Standard of education: shifting of responsibilities

Standard of education: shifting of responsibilities

It has become fashion to blame and criticize some one. But no one is ready to think for a moment as to who is truly responsible for all that. No doubt education is a very big issue of any society, needs attention of all the stakeholders, i.e. government and society. Just talking about low quality of education and holding the authorities only responsible for its decline, makes no service and sense. It would be just shifting of responsibilities. In fact situation demands strong will and powerful action.

A philosopher said, “The best gift from a father to his child is education and upbringing". To fix responsibility and understand the entire scenario lets start from the beginning. The first step of educating a child starts from home. These are parents who are responsible to provide education atmosphere to their children. It is the place, where interest of a child for education is developed.
If parents are educated, they want their children should be educated. They wish to see them successful in their lives.
Pakistan is an agricultural country, majority of its population belongs to rural areas and they are bounded with their environment, hence they are unable to take serious interest in education. That is why we find low literacy rate and low standard of education in our rural areas as compared to urban areas. In rural areas children have fewer opportunities for education. A majority of rural population thinks that education matters a very little in their lives, as it is no more useful for them in practical life. Another factor which hampers education is discrimination between boys and girls which is observed by the parents. Boys are allowed with maximum facilities to get higher education but girls are discouraged and at the most they are allowed to have primary education. This criteria results into less literacy rate.
It is uphill task to change the mentality of people in a male dominated society. Furthermore, in case of Pakistan, it is more difficult due to poor governance and lack of access to justice.
Not only non governmental sectors but the government officials admit that in rural areas school and college teachers are getting salaries at their homes without attending the schools. Studies show that a large number of ghost teachers who in connivance with the educational officers and through political influence do not perform their duties in schools and colleges. Sindh minister for education Pir Mazharul Haq is on record that in Sindh over 3000 schools were practically lying closed. This practice is continuing since years.
The reports also suggest that in some schools, if teachers are present, they do not pay proper attention to their students deserve. Practically we are creating an illiterate generation carrying degrees in their hands.
Poor monitoring, political patronage and lack of interest by the community has destroyed our education.
When government schools fail to provide quality education and government and other concerned authorities failed to change the situation it opened the doors for commercialization of this basic sector which has been a vehicle of change. This gave rise to mushroom growth of private educational institutions sectors.
It is strange phenomena that in even katchi Abadi you will find private schools and private doctors. This is basically no confidence against the government’s health and educational system which has failed to deliver.
The tragedy not only ends here. A few private schools have quality education that too on higher cost. A number of private schools lack basic infrastructure and qualified teaching staff. Practically they are as bad as public sector schools. This situation has further commercialized the education in shape of private tuitions and so called institutes. This all have made quality education rather proper education for children of common man a distance cry.
Literacy rate in the country as claimed by the government is very low. It stands 48 percent, this also includes those who can read and write their names. However different non governmental institutions question official figures about literacy rate.
There is urgent need to find out real causes of declining standard of education, which was creating illiterate carrying degrees in their hands.
I think parents, government and our system is responsible for this decline. Therefore it should be dealt with accordingly.