According to the latest Annual Status of Education Report, ASER-Pakistan 2012, most children in grade five can only cope with grade two competency levels. This finding applies to students from different types of schools and in all parts of the country. The Learning Achievement in Primary Schools (LEAPS) study 2007, which focused on Punjab province and tested school children of grade three level in English, Urdu and Mathematics, found that children learn very little in school at least at this level. Furthermore, the study showed that between 2000 and 2005, although enrolment in private schools had increased by 62 percent compared to government schools where the increase was 17 percent, learning outcomes remained static in both. It was also found that although there is little difference in the performance of the best public and private schools, variations are enormous in schools at the bottom of the quality ladder where children of public schools are two grades behind their peers in private schools. The results of the Punjab Education Commission (PEC) that conducts examinations of grade five and eight annually show poor performance of students in all subjects except for Islamiyat. Similarly, the Punjab Education and Assessment System (PEAS) Report for 2011 confirms students performing at the basic or poor level in the subjects of Math, Social Studies and Urdu. The report also pointed out that there is little difference in the performance of urban and rural students.
The LEAPS study, PEC results and ASER are among the more recent initiatives to capture what children are learning, with the latter reporting annually on children’s performance. The National Education and Assessment System (NEAS) that has been providing data since 2004 and conducted several nationwide rounds of assessment of students in grades four and eight in four basic competencies of Math, Language (Urdu), Science and Social Studies, has consistently pointed out the low learning achievements of children studying in schools across Pakistan. NEAS instruments were developed “to determine the extent to which students have acquired reading, writing, problem solving, and critical thinking skills, and not the rote learning from textbooks.”
Although every survey and research study has highlighted the poor achievement levels of students, especially in government schools, student-learning outcomes have yet to enter the official educational discourse at any meaningful level. They continue to be viewed as pedagogical debates without any linkage to the quality of life, acquisition of life skills, competencies or capabilities of children. That teacher performance and the language of instruction can be the cause of the poor learning outcomes of children has been ignored.
Research on initiatives taken under the Education Sector Reforms initiated in 2000 shows mounting evidence of the poor performance of teachers. A conclusion drawn by LEAPS was that “the biggest issue in the government sector seems to be what to do about teachers…” In the absence of teacher accountability such as attendance and performance, it is not possible to determine accurately where the problem lies. Nor can the blame lie entirely with ineffective teacher education and training programmes, especially when most private sector teachers are untrained and have been educated in the same public system. The better performance of teachers of private schools in terms of attendance and somewhat better student outcomes is the result of having adequate number of teaching staff in a school, better management and accountability. On the other hand, many public schools, especially at the primary level, lack sufficient teachers and head teachers. Also, despite the collection of monthly data on schools and teachers at least in Punjab, accountability mechanisms have not been enforced.
Investing in teachers is a critical area that requires immediate attention from government. The practice of one teacher teaching more than one class/grade in the majority of our public sector schools is based on a misconception of what is meant by the student teacher ratio (STR). In Pakistan this is interpreted as the number of students per teacher in a school, whereas internationally this refers to the number of students per teacher in a class or grade. Teachers cannot be replaced by technology and other media as face to face interaction is required, especially at the school level. The learning deficit created in early primary continues to higher grades and at present the greatest shortage of teachers is at the early childhood or pre-primary level. This could be overcome by locating pre- and early primary classes within communities where appropriately trained teachers with lower qualifications can be hired. Innovative strategies to overcome the issue of teacher shortage need to be introduced, which could include arranging for the mobility of teachers or students to ensure one teacher for every class in order to provide equitable learning opportunities.
A key reason for the poor learning outcomes of children is the medium of instruction. Research conducted by the Society for the Advancement of Education (SAHE) on the continuous professional development programme of the Directorate of Staff Development Punjab shows that most communication between teacher trainers, teachers and students takes place in Urdu or a regional language that is, the mother tongue. Furthermore, the policy of teaching three subjects in English at the primary level has created confusion and brought down standards, as teachers with poor proficiency in English are teaching while undergoing training. In most developed and developing countries education takes place in the mother tongue, at least in the early years of primary schooling. This lays the base for the development of thinking skills, which is critical for absorbing new concepts and knowledge. The need for developing a language policy that presents clear arguments for teaching in a particular language at different stages is clearly indicated. Such a policy will also need to take into account that proper training of teachers has taken place before placing them in the classroom.
Lastly, the way teaching is conducted has to change. Critical thinking and acquisition of skills as the indictors of learning achievement must become part of the discourse on education at the policy, institutional and practitioner levels.
Dr Fareeha Zafar is Director, Society for the Advancement of Education (SAHE), Lahore