Education and Development in Pakistan Challenges and Way Forward By: Jorge Sequeira Director / Representative UNESCO Islamabad
Introduction • Specialised Agency of UN in Education, Basic Sciences and Culture • UNESCO Constitution: “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed”
Roles and Functions Main Functions � Standard setter � Clearing house � Catalyst for international cooperation Global priorities in Education � Education For All (EFA) – Six Goals of Dakar � ESD, ICTs, TVET, HIV/AIDS Ed, Health Ed.
Progress in Education Commitment to Education For All (EFA) Goals: • Proposed increase of ed. budget • Free primary education, abolition of fees, free textbooks, stipend for girls, etc • Public private partnerships • Investment in adult literacy and NFBE • Concern for quality – NEAS, Teacher training, improvement of physical facilities • Curriculum review (every 5 years)
Challenges • Magnitude of target groups e.g. illiterates and out-of-school youth: over 50m; 20m aged 10-24 • Education budget : around 2.3 % of GDP • Capacity : inability to plan, utilise funds and meet targets • Quality and relevance : teacher education, curriculum and examination systems • Systemic : accountability, political interference, lack of community involvement • Management and Planning : sectoral plans not followed; ad-hocism, project-based approach • Donor coordination is not effective
Education in South Asian Countries-A comparison (Source: UNESCO, Global Education Digest 2007, UIS, Montreal, HDR 2006) Country HDI Public Literacy GER NER Survival Ranking expenditure Rate 15+ Rate 2005 2005 on ED as % of GDP India 126 3.8 61 119 89 73 Iran 96 4.7 82 111 95 88 Pakistan 134 2.3 50 87 68 70 Sri Lanka 93 - 91 98 97 - Bangladesh 137 2.5 47 109 94 65
Literacy Situation in Pakistan (PSLM 2005-06)
MDGs and Literacy • MDG No 1: Eradication of Poverty • Target EFA goals in particular: • Literacy and Life Skills • TVET
MDGs and Literacy • MDG No 2: • MDG 3 : Promote gender equality and Achieve Universal Primary empower women Education • Target 4: • Target 3. Eliminate gender disparity in Ensure that, by 2015, children primary and secondary everywhere, boys and girls education, preferable by 2005 alike, will be able to complete and in all levels of education a full course of primary no later than 2015. schooling. Indicator 10: • Indicator No 8: Ratio of literate women to men, Literacy rate of 15-24 year olds 15-24 years old
MDG 2 Ensure that by 2015, all boys and girls alike will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling 100 100 90 77 80 70 58 Percentage 60 52 46 50 42 40 30 20 10 0 1990-91 2000-01 2004-05 PRSP Target MTDF Target MDG Target 2005-06 2009-10 2015
Literacy Trends (1951-2004) and Gender Gap 70 Male 60 25% gender Total 50 gap Percentage Female 40 30 20 7.6% gender gap 10 0 1951 1961 1972 1981 1998 2004 Years
Rural-Urban and Gender Gap in Literacy (10+ years of age) (1972-2004) 90 80 70 60 Percentage 50 40 30 20 10 0 Urban Male Urban Female Rural Male Rural Female 1972 1981 1988 2004 2006
Number of Illiterates are increasing in Pakistan Year Pop 10 + Literacy Rate Illiterate Pop (10+) (10+) (Millions) 1951 22.71 17.9 18.64 1961 26.12 16.7 22.08 1972 42.91 21.7 33.59 1981 56.33 26.2 42.69 1998 89.84 43.92 50.38 (Source: Census Reports of Pakistan)
Budget allocations for Adult Literacy in Pakistan Plan Ed Budget (Total) Literacy Literacy budget as % In Pak Rs. (Millions) budget of Ed Budget I-5 th Plans (1955-83 ) 15,577 - - 6 th Plan (1983-88) 18,830 750 4.0 % 7 th Plan (1988-1993) 22,684 300 1.32 % 8 th Plan (1993-98) 20,232 1,750 8.6 % 9 th Plan (1998-2003) 133,500 1,000 0.74 % (Sources: National Education Policy (1998-2010) and UNESCO, 2003, ‘Literacy Trends in Pakistan’, Islamabad)
Provincial Disparities in Literacy and Primary Education (PSLM 2004-05) Literacy • 80% literacy rate among urban male in Sindh vs 13 % female literacy in rural Balochistan • 24 Districts with literacy rate below 35% • In 30 districts female literacy rate is below 20% • In Balochistan only 2 districts with female literacy rate above 35% NER at Primary Level • 54 districts with NER below 50% • 24% for girls in rural Balochistan vs 69% for boys in urban Punjab • Below 30% for rural girls in 36 districts • Only in 3 districts of Balochistan, NER for rural girls is above 30%
G-8 Declaration on Education …..Success in EFA can only be possible if there is a strong vision and firm commitment by developing countries themselves with national ownership and self-help based on clearly formulated Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers or their equivalent and well-constructed long-term plans for the education sector as a whole.
TWG s UN Resident Coordinator DRM P A RD ENV Education H & P UN AGENCY UN AGENCY UN AGENCY UN AGENCY UN AGENCY P A RD ENV Education DRM Projects & Projects & Projects & Projects & Projects & Programmes Programmes Programmes Programmes Programmes DMT OMT Security Travel Banking Operations Management Team Operations Operations Operations Operations Operations Finance HR Procurement ICT
The Reform • Opportunities. Understanding the benefits of the reform • Delivering as One is not merging into One • Roles and mandates of UN agencies remain as well as relationship with Ministries and partners
What UNESCO brings to the reform • Extensive normative work and validation • Expertise accumulated over the years • Latest trends and information in Education Development
The 4 UN roles The 4 UN roles � Advocate for International norms Advocate for International norms � and Standards and Standards � Adviser to the Government Adviser to the Government � � Convener of stakeholders Convener of stakeholders � � Provider of technical expertise for Provider of technical expertise for � operational activities and capacity operational activities and capacity building building
Opportunities Opportunities ESD: Education for Sustainable ESD: Education for Sustainable Development Development FRESH: Focusing Resources on Effective FRESH: Focusing Resources on Effective School Health School Health EDUCAIDS EDUCAIDS ICTS in Education ICTS in Education
Strategic action Strategic action Increase of ed. budget from 2.3% to 4% of GDP Increase of ed. budget from 2.3% to 4% of GDP Underpinned by capacity: education Underpinned by capacity: education governance, planning and management; governance, planning and management; teachers, school- -based management based management teachers, school Accountability: merit- -based system, community based system, community Accountability: merit involvement, reduction of political interference involvement, reduction of political interference Education for social change : priority to literacy : priority to literacy Education for social change and basic education towards economic and basic education towards economic development. Contribution of Basic Education development. Contribution of Basic Education and TVET to poverty reduction and TVET to poverty reduction
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