Transcript Education Reform and Conflict Prevention– Perspectives

Education Reform and Conflict
Prevention–
Perspectives from Pakistan
USIP- Washington D.C
June 8, 2007
By
Baela Raza Jamil
ITA – Centre for Education & Consciousness, Pakistan
Country Context
 A country is under siege from within ..evidence mounting –
 Ethnicity, Religion, Gender, Diverse Education Systems etc.
 Inter-provincial conflict, low understanding about the ‘other’
 Violence against women, children & society..eating up the social fabric
 Sixty years after independence, Pakistan with 92% of its population
classified as Muslims, is obsessed with religion, identity and exclusion.
 Whilst peace processes across borders (Afghanistan and India) are
relatively positive, the peace within lies in shambles.
 Is education reform confronting these issues at all?
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Key Statistics
Population :
Population Growth Rate :
Poverty Rate :
Vulnerability %:
Male Female Ratio:
Literacy Rate:
Gender Disparity in Literacy:
Gross Education Rate: Primary:
Net Enrolment Rate : Primary:
Net Enrolment : Rural Girls
Private Sector Provision
Enroll: 33.38 Million
160 million
1.9%
24%
26%
100:92 ( Case of Missing Women!) _
53%
25 %
86%
52%
42%
35-37%(245,682.Total # of Institutioons)
Teaching Staff :1.56 Million
Education with positive social and economic externalities, is a strong predictor
for maternal and infant mortality, gender equality, child labor its worst forms &
absolute poverty .
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The Missing Women Data
Complex factors: patriarchal/feudal traditions and customs, son preference,
gender discrimination: low access to basic needs & parallel draconian legal
systems
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Beyond Madaris…. The Private Sector –the case of
Hybrid Religious Private Chain Schools .. An fast growing reality
12,979 Deeni Madaris : Enrolments 1.54 million
National Education Census 2005
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Presentation
 Part I : Education Reforms in Pakistan :
A White Paper –Revised March 2007
 Part II : The Citizens’ Response
 Part III : The Way Forward
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The White Paper (revised)
 Despite lengthy consultative nation wide processes
encompassing the compilation of the White Paper, the precursor
to the forthcoming education policy, the document officially
termed ” as an intellectual exercise”. (MoE Feb. 22, 2007 )
 The New Education Policy is to be shortly finalized and is on
yet another national consultative journey (May –June 2007) to
accommodate child labor as part of EFA and MDGs
 The National Education Policy Review (NEPR) Process:
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23 Green Papers,
10 Thematic Round Tables
One National Conference
2 Versions of White Paper
www.moe.gov.pk
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 Education policies and reform documents since 1979 have focused
more on access through multiple providers and somewhat on
quality, deeply underpinned by ideology. They have enabled many
more partners to enter the arena .….
 The framing of ideological positions has an exclusionary stance,
neither conflict nor its prevention have never been acknowledged
or given space in the discourse or policy documents.
Education Policies, a traditional tool in the hands of Pakistan’s
praetorian managers to seek legitimacy, accommodate and appease
potential support groups
Education - A severely under- funded enterprise and even lower
capacity for utilization
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The White Paper Layout
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Governance & Management
Quality
Equity
Access
Relevance
Religious Education
Linkages to Principal Social Issues ..incl. Sectarianism
& Democracy
 Education in Emergencies
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Policy Recommendations
Section 10 White Paper…… Back to Religion
 Islamic education in public schools must be seriously overhauled,
particularly in the manner that it is phased through the first 10 years of a
child’s education..
 Between Classes II to V, it should be the purpose of education to inculcate
in the Muslim child the Muslim value system..
 From Class--VII,, more formal instructions in Islamic practices,, which
are common to all Muslim beliefs,, should form the basis of the content in
the courses of Islamic Studies.. For Non--Muslims courses in
values//morals drawn from recognized sources should substitute Islamic
Studies
 Learning Quranic verses by rote in themselves do not improve the moral
or social attitude of the individuals.. It must be recognized that the duty
of society and State is to help the individual in acquiring the attitudes and
views of life that the injunctions of Islam require from all Muslims.
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 Courses should not emphasize on procedural details if they are known to
be divisive in character.. This function to be an obligation of the family.
Policy Recommendations
Sectarianism..linkages to principal social issues
 Curricula and textbooks must not foster, or lead to, sectarianism. .
All divisive material be weeded out from tithe national curriculum
and textbooks.
 2. The State must not be partial to one politico--religious
interpretation or the other. Ethics derived from the Quran and
Sunnah should essentially form the basis of religious education and
procedures must not overtake substance as the focus of sensitization.
 3. Democracy, as a way of life, be a conscious part of the education
as provided particularly in schools.. It will enable citizens to have
an inclusionary outlook to life, with tolerance for difference of
opinion. Thus we will be able to produce citizens with democratic
ideas and beliefs, ensuring its practice.
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e.g. National Curriculum Pakistan Studies Gr. IX-X
Disconnect between Policy & Curriculum Reform
 “This course of Pakistan Studies — which is a
multi-disciplinary subject — has been designed
for the students of Grades IX and X, with a view
to enable them not only to understand the
factors leading to the creation of their
homeland, but also to appreciate various
aspects of its ideology, history, culture,
geography, politics, economy and strategic
position in regional and international affairs.”
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Chapter I… Pakistan Studies
Ideology revisted..
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Chapter VIII… Pakistan Studies
The place for minorities..
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II: Responses to the White Paper
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ITA Public Trust – January – February 2007
Catholic Bishops Conference..
National Commission for Justice and Peace
National Coalition for Education (NCE)
SDPI
Aga Khan AKU- Institute of Education Development (AKUIED)
 Other CSOs and alliances also joined in as did media
 The response strategy snowballed and the Ministry had to
revise the first White Paper
 The Task Manager at MoE resigned due to difference with the
Minister on whose opinion counts.. citizens’ or the state ?
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Civil Society movements becoming strong from mid 60s in Pakistan
III. Recommendations and Way Forward
“There was a person, who made a
circle to keep me out, So I made a
circle to include us both.”
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Way Forward
 Pakistan is 116th (6th from bottom) and USA 96th on the Global
Peace Index (GPI, May, 30,2007): Conflict not a phenomenon for
the developing world only.
 It is important to mobilize strong conceptual frameworks and
practical tools on conflict prevention, from other countries and
adapt to the Pakistani context.
 Other than Madaris it is the mainstream/hybrid and even elite
secondary & tertiary institutions where diversity is being
undermined, where ‘talibanisation’ & ‘extremism’ are being
propagated. Thus a more intelligent strategy is required to explore
substantive alternatives.
 Education is the centre-piece for reversing the trends and to work
towards a democratic learning environment..engaging with
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diversity, peace and citizenship discourse .
Way Forward.. In Policies & Curriculum
 A section needs to be added both in the upcoming policy
document and in the National Curriculum guidelines on
Diversity, Democracy, Citizenship and Conflict
management /resolution as across cutting theme.
 It needs to run powerfully across policy sections on
Governance, Management, Quality, Equity and Access.
 An urgent need to design tools for a PEACE AND
CONFLICT AUDIT in our national curriculum, policies,
strategies, its objectives, textbooks, pedagogy and
assessment systems.
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Way Forward ..Multiple Providers ..Multiple
Partners
 The NEC provides solid evidence on multiple providers.
Diversity of provision needs to be tackled through ensuring
standards and principles of operation, rather than an
adversarial /preferential stance on who is the provider.
 Taking a disaggregated view of school systems, hybrid
versions, including madaris to see what is being taught and
how it is being taught?
 How can techniques of conversations/dialogues about
conflict and peace, research on peace in local contexts
mobilizing the little/subaltern histories instead of grand but
distant narratives be undertaken for a more proactive
approach?
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Creating a Breed of Social Entrepreneurs for
Peace and Democracy Across Ed. Systems
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A strategy needs to be in place to access not just govt. schools but also private
sector schools/colleges/universities and teachers as well who make a critical
difference.( Many elite, private and govt. schools breeding grounds for more
committed fundamentalism/extremism.. Much more sophisticated & internalised)
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ITA is working with over 7000 teachers /educators annually. It has trained pool of
partner educators including those at the Plymouth State University USA (80
educators). It is vital to mobilze them as agents of change, peace and democracy.
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It is critical to mobilize students/youth in this enterprise across the country
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Conversation/dialogue techniques about conflict and peace, initiatives at the
school/college and local levels to capture and understand local histories, culture
and experiences rather than grand narratives..to enrich the national fabric. Moving
away from homogenized national narratives… Ideology= Islam = Nationhood
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Changing culture of schools, colleges, training institutions and departments/
ministries of education
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Way Forward…. The Language Dilemma
or the Peace/Tolerance Challenge
 “ A new language policy of providing justice to all, by
writing new texts in Urdu and other national languages
— texts which promote peace rather than war,
tolerance rather than intolerance and the idea of rights
rather than the views of male and class superiority.
Then perhaps we can take the risk of promoting a more
just policy on the medium of instruction” .
 (Tariq Rahman, Opinion Piece, Dawn June 5, 2007).
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Final Comments
Conflict Prevention through holistic education strategies
is central to the challenge of survival, evolution and
well being of our society and our global community.
I strongly believe that we have the will, the tools and we
can do it collaboratively..
We need to band together for a global agenda and action
towards human security !
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Websites
 Ministry of Education:
 www.moe.gov.pk (Curriculum)
 Federal Bureau of Statistics
 www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/index.html(
National Education Census & PSLMs or
Pakistan Social Living Measurement
Standards survey)
 Ministry of Finance
 www.finance.gov.pk
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