THE FUTURE OF GIRLS EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN

Transcription

1 THE FUTURE OF GIRLS EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN (A Study on Policy Measures and Other Factors Determining Girls Education) by Dr. Humala Shaheen Khalid & Dr. Eshya Mujahid-Mukhtar UNESCO Office, Islamabad August, 22 - i -

2 Foreword The International Literacy Year, 199 and the World Conference on Education for All, Jomtien, Thailand started a decade of increased emphasis on basic education, worldwide. UNESCO as part of its efforts identified nine high populous developing countries where the rate of population growth was high and the literacy levels low, and decided to make these nine countries the focus of greater attention for the purposes of achieving education for all, which is popularly identified as E-9. Pakistan is a part of this project. The Dakar Framework of Action for Education For All (EFA) 2, places considerable emphasis on girls education, and women s education, particularly the elimination of gender disparities in primary and secondary education. The Dakar Framework for Action has among its six goals to: ensuring that by 215 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality; eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 25, and achieving gender equality in education by 215, with a focus on ensuring girls full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality; (Article 7 ii & v of Dakar Framework of Action) The Dakar Framework of Action has been followed by the United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI). UNESCO and other international agencies have strengthened their cooperation in the implementation of projects for the promotion of girls education and elimination of gender disparities. Girls education is one of the priority areas for the Ministry of Education and provincial Departments of Education in Pakistan. The UNESCO Office Islamabad is working closely with the Government of Pakistan and NGOs for the provision of literacy training and non formal basic education opportunities for disadvantaged girls and women. However, girls education remains marginalized and in need of urgent and full attention. During the 2-21 biennium, UNESCO commissioned different research studies in the E-9 countries to assess the status of literacy and basic education, and to indicate the direction that these were taking, among them this study on girls literacy was one of such. Given the low rate of literacy, participation and completion for girls in education at all levels and considering the high percentage of the female population living in these populous developing countries, it was deemed important to examine the trend that girls education was taking: was it registering an increase and if so would this trend have a positive impact in the future; was it registering a decrease, and if so what would be its impact on the future; were there other issues involved, perhaps socio cultural traditions that were affecting girls education; were there political issues involved and so on. These studies were conducted simultaneously in all the E9 countries in order to allow for comparisons and a rich exchange of experience which would help the countries strengthen their policies and programmes in favour of girls education. - ii -

3 The studies were largely introspective and based on secondary sources. They analyze Government policies, documents and other research results to develop a cohesive picture of the possible direction girls education may take in the future. UNESCO as the coordinating body of the international efforts in favour of EFA has also, through its regional office in Bangkok developed Guidelines for Preparing Gender Responsive EFA Plans. This publication is based on the study of Future of the Girls Education, designed and supported by UNESCO Office Islamabad. Two eminent female educationists, Dr. Humala Khalid and Dr. Eshya Mujahid-Mukhtar have worked with UNESCO experts on this report. We hope the information and findings presented in this report will contribute to highlighting the challenges of girls education in Pakistan. Comments and suggestions on the study/report will be most welcome. 3 August 22 Ingeborg Breines Director UNESCO, Islamabad. - iii -

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 6 CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY AND LIMITATIONS 8 CHAPTER III: A STATISTICAL PROFILE OF GIRLS EDUCATION 9 IN PAKISTAN CHAPTER IV: REVIEW OF POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES ON 13 GIRLS EDUCATION IMPLEMENTED IN THE 199s CHAPTER V: BARRIERS TO GIRLS EDUCATION 26 CHAPTER VI: RESULTS OF EFA 2 ASSESSMENT AND 3 CURRENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES CHAPTER VII: FUTURE SCENARIO FOR GIRLS EDUCATION 39 IN PAKISTAN ANNEX: EFA PERFORMANCE MATRIX 41 STATISTICAL ANNEX 46 - iv -

5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The World Education Forum in Dakar (April 2) noted that, although the EFA 2 Assessment registered significant progress in many countries, it was unacceptable that by the year 2, more than 113 million children had no access to primary education, 88 million adults were illiterate and gender discrimination continued to permeate education systems. The assessment also indicated the need to look at girls education as a component of the global and national drive for education for all; it was learned that the education of girls must be considered in the general context of gender equality, including education for women. The major Dakar goals, therefore, include the elimination of gender discrimination in education by 215. UNESCO has been developing countless projects and programmes in this regard. One of the most promising strategies has been the mobilization of political decision makers by informing them systematically on the positive consequences of the provision of quality education for girls in society. In this context, UNESCO commissioned a national study to critically analyze the situation for girls education in Pakistan using gender-disaggregated statistical information on literacy, enrolment and drop-out rates; to review past and current policies and programmes which have impacted (or will impact) female education; and to develop the broad outlines of a possible scenario for the future of girls education in Pakistan. More specifically, the Study attempts to develop a profile of female education in the country to highlight the existing gender disparities in adult literacy and primary education; review past and current policies and strategies implemented to achieve gender equality and equity in the context of EFA 2 targets/goals; identify barriers to girls education; and develop a possible future scenario for girls education in Pakistan, in the general context of gender equity. Profile of Girls Education in Pakistan: The Study is based on secondary sources, providing official national level statistics. Available information indicates that although overall adult literacy rates are low in the country, with over half the population illiterate, there has been an impressive progress over the past two decades, especially in rural areas where literacy rates have doubled and for females, there has been an almost three-fold increase. Gross enrolment rates at primary level have always been higher in urban than in rural areas. Also, these rates display sharp gender disparities within each area. However, due to higher levels of awareness, coupled with certain policy measures which focused on female education, especially in rural areas under the Social Action Programme (SAP), the gender gap has narrowed remarkably during the 199s. Data on enrolment-mix at the primary level display an increase in the proportion of girls, vis-à-vis boys in both urban and rural areas during the 199s. While in urban areas, the student enrolment remains more or less equally balanced between boys and girls, the gender gap is still wide in rural areas. Besides better levels of awareness, there are two key factors (both controlled by policy) i.e., number of schools and recruitment of female teachers, which are responsible for improving female enrolments. During the 199s, since policy focused on rural areas, the number of primary schools increased sharply for both boys and girls, although the proportion of (exclusively) girls school remained constant. However, the introduction of a large number of mixed schools (comprising almost 12% of all primary schools in rural areas) which were basically girls schools but allowed enrolment of boys as well, played an important role in enhancing girls enrolment. As expected, the proportion of female teachers perfectly matches the pattern of female enrolments. While in urban areas, there has remained an equal distribution of male and female - v -

6 primary teachers but in rural areas, there is a wide gender gap though this has improved over the decade. Although most children do get admitted to primary schools, but the major problem is their retention in primary classes. Given the poverty, high opportunity costs of children attending school (as sometimes they are required to contribute to the family s economic activities or towards daily household chores such as fetching water, fuel or sibling care), parents low perception about education, poor quality of education, teacher absenteeism and/or child s bad health, a very high proportion of students drops out from primary school. Reasons cited for leaving primary school varied between boys and girls. While most boys left school due to child not willing and it being too expensive, some boys left as they had to help at work. Most girls, too, reported child not willing and too expensive but a large number said that their parents did not allow. A few girls said they had to help at home. Policy Initiatives taken in the 199s: During the past decade, several policy initiatives were undertaken, each with a strong component for improving girls education in the country. Besides two educational policies, namely, the National Education Policy (1992) and the National Education Policy ( ), the Government of Pakistan launched the Social Action Programme (SAP) in 1993/94 which focused on improving the social indicators for girls and women. In 1995/96, in response to the Platform for Action adopted by the United Nations Fourth Conference on Women held in Beijing (1995), the Ministry of Women s Development (MoWD) of the Government of Pakistan developed a National Plan of Action on the twelve critical areas of concern, in which education for girls figured prominently. Besides initiatives undertaken for formal education, the Government of Pakistan also supported a series of nonformal education programmes to promote female education as well as sponsored, with donor assistance, various incentive schemes for girls attending primary schools. Moreover, several nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been actively involved in education programmes for girls. The private sector, too, is also playing a prominent role in providing education, mostly through co-education schools located in urban areas. It is interesting to note that some common provisions for girls/women education have been endorsed by all the policy initiatives mentioned above: (i) Universal Primary Education for girls; (ii) more facilities for girls education to provide equal access to education; (iii) more opportunities for girls secondary education; (iv) as qualified women teachers become available, teaching of young children (boys and girls) be entrusted to them at primary level; (v) additional funding for women literacy programmes; and (vi) non-formal basic education programmes for out-of-school and drop-out children, especially girls. Several evaluations focusing on the inability to achieve universal primary education for girls identify low levels of participation rates generated by a combination of both supply as well as demand related factors that include: (i) lack of political will and commitment to education; (ii) high population growth rates; (iii) low levels of financial allocation and inefficient utilization of these limited resources; (iv) lack of coordination between federal and provincial governments; (v) lack of school facilities (distance; lack or absenteeism of female teachers; lack of privacy and security; etc.); (vi) poverty; (vii) cultural and family constraints which hinder girls from attending school; and (viii) lack of community participation. Policy Measures announced in the 2s: The Government of Pakistan has recently formulated the Perspective Development Plan (PDP), for the period , to visualize the required long term macroeconomic and sectoral growth strategies, which will be implemented through operational strategies embodied in a series of three-year rolling plans. On the policy end, - vi -

7 progress in female education will be largely determined by the level of implementation of the measures outlined under the PDP which, although gender-neutral in education, makes a serious effort to reflect gender concerns in its overall strategies and sectoral programmes. This will have a positive impact on the overall status of women and girls in the country, and will directly influence female participation in educational as well economic activities which, in turn, too will demonstrate not only the value of educating girls but may also contribute towards reducing their drop-out rates. Strategies include the development of a national policy for women, preparation of a strategic plan for women development and setting up of a management information system, creation of a technical resource base in women study centers, gender sensitization at federal, provincial and district levels and capacity building of women councillors. The Perspective Development Plan in Education and Training too, addresses issues which will impact the overall educational standards. In general, it encompasses the following objectives: (i) improvement in literacy rates for both males and females; (ii) Education for All, which includes equal opportunities and elimination of gender discrimination in education; (iii) improvement in participation rate at secondary level for both boys and girls; (iv) introduction of Technical Education at Secondary and Post-secondary levels; (v) producing higher education graduates responsive to the socio-economic needs of the country; (vi) quality education through improved training programmes of male and female teachers. Due to its established linkage with other social sectors, as well its significance per se, Education for All will be the pivot of human capital formation in the country. Strategies to be adopted include adult literacy campaigns and compulsory primary education ordinance. The literacy campaign will be supervised by a special task force of expatriate Pakistanis. The PDP addresses most areas identified for action by the EFA 2 Assessment. Specific targets for the future include improved literacy rates for both males as well as females. In accordance with the EFA target of achieving 5% improvement in adult literacy rates by 215, the target for end of the present decade is set at achieving 78% literacy rate for all, with 67% for women and 88% for men. In accordance with another Dakar goal, universal primary education for both boys and girls will be achieved by 215 in fact, by 211. Participation rate of boys in elementary education will also reach 1% by 211, while substantial improvements are likely to be achieved in participation rates for girls in elementary education and for both boys and girls in secondary education. Establishment of more schools also implies more teachers and a comprehensive teachers training project will ensure better training levels, both quantitatively as well as qualitatively. However, there is one area where the PDP does not adequately address EFA concerns i.e. allocation of adequate financial resources. The PDP allocates Rs billion as development expenditures for ten years, averaging Rs. 6.2 billion per annum this is lower than the present Rs. 7 billion per annum of development expenditures. Also, the current expenditures on education at present are over Rs. 6 billion the PDP estimates Rs. 5 billion per annum. In addition, the PDP also introduces certain Gender Audit aspects which would assess progress and identify bottlenecks in all areas of women development. It provides for the establishment of a technical resource base of women and a management information system besides improvements in the collection and compilation of gender statistics. However, there is no separate body, besides the Ministry of Education and its line departments in the provinces which usually perform routine tasks, identified to monitor girls education per se. For over five years, the donor-sponsored SAP Project regularly monitored changes in social indicators, most importantly, female education. With the ending of the Social Action Programme (SAP) Project, there is a gap in the mechanisms for monitoring progress in social indicators. There is, therefore, - vii -

8 an urgent need to establish a permanent mechanism for monitoring social progress on a regular basis. In the shorter term, the Education Sector Reforms (ESR) forms the crux of the first three-year action plan (21-24), in essence, built on the Education Policy of The main feature of its reform agenda is a strategy for a holistic approach to education, including all areas of EFA and entailing legislative, administrative and financial actions at all levels. The guiding principles of ESR are derived from the linkages between poverty and literacy, the imperative of need-based programmes and budget allocations and creating gender balance in education at all levels. Implementation strategies stress promulgation of Compulsory Primary Education Ordinance, good governance and management, recognition of the contribution of the private sector in education and partnership between private institutions, NGOs and government. The ESR also serves as a foundation of the National Plan of Action (NPA) for Education, developed as a long-term framework (21-15) to achieve three EFA goals: (i) universal primary education; (ii) adult literacy; and (iii) early childhood care. Based on three five-year phases, the NPA relies on a set of strategies which include: (a) better access to education; (b) improvement in quality of education; (c) participation of communities; (d) link between basic education and skills development; (e) district-based planning and management for better governance; and (f) resource mobilization. The successful implementation of the NPA, however will greatly rely on meeting the resource gap to the tune of almost Rs. 253 billion i.e., equivalent to about U.S. 4 billion. Future of Girls Education in Pakistan: Great care needs to be exercised while portraying the future of girls education in Pakistan. Female education is subjected to the forces of both demand as well as supply barriers such as poverty, lower status of female in society and her security concerns, coupled with lack of school facilities, teaching materials and inadequacy or absence of female teachers. More importantly, there are strong linkages of the education sector with other sectors. As such, the future scenario for girls education cannot be visualized without considering the new dimensions, which an integrated approach to policy has recently outlined, keeping in view the political and economic changes that are likely to take place along with international commitments which the country has to uphold. More specifically, in the future, girls education will be determined by the following factors: (i) the basic policy framework which would influence decisions in the near future pivots around the Perspective Development Plan (21-211). In the context of education, this Plan is gender neutral in approach i.e., it does not focus explicitly on girls education; instead, it is based on improving overall standards of education for all. It targets improvements in the literacy rates for males as well as females and also for achieving universal primary education for both boys and girls. In this way, the PDP does rely on past decisions and policies, which were designed to narrow the gender gap in education; (ii) the efforts to improve the quantity (through establishment of new formal and informal schools and upgrading of existing ones) and quality of overall education (through curriculum improvement and the teacher training project), besides the promulgation of a Compulsory Primary Education Ordinance, are likely to have a considerable effect on attracting higher enrolment and retention of all children, including girls; (iii) during the next five to ten years, other gender-related measures incorporated in the PDP will also exert a positive influence generally on the overall environment for women and girls, particularly on girls education; and (iv) other PDP measures which could have a favourable impact on female education are those which attempt to improve the economy as a whole and include, for example, effective steps to reduce poverty and unemployment; and decentralize administrative and financial authority to accountable local governments. - viii -

9 Consequently, the future scenario for girls education will appear as follows: 1. Under the base-line scenario: In the event that no new policy initiative regarding girls education is taken, and the present over all environment, as reflected in the trend growth of the economy and persistence of social cultural norms, continues to prevail, girls education is likely to improve both in absolute terms and vis-à-vis boys. This would mainly be due to the momentum derived from the past policies. This progress however, would not be enough to achieve universal primary education for girls. 2. Under the high-case scenario: The effect of a successful implementation of the above measures will include removing both the demand and supply side bottle-necks, to a great extent, to female education. It will also lead to generating a better overall environment for women in the country, made possible by the successful efforts of media, and other mechanisms involved in advancing women s status. In addition, other factors such as high economic growth; successful efforts at reducing poverty and no major negative external shocks would also contribute towards a positive development of the social indicators. This scenario perceives very high participation of girls in formal, as well as non-formal education, and as a consequence, the achievement of universal primary education of girls even before the end-decade, and a much faster narrowing of gender gap in elementary education. 3. Under the low case scenario: This will entail a weak implementation of the above measures, hindered by poor economic growth due to internal and/or external shocks and continuing structural weaknesses of the economy. The most inhibiting factor for girls education would be political turmoil and instability in the short-run leading to stagnation or even some rolling back of government policy and reform initiatives. These, along with a high probability of refugee-related problems, can have significant negative implications for poverty alleviation and improvement in social indicators. As a natural consequence, both women and girls, being the most vulnerable groups in society, are likely to be affected the most, thus leading to lack of progress in all social indicators particularly education, narrowing the gap, or even widening it further, which exists between boys and girls education. It is a fact, that given the current geo-political crisis in the region and the consequent economic repercussion, the next few years are very crucial for national development. The future trend in all national parameters is somewhat uncertain, but it is hoped that with the resolution of the political questions and improved stability in the region, the economy would continue to move on its steady trend, accompanied by positive developments in social indicators, in general, and education, in particular. - ix -

10 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background The World Education Forum in Dakar (April 2) noted that, although the EFA 2 Assessment registered significant progress in many countries, it was unacceptable that by the year 2, more than 113 million children had no access to primary education, 88 million adults were illiterate and gender discrimination continued to permeate education systems. The assessment also indicated the need to look at girls education as a component of the global and national drive for education for all; it was learned that the education of girls must be considered in the general context of gender equality, including education for women. The major Dakar goals, therefore, include the elimination of gender discrimination in education by 215: ensuring that by 215 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality ; and achieving a 5 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 215, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults. eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 25, and achieving gender equality in education by 215, with a focus on ensuring girls full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality. (The Dakar Framework for Action; April, 2) UNESCO has been developing numerous projects and programmes in this regard. One of the most promising strategies has been the mobilization of political decision makers by informing them systematically on the positive consequences of the provision of quality education for girls in society. In this context, UNESCO commissioned a regional study to critically analyze the situation for girls education. This study focuses on Pakistan and uses gender-disaggregated statistical information on literacy, enrolment and drop-out rates; it reviews past and current policies and programmes which have impacted (or will impact) female education; and seeks to develop the broad outlines of a possible scenario for the future of girls education in Pakistan. Objectives of the Study More specifically, the Study aims to: 1. Develop a profile of girls education in the country to highlight the existing gender disparities in adult literacy and primary education, based on statistical data from the last ten years. 2. Review past policies and strategies implemented to achieve gender equality and equity in the context of EFA 2 targets/goals. 3. Identify factors responsible for the present status of girls education. - x -

11 4. Review current policies and programmes and to what extent these address the situation of girls education. 5. Study the role of media and contribution of private and NGO sectors and non-formal education schemes to achieve EFA 2 goals and targets. 6. Develop a possible future scenario for girls education in Pakistan, in the general context of gender equity. The Study is divided into the following five chapters: Chapter II outlines the methodology and limitations of the Study. Chapter III presents a profile of girls education in Pakistan, using gender-disaggregated statistical information on rural/urban literacy, educational infrastructure, enrolment and drop-out rates. Chapter IV reviews past policies and programmes implemented during the decade, highlighting progressive measures, including incentive schemes, the role of media, development of gender supportive material and the contribution of the NGOs and the private sector, which had an impact on girls education. Chapter V discusses the major barriers to girls education. Chapter VI focuses on the results of the EFA 2 Assessment and refers to current policies and programmes, adopted to improve access of girls to primary education, identifying the gaps that need to be bridged. Chapter VII visualizes a possible future scenario for the future of girls education in Pakistan, in the general context of gender equity. - xi -

12 CHAPTER II METHODOLGY AND LIMITATIONS Methodology The Study is based on secondary sources. National statistical sources have been extensively used which include the Population and Housing Census 1998; the Economic Surveys (various issues) and the reports published by the National (and provincial) Education Management and Information System (NEMIS). The Study also relies heavily on other data sources and relevant research reports issued by the Central Bureau of Education, Academy of Educational Planning and Management (AEPAM) and the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS). For review of policies and strategies to achieve gender equality and equity in education, reference has been made to the planning documents of the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Education, supplemented by research studies. The future scenario of girls education has been developed keeping in view the historical realities of resource provisions, commitment, culture, political will and above all, the goals and targets incorporated in the intended future policies and programmes (such as the Perspective Development Plan and the Education Sector Reforms) outlined for girls education, in particular, and gender equity, in general. Limitations of the Study The Study suffers from the following limitations: 1. As it is based only on secondary published data, it relies on a variety of sources, often not published or compiled regularly. As such, it is difficult to generate consistent time series comparisons and interpret trends accurately. 2. The Study s focus is limited only to primary education of girls. 3. In some cases, definitions of indicators change and it is not possible to make a meaningful comparison using indicators from various sources e.g. there is a wide divergence in the statistics provided for primary enrolment rates across various statistical sources. 4. There is no information on some very important indicators e.g., ethnic or religious backgrounds or income levels of out-of-school children, especially girls. 5. The scope of the Study did not include any primary data collection or focus group discussion which could have filled the gaps in certain areas e.g., who are the girls who do not attend school? Why don t they attend schools? And what changes can be brought about (in social behaviour or policy measures/provisions) for them to attend school? Nevertheless, there still exists a wealth of gender-disaggregated statistical information and supplementary research material, which proved invaluable for this Study. - xii -

13 CHAPTER III A STATISTICAL PROFILE OF GIRLS EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN According to the recent 1998 Population Census of Pakistan, there are almost 6 million women, comprising 48% of the country s total population. Of the 2 million children of the primary school age (5-9 years), 9.5 million (48%) are girls 1. Of both these women and girls, as well as of the overall population, approximately two-thirds (67%) live in rural areas areas characterized by high levels of poverty, low levels of socio-economic development, and general conditions of backwardness. Adult Literacy Although overall adult literacy rates are low in the country, with over half the population (55%) illiterate, there has been an impressive progress over the past two decades 2, especially in rural areas where literacy rates have doubled and for females, there has been an almost three-fold increase (Table 1). Table 1: Progress in Adult Literacy Rates in Urban and Rural Pakistan in 199s Participation Rates Literacy rates (1+ years) (%) URBAN RURAL TOTAL Male Female Male Female Source: Population and Housing Census, 1981 and Gross enrolment rates at primary level have always been higher in urban than rural areas. Also, these rates display sharp gender disparities within each area. However, due to higher levels of awareness, coupled with certain policy measures which focused on female education, especially in rural areas under the Social Action Programme (SAP), the gender gap has narrowed remarkably during the 199s. Information shows that rise in girls enrolment was remarkable i.e. rural female enrolment rates more than doubled leading to an almost doubling of the overall female enrolment rate (Table 2). 1 Economic Survey 2/1; Finance Division; Govt. of Pakistan. 2 Comparison of data from two consecutive census (1981 and 1998); there was no census held in early 199s. - xiii -

14 Table 2. Progress in Gross Enrolment Rates at Primary Level during 199s URBAN RURAL TOTAL 199 Male Female Both /99 Male Female Both Pakistan School Statistics, 199; Central Bureau of Education, Islamabad. Pakistan School Education Statistics; AEPAM; 1998/99 Data on enrolment-mix at the primary level display an increase in the proportion of girls vis-à-vis boys in urban, as well as rural areas during the 199s (Table 3). In urban areas, by 1998/99, the share of girls in total enrolment rose to 52%, and in rural areas though the proportion of girls improved from almost one-fourth (27%) to one-third (33%) of the total enrolment, the gender gap still remains wide. Table 3: Change in Enrolment Mix at Primary Level during the 199s % Enrolment at Primary Level URBAN RURAL TOTAL 1989/9 %Male %Female /99 %Male %Female Pakistan School Statistics, 199; Central Bureau of Education, Islamabad. Pakistan School Education Statistics; AEPAM; 1998/99 Besides better levels of awareness, there are two key factors controlled by government policy i.e., number of schools and recruitment of female teachers, which are responsible for improving female enrolments. During the 199s, since policy focused on rural areas, the number of primary schools increased sharply for both boys and girls, although the proportion of (exclusively) girls school remained constant (Table 4). However, the introduction of a large number of mixed schools (comprising almost 12% of all primary schools in rural areas) which were basically girls schools but allowed enrolment of boys as well, played an important role in enhancing girls enrolment. - xiv -

15 Table 4: Change in the Number of Primary Schools during 199s # Primary Schools URBAN RURAL TOTAL 1989/9 Male Female % female 38% 29% 3% 1998/99 Male Female Mixed % female 35% 3% 3% Pakistan School Statistics, 199; Central Bureau of Education, Islamabad. Pakistan School Education Statistics; AEPAM; 1998/99 As expected, the proportion of female teachers perfectly matches the pattern of female enrolments. While in urban areas, there has remained an equal distribution of male and female primary teachers, there is a wide gender gap in the rural areas, though this has improved over the decade, with proportion of female teachers rising from almost one-fourth (27%) to one-third (35%) of all teachers (Table 5). Availability of suitably-qualified female teachers in rural and remote areas continues to be a serious problem in the country. Table 5: Change in Percentage of Primary Teachers by Gender and Location during the 199s % Primary Teachers URBAN RURAL TOTAL 1989/9 %Male %Female /99 %Male %Female Pakistan School Statistics, 199; Central Bureau of Education, Islamabad. Pakistan School Education Statistics; AEPAM; 1998/99 Although most children do get admitted to primary schools, the major problem is their retention in primary classes. Given the poverty, high opportunity costs of children attending school (as they are required to sometimes contribute to the family s economic activities or towards daily household chores such as fetching water, fuel or sibling care, etc.), parents low perception about education, poor quality of education, teacher absenteeism and/or child s bad health, a very high proportion of students drop out from primary school. The Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS), a regular household survey conducted nationally every year reveals that although drop-out rates for boys have remained unchanged over the decade but drop-out rates for girls are reported to have decreased (Table 6). Substantial decline was found in the percentage of girls (aged 1-18 years) who said they left school before completing primary school, in both urban (from 12% to 8%) as well as in rural areas (from 27% to 21%). - xv -

16 Table 6: Percentage of Children (1-18 years) Dropping Out before completing Primary School % Children (aged 1-18 years) URBAN RURAL TOTAL 199/91 Male Female Both /99 Male Female Both Source: Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS); 1991 and 1998/99 Reasons cited for leaving primary school varied between boys and girls (Table 7). While most boys left school due to child not willing and its being too expensive some boys left as they had to help at work, most girls, too, reported child not willing and too expensive but large number said that their parents did not allow. A few girls said they had to help at home. Table 7: Reasons for dropping out of primary school (ages 1-18 years) (%) BOYS GIRLS URBAN RURAL TOTAL URBAN RURAL TOTAL Parents did not allow Too expensive Too far Had to help at work Had to help at home Child not willing Source: Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS); 1998/99 - xvi -

17 CHAPTER IV REVIEW OF POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES ON GIRLS EDUCATION IMPLEMENTED IN THE 199s Statistical evidence indicates that in Pakistan, though remarkable progress was achieved in female literacy and primary enrolments over the past decade, yet universal primary education for girls (as well as for boys) could not be attained by year 2. In this context, the basic questions relate to the nature of policy efforts by the government and some of its related initiatives (such as measures to improve non-formal education) which could not achieve the education targets, and the constraints these efforts faced. Besides, it is important to understand the nature and contents of other supplementary initiatives (such as some incentive schemes undertaken to promote girls education; the role of media, the development of gender-related material, etc.) and the effectiveness of roles played by the NGOs and private sector. Government Policies influencing Girls Education During the past decade, several policy initiatives were undertaken, each with a strong component for improving girls education in the country. Besides two educational policies, namely, the National Education Policy (1992) and the National Education Policy ( ), the Government of Pakistan launched the Social Action Programme (SAP) in 1993/94 which focused on improving the social indicators for girls and women. In 1995/96, in response to the Platform for Action adopted by the United Nations Fourth Conference on Women (UNFCW) held in Beijing (1995), the Ministry of Women s Development (MoWD) of the Government of Pakistan developed a National Plan of Action on the twelve critical areas of concern, in which education for girls figured prominently. 3 Besides initiatives undertaken for formal education, the Government of Pakistan also supported a series of non-formal basic education programmes to promote female education as well as sponsored, with donor assistance, various incentive schemes for girls attending primary schools. In addition, several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been actively involved in education programmes for girls. It is interesting to note that the following common provisions for girls/women education have been endorsed by all the policy initiatives, including the National Education Policies, mentioned above: Universal primary education for girls More facilities for girls education to provide equal access to education More opportunities for girls secondary education As qualified women teachers become available teaching of young children (both boys and girls) be entrusted to them at primary level. Additional funding for women s literacy programmes 3 More recently, the present Government announced the Education Sector Reforms (21-24) within the framework of longer-term Perspective Development Plan (21-211) discussed in detail under Current Policies and Programmes in Chapter IV. - xvii -

18 Non-formal basic education programmes for out-of-school and drop-out children, especially for girls. Several evaluations focusing on the inability to achieve universal primary education for girls identify low levels of participation rates generated by a combination of supply and demand related factors: Lack of political will and commitment to education; High population growth rates; Low levels of financial allocation and inefficient utilization of these limited resources; Lack of coordination between federal and provincial governments; Lack of school facilities (distance; lack or absenteeism of female teachers; lack of privacy and security for female teachers; etc.); Poverty; Cultural and family constraints which hinder girls from attending school; Lack of community participation. A detailed discussion of the major policy initiatives undertaken for promoting girls education is as follows: The National Education Policy (1992) The Education Policy (1992) focused on: i. achieving universal primary education, eliminating drop-out rates; and fulfilling basic learning needs by the year 22; ii. iii. iv. stressing women's education; raising the quality of public instruction through an extensive in-service teachers' training programme; diversification of vocational streams, along with expansion of graduate and postgraduate level courses; v. reforming of examination system; vi. vii. introducing computer education at school level; and encouraging the participation of private sector in education. Although there is no formal evaluation of the achievements of this Education Policy, it failed to achieve its key objective of universal primary education for girls. However, with the launching of - xviii -

19 the Social Action Programme (SAP) in 1993/94 which focused on the social development of women and girls, particularly in rural areas, and adopted a set of progressive measures to favour enrolment of girls, remarkable improvements in female primary enrolments were generated. The Social Action Program (SAP-I) SAP was formally undertaken (with 8% contribution from the Government of Pakistan and 2% from donor assistance) during , covering programs for primary education, primary health care, nutrition, rural water supply and sanitation and family planning. Primary education constituted 65% of the entire SAP allocations with a focus on the promotion of girls education. The overall SAP objective has been UPE and to improve the quality of primary education along with the following measures for girls participation. i. Improving girls access to quality primary education through introducing mixed schools in places where, it is culturally acceptable; provision of women teachers in mixed schools and putting them under female administration; and provision of basic facilities like boundary wall, toilets and supply of water. ii. Improving the availability of female teachers through relaxing entry age limits into the profession, relaxing qualification where no women qualified teacher is available and localization of teacher cadre to the district level even below ( 1 Tehsil, 2 Thana, and 3 Markaz). The mixed primary school policy was adopted to enhance girls access to schools. In Balochistan all new schools were for girls, which boys could also attend. In Sindh the policy was that the first school in any area would be co-educational with female teachers and the second school for girls. During SAP-I ( ), 7% of increased enrolments in Punjab were of girls, mostly in rural areas. In Sindh, girls schools increased by 15%. In NWFP 55% of the growth in enrolments has been of girls. In Balochistan about 75% new schools were for girls (MSU, 1996). Reviews suggest that SAP-I has had a positive impact on the provision of quality education in rural areas. There has been a quantitative shift in awareness about the importance of education; and women and girls have been the primary beneficiaries of the improved education system. However, little progress appears to have been made in institutional reforms. Also, SAP implementation remained poorly coordinated. Procurement procedures overlapped; attempts at promoting community participation were weak and monitoring and evaluation systems remained under-developed. The second phase of SAP ( /2) was evolved to consolidate the outcomes of the first phase, with the following cross-sectoral objectives to improve quality, efficiency, sustainability and governance: continue increasing the non-salary portion of the recurrent budget to ensure adequate provision of quality inputs; 1 Tehsil is an administrative unit in a district. 2 Thana is an administrative unit of a police station 3 Markaz is an Urdu word meaning Center, it is a cluster of schools with one Markaz school - xix -

20 improve governance through merit-based staff recruitment, facility site selection and employment incentives, and measures to reduce absenteeism among staff; strengthen government systems of service delivery through improved planning, management, monitoring and implementation, including financing non-government provision of services; and increase community and beneficiary participation. Under SAP-II, the scope of some sub-sectors was widened, with education extended to include middle-level schooling; health expanded to incorporate tehsil-level facilities (tehsil hospitals); and peri-urban areas covered under water supply and sanitation. The important role of non-formal education (NFE), as a means of improving literacy and educational levels, was also recognized. One major area of donor involvement in SAP was the setting up of management information system, especially in education in all the four provinces as well as at the federal level. Genderdisaggregated data is collected and compiled annually under NEMIS (National Education Management Information System) and the four provincial EMISs (Educational Management Information Systems). These statistics could help in a gender audit in education (e.g., # of schools; enrolments and teachers) every year, assess the present stock and provide invaluable guidance for the future. Besides the management information system, an annual comprehensive household survey, the Pakistan Integrated Household Survey, is also being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Statistics. This survey is based on a sample of about 15, households in both rural and urban areas and gives valuable information on a household s educational, health, family planning and consumption behaviour. The National Plan of Action (1998) for Women As a follow up to the commitment made to the Platform for Action formulated in the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, September 1995), the Ministry of Women s Development finalized the National Plan of Action (NPA) for Women in September 1998 with the following strategic objectives to improve gender equity: Eliminate gender gap in access to education Create a favorable environment for girls education Remove gender stereotypes in educational curricula to promote the positive portrayal of the image of girls and women Promote community development in partnership with government and NGOs for out of school girls and women. The NPA defined activities and organizations with time targets to achieve the goals. The partner organizations are: Ministry of Education, Pakistan Literacy Commission (now defunct), National Core Group, Provincial Core Groups, NGOs and CBOs, Private Sector, Education Foundations, (National and Provincial), Provincial Departments of Education, Planning Commission, Donors and Legislators/ Parliamentarians. - xx -

21 The National Education Policy ( ) 4 The National Education Policy ( ) reflected the government's medium-term vision and aimed at the following: Disparities and imbalances of all types shall be eliminated so as to promote equity. Access to elementary education shall be increased through effective and optimum utilization of existing facilities and services as well as provision of new facilities and services. Quality of elementary education shall be improved with improvements in teachers training and competence. The role of the family, school, community, non-governmental organizations and media in the provision of elementary education shall be maximized. High priority shall be accorded to the provision of elementary education to the out-ofschool children. Non-formal system shall be adopted as complementary to formal system. Financial resource base of elementary education shall be diversified. A monitoring system shall be developed to obtain timely and reliable information on enrolment, retention, completion and achievement. In addition, qualitative monitoring of achievement shall be introduced. Management and supervision shall be improved through greater decentralization and accountability. 4 Current Policies and Programmes are discussed in Chapter IV Section (B). - xxi -

22 Other Policy Initiatives Promoting Girls Education Non-Formal Basic Education (NFBE) Non-Formal Basic Education (NFBE) is defined as an organized and systematic arrangement or process for imparting education and/or training outside the established and conventional stream of education and training to enhance both the quality of life and productive capacity of human resource. The following non-formal education programmes were implemented during the 199s: 1. Pakistan Literacy Commission (PLC) In 1995, the Pakistan Literacy Commission established over 7, Basic Education community schools for out-of-school and dropout children with local women teachers. Based on the home school model, the teacher was recruited for a monthly salary of Rs. 1, and was required to teach the five-year primary school curriculum in three and a quarter years for primary age (5-9 years old) and in two to three years for second chance (1-14 years old) students. Funding was provided by the PLC to the communities, through intermediary non-governmental organizations (NGOs). At present 181 NGOs are running 6,918 community schools with 82% schools in rural areas and 18% in urban low income localities. Out of 6,487 total teachers 6,43 or 93% are women teachers, with 67% girls enrolment. However, the Programme is reported to have suffered a set of shortfalls and resource crunch, largely due to the absence of a long-term management and financial plan. 2. The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Non-Formal Education Programs The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), the premier public sector institute in distance education, has organized several non-formal basic education programmes, especially focused on women and girls: a. Basic Functional Education Program (BFEP): In 1982 Basic Functional Education Project for rural areas was started for the education of rural masses especially women. After three years, an innovative strategy was developed to pass on information effectively through non-broadcast media. The messages were recorded in local language on a cassette supported with illustrations and flipcharts. BFEP is a regular program of AIOU known as Basic Education Program. The major beneficiaries are women and the program consists of 17 courses (list at Annex-III). b. Integrated Functional Literacy Project (IFLP): The project was an endeavor to educate women and uplift their social standard of life. This was a comprehensive scheme for educating the out of school and dropped out girls with the following objectives: i. Provision for basic education for women in a period of 3 years. ii. Providing skill training in embroidery, sewing, cutting, cooking, knitting, sharbat making, jam & pickle making or as may be proposed by the local population. - xxii -