.”
Connecting Classrooms provides opportunities for students from Pakistan and UK to jointly research discuss and consider their own identities and develop mutual respect for each other’s identities. Connecting Classrooms partnerships illustrate the concept of global interconnectedness in an extremely tangible way. Conversing with their partners on issues of common concern has deepened the understanding of students from UK and Pakistan about international issues while enhancing their sense of active citizenship at local, national and international levels.
By incorporating collaborative learning activities, partnerships have encouraged students to locate and explore common ground and develop cooperative learning skills. Partnerships have also brought a unique intercultural element to collaborative learning activities. While learning with and from their peers in other countries, students from UK and Pakistan have started to develop and hone cross-cultural communication and correspondence skills.
For teachers and others
Connecting Classrooms partnerships is strengthening of relationships among staff members as school staff identify and work towards the achievement of common goals and outcomes for internationalising education.
According to one head teacher who visited UK as part of the project, “We came here as strangers and have transformed into a team. We have learnt so many new ideas to improve our schools but most importantly we have developed a shared vision to lead and inspire positive change through our students.”
Connecting Classrooms provides the impetus for the establishment of international professional learning communities. Teachers, heads and administrators are enabled to connect with the partner school’s administration to discuss approaches, strategies and challenges of school management. Similarly, teachers are conducting dialogue with other educators about their experiences in the classroom and sharing ideas about how to enhance learning.
A teacher commented after receiving training, “We have discovered and learned about the value of voice of students and parents in schooling and education. We have recognised the joys of patience and tolerance. Our minds were challenged to new ideas, we were encouraged to explore new horizons, question our practices and apply new theories.” Another teacher remarked, “We have been awakened and made aware of the true global nature of education.”
Parents, guardians, community ...
Parents engage directly in educational processes by helping theirchildren with partnership-related schoolwork, attendingConnecting Classrooms functions and supporting the partnership by encouraging children to learn about another culture and country. Connecting Classrooms provides opportunities for parents who have relevant cultural, linguistic or travel experience to share their experiences in the classroom not only for students but also for teachers.
Connecting Classrooms encourage a better understanding of different societies, cultures and religions and an appreciation of such values as social justice, democratic processes, equality and sustainable development. It also provides a forum in which respect for differences can be explicitly modelled. Extending the outreach of an international school partnership allows new information and ways of thinking to permeate throughout the community.
In these tumultuous times when Pakistan is not only struggling with grave security and law and order challenges but is also faced with a fast eroding public sector education, it is critical that the learners and youth of Pakistan are provided with international opportunities. Such opportunities could achieve two critical successes — (1) Challenge negative perceptions about each another and develop sound foundations of mutuality by appreciating diversity and (2) a real opportunity to present the true face of Pakistan which is robust, resilient and progressive, at the moment of course almost against all odds.
The writer is British Council’s director for Sindh & Balochistan, and its country lead on schools and education.
Empowering principals and head teachers
The five-factor school effectiveness model in early school effectiveness
research also endorses this generally accepted view. The five factors included:
heads’ strong educational leadership; emphasis on the acquiring of basic
skills; an orderly and secure school environment; high expectations of pupil
attainment; and frequent assessment of pupil progress. A further analysis
reveals that enabling people to make right decisions through providing
appropriate resources with matching authority is at the heart of empowerment.
Whereas responsibilities should match with resources and authority, many of the externally-funded public sector school improvement initiatives in Pakistan could not achieve the desired results simply for the reason that the principals and school heads and teachers were not empowered with adequate resources and decision making authority at their level to continue the activities. So, for any serious effort to improve the schooling especially in the public sector we need to re-look at the lessons learned in school improvement initiatives and take some major steps to empower the school principals/head teachers that will lead to educational improvements at the school level. Drawing on our experiences listed below are some of the steps recommended to be taken as a priority in empowering the principals and head teachers.
Resource provision
The first step would be to provide financial resources through budgetary allocations linked with school needs which are normally prepared by school heads. Taking schools as core centres of the education system there should be no budget cuts on their approved resources and once the budget is approved they should have the authority to fully utilise the budget.
In view of financial constraints in meeting the school needs the school heads be empowered to generate additional resources in collaboration with local communities/parents. Experiences in working with local communities/parents suggest that once the parents, philanthropists and locals are convinced that the heads are making efforts for school improvement their support including donations and materials will be forthcoming. A check and balance mechanism can be developed with the involvement of key stake holders to ensure that the resources are properly being used.
Decision making
As pointed earlier the success of improvement initiatives will largely depend on whether the school principals/heads can make independent decisions within the given policy framework. The broad areas in routine decision making include teachers’ selection, promotions and transfers, their performance appraisal, maintaining school discipline and the grant of annual increments and other incentives, in-house teacher development and nominations for external professional development opportunities, and school development plans, resource mobilisation and matters related to student learning and assessment, etc.
One of the characteristics of effective schools is collaborative decision making. While principals and heads should be empowered to make appropriate decisions, they are equally expected to provide a conducive environment in schools where students and teachers have freedom and flexibility in making choices related to classroom practices. Ultimately this will make the teachers and learners more responsible.
Political/administrative interference
One of the hindering factors in improving the quality of education in our country has been administrative and political influences at the institutional level especially in discipline, recruitment, transfers and promotions resulting in grave violation of rules and regulations.
In order to improve our schooling system, principals and heads should be empowered to make independent decisions without fear and favour on the basis of merit. As schools are the key institutions responsible for nurturing and educating our new generation the department of education and those in power have a key responsibility to ensure that the schools in their jurisdiction are adequately resourced and smoothly functioning without administrative or political interference. Formation of school committees represented by parents, local communities as a support system to schools can play an effective role in countering such influences.
Accountability
While providing facilities and making the schools as centres of learning should be our priority, a check and balance system is equally important to monitor the progress towards achieving the desired goals. Annual development plans should be developed for each school and targets set including academic and outcomes should be closely monitored through reviews by school heads and periodically by school management committees.
Similarly, principals and heads can set goals for each teacher/section heads and progress reviewed on a regular basis. A revised annual performance appraisal system that focuses on teachers’ professional growth and their outputs should replace the existing obsolete Annual Confidential Report (ACR) system in education.
Improving education is a big challenge which demands political will, resources and consistent collective efforts with increased sense of responsibility from all stake holders to make a difference in lives of hundreds of thousands of our children.
The writer is assessment consultant in Aga Khan University Examination Board for the EDLINKS project.
Whereas responsibilities should match with resources and authority, many of the externally-funded public sector school improvement initiatives in Pakistan could not achieve the desired results simply for the reason that the principals and school heads and teachers were not empowered with adequate resources and decision making authority at their level to continue the activities. So, for any serious effort to improve the schooling especially in the public sector we need to re-look at the lessons learned in school improvement initiatives and take some major steps to empower the school principals/head teachers that will lead to educational improvements at the school level. Drawing on our experiences listed below are some of the steps recommended to be taken as a priority in empowering the principals and head teachers.
Resource provision
The first step would be to provide financial resources through budgetary allocations linked with school needs which are normally prepared by school heads. Taking schools as core centres of the education system there should be no budget cuts on their approved resources and once the budget is approved they should have the authority to fully utilise the budget.
In view of financial constraints in meeting the school needs the school heads be empowered to generate additional resources in collaboration with local communities/parents. Experiences in working with local communities/parents suggest that once the parents, philanthropists and locals are convinced that the heads are making efforts for school improvement their support including donations and materials will be forthcoming. A check and balance mechanism can be developed with the involvement of key stake holders to ensure that the resources are properly being used.
Decision making
As pointed earlier the success of improvement initiatives will largely depend on whether the school principals/heads can make independent decisions within the given policy framework. The broad areas in routine decision making include teachers’ selection, promotions and transfers, their performance appraisal, maintaining school discipline and the grant of annual increments and other incentives, in-house teacher development and nominations for external professional development opportunities, and school development plans, resource mobilisation and matters related to student learning and assessment, etc.
One of the characteristics of effective schools is collaborative decision making. While principals and heads should be empowered to make appropriate decisions, they are equally expected to provide a conducive environment in schools where students and teachers have freedom and flexibility in making choices related to classroom practices. Ultimately this will make the teachers and learners more responsible.
Political/administrative interference
One of the hindering factors in improving the quality of education in our country has been administrative and political influences at the institutional level especially in discipline, recruitment, transfers and promotions resulting in grave violation of rules and regulations.
In order to improve our schooling system, principals and heads should be empowered to make independent decisions without fear and favour on the basis of merit. As schools are the key institutions responsible for nurturing and educating our new generation the department of education and those in power have a key responsibility to ensure that the schools in their jurisdiction are adequately resourced and smoothly functioning without administrative or political interference. Formation of school committees represented by parents, local communities as a support system to schools can play an effective role in countering such influences.
Accountability
While providing facilities and making the schools as centres of learning should be our priority, a check and balance system is equally important to monitor the progress towards achieving the desired goals. Annual development plans should be developed for each school and targets set including academic and outcomes should be closely monitored through reviews by school heads and periodically by school management committees.
Similarly, principals and heads can set goals for each teacher/section heads and progress reviewed on a regular basis. A revised annual performance appraisal system that focuses on teachers’ professional growth and their outputs should replace the existing obsolete Annual Confidential Report (ACR) system in education.
Improving education is a big challenge which demands political will, resources and consistent collective efforts with increased sense of responsibility from all stake holders to make a difference in lives of hundreds of thousands of our children.
The writer is assessment consultant in Aga Khan University Examination Board for the EDLINKS project.
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