Education For All By 2015: The Challenges

April 28, 2007

Mirzapur, Nawabshah

Seminar Report
By
Nisar Brohi

Seminar Report: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges

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1. An Introduction
2. Objectives of the Seminar
3. Seminar Proceedings
3.1 Mr. Nek Soomro, Welcome Address
3.2 Mr. Nisar Brohi, Director, SDF
3.3 Mr. Abdul Hameed, DDO Education,
3.4 Mr. Zulfiqar Ali, Branch Manager, SRSP,
Nawabshah
3.4 Mr. Nawaz Brohi, Eminent Journalist
3.5 Mr. Qurban Brohi, lecturer Rangers Public
School, Nawabshah
3.6 Mr. Nazir A. Zardari, Vote of thanks
4. Recommendations of the Seminar

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1. An Introduction
Education is the basic right of every individual;
therefore, easy access to education for every
citizen should be ensured, it is an evitable for
the human resources development and ultimately for
socio-economic
development of
the nation.
However,
according to
government
figures, in
2001-2002, the
over all
estimated
literacy rate
in the country
was 50.5
percent, for male 63 percent and for female 38
percent. The rural literacy rate was 30 percent and
urban literacy rate was 70 percent. But there are
still millions of children are out of schools. The
figures reveal that there are about 6 million
children of 5-9-age group who are left out of
school. The left out includes those children who
never enrolled and those who drop out.
There are a lot of discouraging elements exist in
education system of the country, which created
hindrances for the poor masses to get their
children admitted in the schools, such as the low
literacy rate, high drop out rate, a large scale
teacher absenteeism, weak and poor management and
supervision structure of our educational
departments, dearth of trained and qualified
teachers, lack of dedication, motivation and
interest in their teaching profession and shortage
of physical facilities in the schools especially in
the rural areas. Moreover the curriculum is mostly

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outdated, irrelevant and does not meet the
contemporary challenges.
Education for All (EFA)
Education For All refers to the world wide
commitment for the universal primary education
completion of all children by 2015 all over the
world.
This global commitment was made at the World
Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal in April 2000 and
later on reaffirmed in the Millennium declaration
in New York
in September
2000. But
the
Government
of Pakistan
seems to be
lagging
behind in
achieving
the
committed
goal by
2015, if she
would not chalk out uniform strategy for the
promotion of universal education in the country,
especially focusing on the backward and rural
areas, where there is very low education ratio due
to lack of educational facilities to the rural
community.
2. Objectives of the Seminar
To join the Global Action Week from April-23-
28, 2007, education for all by 2015,
To get realized the government for its global
commitments for the promotion and illumination
of universal primary education completion by
2015,

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 To discuss the importance of education for the
socio-economic development,
To highlight the flaws in the education
structure in the country,
To discuss the role of the local stakeholders,
including the local government and elected
representatives for the promotion of education,
To sensitize the rural community to play their
due role for the education promotion in their
respective rural areas
3. Seminar Proceedings
3.1 Mr. Nek Soomro, Welcome Address
Mr. Soomro welcomed to all the participants and
offered his gratitude’s to SDF holding seminar on
the importance of education on the eve of Global
Action Week, education for all at Mirzapur,
Nawabshah.
While highlighting the current education scenario
in the district said that the majority of people
are uneducated in the area. They have still been
confronting with various problems in accessing
education for their new generation. A large number
of schools in
the area either
closed since
long time or the
teachers are
reluctant to
attend the
schools.
He further said,
education is the
most ignored
social sector in
the district, neither the local administration has
any education promotion policy nor the provincial
government has taken any serious and fruitful

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efforts for the effective and result-oriented
functioning of the rural schools in the district.
Therefore, education of the district especially in
the rural areas is in pathetic and deterioration
condition.
3.2 Mr. Nisar Brohi, Director, SDF
While speaking in the seminar Mr. Brohi said that
SDF is for non-profit and non-governmental
organization, working closely with civil society
stakeholders on socio-economic and human rights
awareness issues. The education awareness of the
rural masses is also one of the main thematic areas
of the organization; therefore, the Sangat
organization has been busy in developing close
coordination and collaboration with local public
and private organizations as well as national
organizations for the promotion of education in the
district.
He further talking on the topic “Education and
Development” said, it is now universal fact that
without education no nation could achieve the
socio-economic development, because education is
the basic and founding element for the human
resource development, which ultimately leads to
socio-economic development of any society.
When we take stock of the developed nations,
education has had a vital role in their socio-
economic and political clout and development. On
the other side, the developing countries are
lacking behind in all fields of life just due to
lack of education of their people.
History reveals that those nations held sway over
others, which first focused on the education and
skill development of their people. But in the
contemporary world, education is an inevitable for
the survival and development of any nation. Without
it, no nation could pave its way for the prosperity
and development.

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Education merely not helps us to understand the
latest trends around the globe, but also a way to
get rid of socio-intellectual poverty. Education
and development are inseparable elements. Education
helps the people to understand the new development
paradigm-taking place around the globe. The
government and civil society should come forward
to play their due role for the illumination of
education in our rural society, to bring them at a
par with other people and reduce their
powerlessness and depression.
3.3 Mr. Abdul Hameed, DDO Education, Govt of
Pakistan
While delivering his thought provoking presentation
on “Education and Curriculum flaws”, said that
education has never been on the first priority of
all the rulers of the country for the last six
decades, which has today brought us socio-political
upheaval. If we would not taken immediate bold and
valiant efforts for the promotion of equally
standardized and universal education in the
country, we would be leading ourselves to social
holocaust. The double standards in our education
system has alarmingly widen the gulf of haves and
haves not. Our society has clearly divided into two
classes, one highly rich and other extremely poor,
and the poor community is desperately fighting for
their survival.
This entire problem lies in the lack of education
facilities and curriculum developed by the
government, for the rich class, is separate and
standardized curriculum and for the poor and
backward class is other. It would not be an
exaggeration to say that the elite class is being
trained that how to hold sway over the under
privileged and marginalized class and the poor one
is either left illiterate or given low level

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education just be able to understand the obey
orders of their bosses.
He lashed out at the ruling class to change their
bent of mind and conventional approaches in dealing
with the affairs of the state, and now adopt
unilateral approach handling the problems of the
people, the country can only be safe and secure
when the over all business of the state should be
based on social equality and justice. All the
subjects of the state should be treated
irrespectively. The education is the basic right of
all masses; it is therefore, the government should
take urgent measures for the universalization of
education in the country.
There should be a uniform educational policy in the
country, and the curriculum should be adopted
keeping in mind the contemporary global development
trends, and as well as protecting the local and
national values and traditions. It has been noted
that during the last couple of years the mother
languages are largely discouraged in our
educational institutions, which resulted into
large-scale drop out rate of the students. So, that
trend should be reversed in order to control the
drop out ratio which happens due to language
problem in the early years of children in the
schools.
3.4 Mr. Zulfiqar Ali, Branch Manager, SRSP,
Nawabshah
Mr. Zulfiqar talked on the topic “Education and
Gender Equality” he said that gender equality has
not been maintained in our educational
institutions. The government also seems reluctant
to make any serious efforts to develop the gender-
based approach in the educational institutions. Due
to indifferent attitude of government as well as
the civil society, today we have a very low ratio
of educated women in the country. Our education

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system/institutions have very discouraging elements
and unfavorable environment for the girls to have
education freely.
Due to unawareness and illiteracy, our female class
has been facing with multidimensional problems in
the society. They have been marginalized from our
joint social set up. They are confined in the
houses just bearing babies and performing the
duties in their houses. As for as their education
and awareness issues are concerned, they are
deliberately kept away by their respective male
members. Simultaneously, the previous governments
have never designed women oriented policies, which
would have help them in getting education freely
and join the social development sphere.
It is now high time that the government and the
civil society stakeholders should come forward to
collectively and collaboratively make sustained
efforts for developing gender equality approaches
in socio-economic polices of the country, and to
ensure the women participation in the decision
making process. Unless and until, the women
community would not be involved in the over all
planning and policy designing cycle, the country
could not achieve any development and progress in
any field of life. Let us get participation of our
women population in the mainstream of our society
and provide them equal social status in the
society.
3.4 Mr. Nawaz Brohi, Eminent Journalist
While delivering his presentation on “Education and
Role of Local Government” said that education is
the key to all developments in the life. It is
therefore, education has been top priority of
developed nations in the world. But alas, our
governments have never taken any tangible efforts
for the promotion of education in the country. Due
to lack of education, we are having

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multidimensional socio-economic and political
problems in the country. There were high public
expectations that with the establishment of local
government system in the county, would reduce the
problems of the poor and backward segment of the
society at the grass root level and would also
involve the powerless in the decision making
process at the local level, but all in vain. This
so called local government system has once again
introduced the local elite class, who has been
making all possible efforts to hold the local power
and keep the poor masses away from the power cadre.
As for the local government’s role for the
promotion of education is concerned, it is very
disappointing. There have been no changes in the
socio-educational landscape at the local level. The
local government administration has taken no
healthy efforts for the education promotion in
their respective areas. There are a large number of
schools are either closed or dysfunctional, but the
local government has a lot of excuses to make them
functional. A great numbers of school teachers are
regularly remaining absent from their duties and
used to sit and serve the interests of the local
Nazim and Naib Nazim, in order to get protection
from any expected punitive action.
The Nazims should have to play their due role for
the promotion and illumination of the education in
their respective local areas. They should make the
teachers bound for their duties, above board from
their political affiliations as to save the future
of the nation.
With this, the local elected representatives have
to change and replace the poor and ineffective
education management, which is the root cause for
the deterioration of education in the country. Due
to the appointment of corrupt and inefficient
officers in the education departments has brought
the education at brink of collapse. So, the time is

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calling for shots in order to bring the education
of the country on the track, other wise we would
have a lot of sufferings and miseries if we would
not take corrective measures for the betterment of
our education system.
3.5 Mr. Qurban Brohi, Lecturer, Rangers Public
School, Nawabshah,
While speaking on the topic “Our Education System
and Role of Teacher” Mr. Qurban said that the
educational professionals have a paramount
important role in the promotion of education. They
are the nation-building actors of the society. It
would not be an exaggeration to say that the
teachers have had a decisive role for any change in
any society; they are the change agents of the
nation. But on the other side, it is the great
dilemma that the most sacred profession has been
systematically made inefficient and corrupts in our
country.
He recalled that during the 90s decade, a large
numbers of so-called teachers were recruited in
public educational department, which was the sowing
of seeds for the destruction and deterioration of
education in the country. Due to slaughtering of
merit culture by our so-called democratic
governments in the appointments of the teachers has
played havoc with the education system, and
ultimately brought many problems for the society.
He recommended that either this so called
inefficient army of teachers should be fired or
given trainings for their capacity building, and
after that trainings and education they should also
be made bound to pass the proposed test/examination
for their service continuity in the education
department, if they failed they should be either
fired or send to other departments, but don’t let
them to play the future of the nation. He also
appealed to teaching professional to make hard work

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for their capacity and skill development, than they
could build the future of nation.
3.6 Mr. Nazir A. Zardari, Vote of Thanks
In the conclusion of the seminar, Mr. Nazir Zardari
presented the vote of thanks, and said that it is
onus and responsibility of all stakeholders of the
society to work collectively for the education
awareness in the society, in order to have better
socio-economic future of the nation. He suggested
establishment of Union, Taluka and district level
education watch groups consisted upon
representatives of all stakeholders of civil
society and the civil society group should work
very closely with the local elected and educational
department for the betterment of education
especially in the rural areas of the district.
3. Recommendations of the Seminar
♦ There is badly need of awareness campaign
regarding the importance of education in the
rural community
♦ The all stakeholders should be provided massive
capacity building training in order to ensure
better performance and understanding of their
roles and responsibilities.
♦ The communities should be sensitize and given
proper orientation, as to play their role in the
enhancement of education levels and standards.
♦ The physical infrastructure isn’t properly in
place yet, there, the creation of proper
infrastructure is critically important.
♦ The monitoring staff needs to be made mobile to
ensure effective functioning
♦ The public representatives should refrain from
unnecessary interference and political clout over
education officials.
♦ A number of managerial staff is from teaching
cadres. They should be provided with necessary
managerial training

Seminar Report: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges

r Repot: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges