Policy Failure, Political Constraints and Political Resources: Basic Education in Pakistan

Abstract

Developing an understanding of the existing education framework and highlighting factors that lead to low quality of education within Pakistan.

The study aims to serve a twofold purpose; it initially analyzes the critique surrounding the failure of education system within Pakistan and then reports the findings presented by primary field survey conducted in districts of Punjab (Sargodha, Mianwali), Sindh (Thatta, Malir, and Khairpur) and NWFP (Malakand and Nowshehra). The paper highlights the alarmingly poor status of education within Pakistan and brings forth the recommendations by World Bank, Multi-Donor Support Unit, and the United Nations Inter-Agency Mission that argues that universalisation of education can bring immense progress within the social sector. Conversely, the findings of the survey shed light on the existing state of schools within districts and present various factors that contribute towards the low enrollment and retention rate within schools such as poverty, political instability, cultural attitudes, gender disparity and low quality of public schools. The author concludes that report from World Bank constitutes as an important framework for providing insight into the educational system within Pakistan and highlights the rate of return approach put forward by the paper. The author states that community involvement can bring about the desired change and politics of universalisation appears to be the key to progress within the educational sector.

Publishing Year: 1999

Attached File:

ARCWP05-Gazdar.pdf - Download