ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: In what seems to be an attempt to uplift the education sector, uniform education along with increasing education spending to 4 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) was recommended.
Speakers at a forum organized by Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform recommended that Urdu should be introduced as the medium of instruction.
The forum was attended by Farhan Aziz Khawaja, Najeeb Aslam, Dr. M Usman Awan (Group Coordinator), Fazal –ur-Rahman, M Zafar Khan, Nasrullah Tareeen, Hassan Mughal, Asif Shafiq Lakhvi, Abeeha Islam, Dr. Syed Tahir Hijazi and Abdul Qadir.
They recommended that Special Education for the disabled should be focused upon so as to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the country.
It is recommended that Higher Education Commission (HEC) Quality enhancement cells should be strengthened and the commission should stay intact and Provincial commissions’ be given the role of monitoring and strengthening of college education and not of policy making.
They further recommended that National Teacher Award recipients’ credentials be made public and poor performing teachers should be reprimanded.
It is recommended that the theory taught in class should be in line with practical needs of the country (floods, earthquakes, energy conservation etc).
Technical/Vocational training should be made part of the syllabus after class VIII and every child must learn at least one trade, they suggested.
They recommended that National Education Survey should be conducted on the pattern of 2005 Survey.
They suggested uniform curriculum for national unity and cohesion, besides launching nutrition program at primary levels to counter rampant malnutrition.
It is suggested that HEC should monitor statutory compliance of universities along with revive of HEC’s National Teacher Education Program.
They suggested that innovative teaching methodologies should be introduced, besides enhancing salary structure of teachers.
They recommended that HEC should promote the spirit of entrepreneurship and teacher performance in Higher education should be measured by the number of researchers and patents and not the number of students in the classroom.
It is recommended that election duties be given to university students and civic laws be introduced and made part of the curriculum.
They recommended that student counseling be introduced and special administrative cadre Public-private partnerships be encouraged for increased investment.
