[EDLING:2244] Pakistan: Urdu to be a subject but not the medium of instruction

[Francis M Hult]

via lgpolicy...

> Only women to teach at primary level in Pakistan
> 
> Jan 14, 2007 - 3:19:15 PM
> 
>   In the language tests, less than 10 percent of students passed
> three-fourth items on conceptual understanding and interpretation. In
> informative writing, less than 20 percent of students got a maximum score
> on this competency.
> 
> By IANS, [RxPG] Islamabad, Jan 14 - Pakistan is devising an education
> policy under which only women will teach at primary school level and Urdu
> will be offered as a language but not be the medium of instruction. The
> science curriculum will be improved and upgraded to bring it on par with
> international standards, said Federal Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi
> Saturday. The history curriculum would be made 'realistic and objective'.
> The process for history books is on. The books have been revised to give a
> 'soft image' of Pakistan abroad, the minister said.
> 
> Contemporary history, particularly pertaining to the birth of Pakistan
> nearly 60 years ago, will be written so as not to portray the religious
> minorities in a negative light, media reports quoted him as saying. Much
> of the schooling in Pakistan is in Urdu and the regional languages -
> Punjabi, Pushto and Sindhi, among others. The minister announced details
> of a nationwide sample survey by the National Education Assessment System
> -, a World bank-funded project, for grade 4 and grade 8 levels in areas of
> language, mathematics, science and social studies. Based on this sampling
> design an assessment was carried out on a national sample of 11,954
> students from 127 districts of the country. According to the findings,
> girls performed better than boys in language and science tests.
> Mathematics and social studies scores did not differ significantly by
> gender or location.
> 
> The results showed that urban students performed significantly better in
> language and social studies tests, but the maths and science scores did
> not differ significantly across rural and urban areas. In the language
> tests, less than 10 percent of students passed three-fourth items on
> conceptual understanding and interpretation. In informative writing, less
> than 20 percent of students got a maximum score on this competency. In
> mathematics, less than two percent were able to reason in settings
> involving application of concept definition and less than one percent were
> able to demonstrate the selection and application of mathematics processes
> in different situations correctly, The Daily Times reported.
> 
> http://www.rxpgnews.com/pakistan/Only-women-to-teach-at-primary-level-in-Pakistan_11819.shtml