A one day consultation programme was held on Tuesday titled Reforms in Education Sector and Role of Civil Societies after 18th Amendment) which discussed the current infrastructure conditions of primary schools in KP, dropout rate, low literacy rate and reforms in curriculum.
Program Manager PEAD, Tariq Hayat , added that it is not merely the duty of Government to bring positive changes in our education system rather the real stake holders i.e. the parents /local community should also contribute in the policy making and decision making regarding state-run sector institutions.
The Deputy Director of Education Sector Reform Unit Hamid Naveed, members of nonprofit organization and civil societies members attended the one day seminar openly discussed the shortcomings in primary education system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the seminar was organized by the Peace Education and Development PEAD foundation.
A member of non-government organization Samina Imtiaz while pointing out the situation of government primary schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said that around 27614 schools both for male and female had been established in the province out of which 27207 are functional and 407 schools are dysfunctional.
She said that the literacy rate in KP province in last few years decreased because of the militancy and the male literacy rate in government primary schools is around 50.9% and the female literacy rate is 32% which is the matter of great concern. She mentioned that at least 49% male primary schools and 45% female schools have no electricity supply out of the functional schools.
Samina Imtiaz claimed that not only the primary schools were lacking the basic facilities but also have the other problems in which 27% male and 9% female schools are without the facility of latrine and added that around 411 male and 632 female schools are without the boundary wall. She said 493 male and 2150 female schools are existing without the proper facility of water.
Number of working teachers in the government schools are 115714 in which 76609 for male and 39000 for female schools she said adding that overall dropout rate from nursery to class five and government primary schools over a cycle of six year is 45 percent in which 39 percent are boys and 53 percent are girls.
The DDESRU, Hamid Naveed talking to The Frontier Post said that under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) around 70 percent resources are being used for female education and 30 percent for male aimed to equalize the ratio of education in the province in next three years. He explained that KP government has launched a program with the name of Stori De Pakhtunkhwa aimed to give more concentration to female education as compare to male.
Answering a question regarding the dropout ratio he said that Rokhana Pakhtunkhwa Talemi programme (RPTP) was introduced for the purpose to decrease the drop out ratio and to improve the quality of education. He said dropout rate is increasing in spite of decreasing due to the incorrect primary level system of education.
He said Under RPTP the government on the basis of Union Council in the collaboration with private schools supported financially the male and female students as the government financed 100 schools first year. Chief
Minister KP announced 1bilion for this programme to educate female and male students, he added.
Hamid Naveed claimed that Education Sector Plan (ESP) was made first time by KP government in 2009 in entire Pakistan and the credit goes to provincial government.
