Pakistan school teachers� salaries lower than domestic servants

The devolution of power to local governments has caused several complications in the education system, with numerous cases of interference by nazims resulting in poor results at schools, Education Minister Lt Gen (r) Javed Ashraf Qazi has said.

Sixteen colleges had a zero pass rate last year because of the undue interference of nazims, the minister said in his address at the two-day National Education Conference that started here on Tuesday. More than 150 experts in educational governance, management, curriculum, textbooks, teachers� education and assessment are participating in the conference. The findings of the conference are to be incorporated in the review of the National Education Policy, which is scheduled to be completed by June 30. The policy is to be announced by August.

Qazi said the whole education system from primary to higher level needed to be revamped. He said more than 20,000 schools in Punjab lack facilities like drinking water, boundary walls and toilets. The statistics in other provinces were similarly depressing, he said.

Qazi said 45 percent of students dropped out before completing their primary education, and there were a number of factors behind this high rate. �We are giving salaries lower than domestic servants� to teachers. What can you expect them to deliver? What results can matriculate 3rd division teachers produce?� He said the examination system also has serious flaws. There is 100 percent choice in exam questions, meaning students don�t have to study half of the syllabus. There are also 11 grace marks available to every student to pass an exam.

The experts who spoke on the first day of the conference said education was being commercialised and this trend must be checked to provide every student access to education. They said the education budget needs to be increased as the present budget of 2.7 percent of GDP could not make a significant change in the education system. They also proposed that there should be 12 years of �free, broad-based education for all�.

Source: Daily Times More

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