Pakistan is about to be given yet another Education Policy to be implemented from 2010. The draft of this forthcoming education policy (2009) has been available on the Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan’s website since the past two years. The draft policy evolved this time with the inclusion of civil society who was asked to prepare a White Paper for policy recommendations.
This process continued post General Musharraf’s Government when elections installed a democratic government at the Centre and in the provinces. The Pakistan Coalition for Education convened a series of meetings in all the four provinces to provide advocacy to the latest education policy. A lot of effort by concerned citizens has gone into making the right policy decisions and outcomes so that the education sector can be “fixed” once and for all. At present this Education Policy is being reviewed by the Federal cabinet for final approval.For a policy to start off in the right direction and base its recommendation on, it must state the “vision” for the coming generation’s education or what outcome it hopes to achieve from its educational provision. This particular policy’s vision formulated by the Ministry of Education is:
“Education is a categorical imperative for individual, social and national development that should enable all individuals to reach their maximum human potential. The system should produce responsible, enlightened citizens to integrate Pakistan in the global framework of human-centred economic development.”
No doubt the above vision leaves no stone unturned to provide the kind of educated individual who will be a model for fellow Pakistanis as well as one for all countries of the world. The 21st Century skills and fast-paced knowledge revolution demands such a vision through a national education system. However, to accomplish the policy’s aims, the present Pakistani system requires a high percentage of enrollment, minimum drop out rate, equity, access and a “qualitative” approach to learning in the classroom. So far, in the 60 years of its existence, the earlier policy makers have failed miserably in achieving even a modicum of the requirements stated above.
What makes Education Policy 2009 different in its approach for a workable solution to achieving the impossible? For one, Chapter Three (3) Understanding System Deficiencies, of the policy document exhaustively defines and analyses the deficiencies that have plagued the education sector in the past. It identifies two major reasons and I quote:
“There are two fundamental causes for the weak performance of the education sector:
(i) a lack of commitment to education — a commitment gap — and
(ii) an implementation gap that has thwarted the application of policies”.
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