EDU401 Handouts Topics 1-204

Lesson 1. Introduction to Contemporary Trends and Issues and National and International Conventions on Education

Topic 1: Education in twenty first Century

In the title of the course there are three (3) key terms.

1. Contemporary
2. Trends
3. Issues

These three terms can be explained like as under.

1. Contemporary

Contemporary means related to the present time or starting as of today. What we experience in education today.

2. Trends

Are positive kinds of things that are happening in other words the patterns that we like to see and continue.

3. Issues

Issues deal with the negative. They deal with the not so good things that happen in education.

In this course we will focus on trends and issues in education.

If I ask you what one factor causes the change in the education, today? I hope most of you will come up with technology. In twenty first century even yet we are using yesterdays’ training with today’s students. To be compatible with twenty first century education we have to give technology due importance.

We have to see what trends we have to study in technology and what issues in technology we would talk about. In order to provide education to each and every child we have to uplift our resources. We, the teachers of today are basically the product of twentieth century; unlike the students are also twenty first century students. The teachers have to unlearn the concepts of last century and update ourselves with twenty first century.

Education must enable nations and communities to gradually evolve and strengthen their systems of social justice, democratic institutions, and foster values of peace, harmony, tolerance, and mutual respect among diverse populations. All these skills are necessary to survive in twenty first century. Education should also promote individual freedom, empower people and a vehicle to uplift the economic situation.

Topic 2: International Conventions for Free and Quality Education

Provision of free and quality education has been declared as fundamental rights. They want all children to get basic elementary, secondary education.

1. Universal declaration of human rights

This convention was approved by the world nations at the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. According to this convention everyone has the right to education and education shall be free at least in the elementary and fundamental basis.

Elementary education involves pre-school, the early years and education up to grade 5. It is supposed to be free. It means that govt. or any other agency shall be sponsoring that. All the children shall be in school in those grades.

2. Convention on the rights of the child

Convention on the rights of the child in 1989 explicitly recognized education as a fundamental right. All children must be in school progressively meaning gradually. They also have equal opportunity for all the students. The elements of this convention states make primary education compulsory and available free to all children. Encourage the development of different forms in secondary education including general and vocational. Education of a child does not stop at elementary level. Vocational education helps a student to earn a living.

3. DAKAR world education forum

April 2000 164 countries combined together, to ensure Education for All (EFA). They focused at achieving the goal in developed, developing and under developed countries to achieve till 2015. Pakistan has not met most of the targets set under that convention.

EFA Goals

Following are some of the EFA goals with explanation.

Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood education. There is a need to improve the comprehensive basic education

Ensuring that by 2015 all students particularly girls and those belonging to the ethnic

minorities receive an education. 2015 was the target, 15 years were given to countries to plan that. We have not met this target. Many of our children are not going to school. We have to see what countries have achieved these targets. We have to compare our country with others. Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable acces to appropriate learning and life skills Every child should have equitable access. No child should say that there is no school in my area. For that we have to improve our infra-structure

Achieving 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015

Based on 2000, whatever the adult literacy was then, they wanted that in coming 15 years it should improve by 50%. Most of our adult population is not literate.

Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005

Only 5 years were given to remove gender disparity from schools. In 2015 the target was set to equalize the gender in schools i.e. to make the same number available for boys and girls. We have to look at the countries in our region, the developing countries that have come close to achieving the targets. Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so that recognize and measurable outcomes are achieved by all Improving education, it is not a simple task. By improving education we mean we mean to improve the facilities, teacher training, schools, curriculum, examination, and assessment system. Unless all that is improved, the quality of education cannot be improved.

4. Convention Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Eight millennium development goals were set by the United Nations for the signatory countries. Following are the details of those 8 MDGs

I.

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

We need to feed our population through a balanced diet.

II.

Achieve universal primary education

Universal means across the globe. Primary education up to grade 5 should be provided to all free and mandatory.

III.

Promote gender equality and empower women

Equal access to primary and post primary education for girls. Gender equality especially in Pakistan is a difficult task. But according to MDGs girls have to achieve that as well.

IV.

Reduce child mortality

Mortality is the death rate. There could be many reasons like malnutrition, diseases, poor health care, poverty, not enough food. We need to get sure that we can eradicate that.

V.

Improve maternal health

Good healthy mother would breed good healthy child.

VI.

Combat HIV aids, malaria and other diseases

In our case it could also include dengue.

VII.

Ensure environmental stability

We have polluted water, polluted air. Our entire population should receive clean and safe water.

VIII.

Develop a global partnership for development

More aid, more debt relief, more access to essential drugs etc. in other words living in cooperation.

Topic 3 Status of Education in Pakistan

As discussed that we have not been able to bring all children to schools. Lot of work is to be done, in order to achieve that, even in the coming 5 or 10 years.

Population growth is not helping achieve us the target. Resultantly, boys are expected to do the field work and girls are expected to do the household work. Even if we have children in schools we can even have a problem of dropouts. Had our population been less, our school enrollment rate would have increased. In fact Pakistan’s illiterates have increased. In 1951 they were 20 million that number rose to 50 million in 1998. That is more than double. We will have to ensure that our young children are in school to combat that increasing number. It is estimated that about 55 million of age 10 plus, cannot read and write and 7 million students of age 5 to 9 years are out of school. By reading and writing we mean reading and writing in urdu. It is extremely more difficult for them to read and write in any other language, especially English.

In rural areas 52% of girls are not enrolled in schools. 67% of women are illiterate. There are 2 reasons for that. Over population and the second reason is because the women themselves did not go to schools so they do not realize the importance to send their girls to school. With children not going to schools, where are you going to find women doctors or nurses? To get a service of a female for a female we have to send our girls to schools.

Due to low rates of literacy and primary education, Pakistan has been ranked at lowest ranking of below 125th position in Human Development Index for 20 years. If that has to be changed our young people need to be in schools.