47. Pakistan Economic Survey 2011-12 - Consultancy Services in ...

Chapter 10EducationIntroductionThe primary objective of government policy in thelast few years has been to improve the level andquality of education in Pakistan. The governmentvision is to expand primary education and thismeasure can be used to assess whether governmentschools have increased their coverage, byincreasing enrolments faster than the growth inpopulation, especially at the primary level becausethat level forms the core of the literate population.Literacy and primary school enrolment rates inPakistan have shown improvement during last fiveyears but they are still lagging behind othercountries of the region. Scarcity of resources andinadequate provision of facilities and training arethe primary obstacles in imparting and expandingeducation. The present government’s strategy forthe sector includes improving the functioning andutilization of existing schools, improving thequality of education, increasing enrolment,improving access to education and expanding theprimary education system.Under the 18 th constitutional amendment controland management of the education sector has beendevolved to the provinces. They are nowresponsible for the key areas of the educationsector i.e. curriculum and syllabus, centers ofexcellence, standards of education up tointermediate level (Grade 12) and Islamiceducation. Planning and policy and standards ofeducation beyond Grade 12 are covered underFederal Legislative List. All the provinces haveshown their commitment to the National EducationPolicy 2009.This chapter presents an overview of the NationalEducation Policy, followed by a discussion ofliteracy and enrolment statistics. Educationalbudget and programmes and issues related totechnical and vocational training are discussednext, followed by a description of the activities andachievements of the Higher EducationCommission. The last section presents a briefsummary of the Annual Status of Education ReportSurvey.National Educational Policy 2009The National Educational Policy (NEP) 2009 is amilestone which aims to address a number ofissues including:quality and quantity in schools and collegeeducationuniversal primary educationimproved Early Children Education (ECE)improved facilities in primary schoolsconverting primary schools to elementaryschools detaching classes XI-XII from collegeeducationadopting a comprehensive definition of ‘free’educationachieving regional and gender parity especiallyat elementary level provide demand based skills and increase inthe share of resources for education in bothpublic and private sectorsThe policy also defines the role of governmentat the federal as well as the provincial level inthe field of education.137