Besides land, electoral and police reforms, educational reforms need to be spotted as a major challenge before the military regime. The chief executive already has announced that the human resources and infrastructure of the armed forces would be utilised  to facilitate the education sector. The question remains whether the organised armed forces would be able to deliver the goods in an education system that the experts on education term as outdated, decayed and purposeless?
To identify the problem areas in primary education, JRC organised a dialogue on Educational reforms, at Press Club on Tuesday, February 22, 2000. 

Renowned educationist, who is also the member of Sindh Urban Task Force and co-ordinator National Committee for Education, Mr. Sami Mustafa was the main speaker on the occasion. Among others senior journalists, academicians and social activists also attended the dialogue.

Mr. Sami Mustafa has devoted a decade of his career to ameliorate the standard of education in Despite being the principal of a private English medium school, he strongly advocates the role of government in ensuring inexpensive education at least at the primary level. This reputable educationist has played an active role in framing National Education Committee under the aegis of federal ministry for education in June 1999, which had been assigned to devise a conceptual framework to bring about short and long term changes in the education sector. Mr. Sami's presentation at the dialogue mainly revolved around the aims and objectives of the committee and the difficulties he has been encountering to pursuit most of its goals.

Mr. Sami informed the audience that the committee was formed with the following broad-based objectives:

• Writing of a conceptual framework for National Curriculum 2000.
• Development and printing of prototypes of pedagogically sound textbooks.
• Development of an alternative examination system.
• Writing of a National Education Strategy.
• Establishment of a regulatory framework for private schools and;
• Teacher education.

Discussing the contents of the document, Mr. Sami said the purpose of the document was to redefine the objectives of curriculum and also setting some broad based guidelines for moving towards modern education. He was of the opinion that the prevailing curricula merely assert information on the children rather than developing their concepts, which may prompt them to ask questions and seek answers. The purpose of education as viewed in the document includes cognitive, emotional, social and spiritual development. He said these developments were possible only when the child is respected as a learner and not made subservient to political compulsions and an unwilling player for grand ideological designs.

He said that the thrust of the document is on 'less is more'. This is argued on the premise that children learn best not when they are over-burdened with facts and irrelevant instructions but when they are taught the method to enquire, seek information and comprehend it.

The then federal secretary approved the document in October last year and it was printed with the sponsorship of a multinational bank as the ministry was facing 'shortage of funds'.

Having produced a position paper on curriculum objectives, the committee then developed a prototype of class I textbook, based on modern learning considerations. The 72 colourful pages are filled with illustrations and content relevant and interesting for children.

Mr. Sami said that after taking a few steps forward to develop the primary syllabi in compliance with the modern educational needs, the last four months remained dormant as the relevant authorities have not decided what to do with the document that was initiated by the previous regime.

Mr. Sami informed the audience that he had suggested to the deposed prime minister to hold an all parties conference on educational reforms so that a unanimous decision could be reached and every successive government may not abort or alter the policies could be followed on long-term basis. He said that every new government starts its work from the scratch as if the previous government had done nothing in this regard. He said that this political correctness has made the present system ineffective and in such circumstances not a single policy could be followed steadfastly to bring any betterment to the deteriorating standards of education. He said that the ministry of education has disowned the document despite the fact that Mr. Safdar Mehmud, the then federal education secretary has authored the foreword document. The sitting federal secretary now contends that the secretary wrote the foreword in his private capacity and the ministry has got nothing to do with that, he further informed. He asked the authorities at the ministry to at least give a reason for their disowning of the work that had been carried out under their own banner.

Primary education is a serious issue and the federal ministry of education should deal it with much responsibility, irrespective of a change in the government, as it concerns future of the coming generations. The concerned authorities should be inquired why wasn't the conceptual framework reviewed, he added..

While responding to the questions posed by the journalists and academicians from among the audience about the present allocation of budget to the education sector, he said that a mere increase in the educational budget would not bring any good unless institutional reforms are introduced to the government education sector. 

Stressing on the role of the government in providing basic primary education, he said that even with the prevailing budgetary allocation for education, the standard of primary education could be enhanced. He substantiating his argument by pointing to the fact that the Sindh Primary Education Development Programme had been given Rs. 7 billion by World Bank, NORAD and ministry of education but the desired results were not achieved.

He said that the problems with the education policy lies with its design and not just for failure in implementing the eight successive education policies announced by the governments in  

Contrary to the government and NGOs’ initiatives he was of the opinion that instead of bringing more kids to the schools, those already enrolled should be provided with quality education. This would be a 'pull' instead of 'push' strategy. He told that according to the official statistics as many as fifty per cent of the children are enrolled in primary schools and the emphasis of the successive governments was to bring the remaining fifty per cent to the educational institutions. He said that to attract the remaining children, the usefulness and need of education should be demonstrated by providing the enrolled with better quality education that may earn them a decent living. 

Discussing the rationale of education he said that speaking fluent English and mugging up of information had been wrong notions for education in The purpose of education, he added, was to build the concepts of the students to provide them with intellectual autonomy, to which the present syllabi did not cater.  He informed that the national committee on education has initiated a pilot project in two middle and primary schools of Sindh, where newly developed syllabi for primary education would be tested. 

Mr. Sami Mustafa refuted the idea of non-formal education saying that such an education for poor is like feeding them on stale bread. He advocated a uniform standard of education for both the rich and the poor.

To a question he said that the Deeni Madrasas should also come in the jurisdiction of the education ministry and by not doing so the state itself was creating dichotomy in educational standards. After approving their syllabi their infrastructure could be utilised to accommodate a larger number of children.

Mr. Aziz Mazhar suggested undertaking a research study if the restoration of educational standard was possible with restoration of local bodies. He said that with the deterioration of local bodies institution the schools run by local government also lost their credibility. With the present government striving to revive the local government through devolution of power, there are hopes that schools run by the institution may also improve.

Courtesy: The News on Sunday, March 5, 2000.