Pakistan: Urdu to be a subject but not the medium of instruction

[Harold F. Schiffman]

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

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