University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Master's Capstone Projects Center for International Education

1994

Primary Education in Northwest Frontier Province

of Pakistan: Problems and Prospects
Fazli Manan

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 PROVIlTC3
PALI p .A.ED PROSP~_,

A Project Presented

by

I MANAH

Submitted to the Center forInternational Education

UEiversity of Mas,,:;achusetts in partial fulfillnent
of the requirements for the degree of
MASTEROF EDUCATION

February 1994

School of Education
 ·.'13ST
OF TlilJ:

A Project Pres ed

bv

Approved as to style and content by:

Pro sor George E. Urch

Center for International Education,
Educational Policy, Research,and
Administ:ration Department, School
f Education, University of
Masscchuset at Amherst, U.S.A.
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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to express my deep gratitude to Professor

George E. Urch, my teacher and academic advisor for his
kind guidance and help in carrying out the project.
Vlithout his expert advice it would not have been possible
to complete this work.
I am thankful to my friends working at the
Directorate of Primary Education and Directorate of
Secondary Education, North West :.Frontier Province,
Peshawar, who took the trouble of providing necessary
data for this project.
A ...................... ,. . . .. . . . .... . . . .
~ v
:.I.ST OF • <t, ., • e 1t • • • ,. r • • ii' O e <t > ,. • t, • i, • ,. I' "' .. • • • • ,; • • ' • e vi l J_

Cl:.apter

I ICJ ··-···············l),{>·),.,. ~

Statement of the Problem

P1.:rpose 2nd object the Study ....... .
s ic&nce of the Study .......... "" .......... " ... . 2
Scope of the Study . . . .. . . .•.•... ..• . .• . . . • .. .• 3
thodolo,gy 4
CF 5
Pa.kistan 1
s Situation
6
tem 7
Status of t ion ..... 8
rth \'Jest Frontier Province 's Si tu.at ion 10
N.W.F.P. at a Glance 10
Brief descri-ptior:. of primary Education ... , . 11

III AREAS M.AJOR PRCBLEMS ••.••. ... 14

Enrolment and Dropout ....•.•••.......•......•.• ,. 14
Curriculum and Instruction • . . • . . . . • . . . .. . . . . • . • . . . 15
Teacher supnly e,nd Training .•.... , , . ". , . 16
Supervision and ]valuation ••...... , .. 18
IV COUNTRIES•...•...........• 21
DOU t .. fl a ••••• ~ .,. .:- ., 21

Irrelevent Curriculum •... ,. , 23

Dec·.rth instructiona.l ter 26
Lack of teacher training Facilities ....... , ...•. 28
Irregular teacher supervisior.:. and Evaluation ...• '31
v Al'TD SUGGESTIONS 34
po for so ion cf the Problems '34
Strengthening of titutional Capacity •... 34
I.Iakinz s ol eLvironri:1ent Attractive ..... ,, 35
Reviewin~ the exist Curriculum .•... , .... 35
Develonin,c: e:onropriate instructional
l\1at eris.ls •. : . , . : . . ....... . ?.'7
..,1

Encouraging female Teachers ............••. 37

Training of Supervisors ....•............••. 38
Introducing alternative methods for
teacher Training .................. _ .. . ~9
Distance £ducation ........... . "39
Profe::=isional Seminars ........... -'. . .....
~ ~
40
Peer Coaching ••.•...............•.. 41
tions for Improvement . . . .. •. . . . . . . . . 41
Su.2:-2:estion for further 3esee.rch ..... ,, .. , . . • . . . . 44

BIBLIOGRAPHY •.•. ,, . 45
 LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1 • Enrolment in �overnment schools ............ 12

2. Shelterless schools........................ 12

3. Enrolment rate ......... , .... , . 14

4. Provincewise dropout rate .... . . . . . • • 15

5 Number of te2.chers.. . • • . . . ..... . . .... . . . . . . 1 7

 CEAP11 ER I

E~TRCDUCTICN

Statement of the Problem

This study is concerned with problems and prospects

of primary educatio!l in the i'Jorth \'/est Frontier Provi::::.ce of
Pakistan.
Purpose and objectives of the Study
The purpose of this study was to make an exact, quali-
t2.tive, and objective appraisal of the existing condition
of primary education in the north West Frontier Province of
Pakistan.
The objectives of the study were:
1. To find out the strengths and weaknesses of the exis-
ting system of primary education in North \'lest Frontier
Province of Pakistan.
2. To discover the nature and extent of deficienc~s or
problems, if any.
3. To identify the key issues/factors hampering the
developmental efforts.
4. To approach the key issues in light of various research
reports and other pertinent articles.
5. To propose possible solutions to the problems and make
suggestions· for improvement of the system of primary
education in the province.
 2

Significance of the Study

Primary education in Pakistan has not received the
attention it reall? deserved during the past 45 years. The
lip-service bore no fruit either as a result it has been
facing tremendous problems b,oth in quality and quantity.
Despite the best efforts on the part of Government, the goal
of universalization of primary education has not been
reached. The literacy rate is among the lowest in the world.
Female literacy is endemic.
In so far as primary education in the North West
Frontier Province (N.-:l.F.P) is concerned, t'he situation is
bleak. Despite a considerable port.ion of the resources avail-
able to the province heing diverted to the primary education
sector, the literacy rate is amongst the lowest in the
country at 16. 77{;as compared to 30 .1 % for Pakistan. Female
literacy is 6.5% as compared to nearly 16% in the country.
The literacy rate for rural-f'emale at 3.8% means that more
than 96% of girls and women in the rural area of the province
are illiterate 1•

Al though the provincial government has b-een allocating

sizeable resources, approximately 20-25% of its annual deve-
lopmental as well as non-developmental budget, to the edu-
cation sector, even then serious deficiencies and problems
persist. These problems and deficiencies need to be explored

1The cited figures have been taken from Government of

N.W.F.P, Education Department, Report on Social Action Plan
(1991-94) for Education Section: Peshawar.
 3

and approached in an attempt to improve the present tern

of primary education in the province.
The researcher, b.eing a resident of and having been a
teacher and administrator in the education department of
N.W.F.P, has closely observed the poor condition of primary
education in the province. He has noticed that the falling
standard and deteriorating quality of primary education
need a cEreful study of the existing system, so that the
key issues/factors hampering the developmental efforts can
be identified and approached for possible solutions.

Scone of the Study

The study was limited to the following aspects of

primary education in the North West Frontier Province of
Pc.kistan:
1. Enrolment and Dropout.
Bnrolment includes the numb.er of children of primary
school age group (5-9 years) in the five es of primary
education out of the total number of children of the same
age group the overall population of the province.
Dropout includes classwise enrolment of children
five grades and comparison of the present number of students
in a grade with that of part ipation at the time of
a.dmission in first grade.
2. Curriculum and Instruction.
Curriculum includes the syllabuses determined for all
subjects of study in primary schools. It also includes
 4

different kinds of ga.mes and activities avail2,ble the

primary schools.
Instruction includes method of teaching and use of
various audio-visual aids that can facilitate teacr:
learning process.
3. Teacher supply and Training.
Teacher supply includes availability of qualified
teachers and procedure of their recruitment, selection,
and assignment.

ining includes the pre-service and in-service

educetional opportunities and resources that are provided
to the teachers for their professional development.
4. Suuervision and Evaluation.
This includes procedure used by supervisors for super-
vision and assessment of teachers' performance.

Methodology

For methodological purpose, the topic was analysed at

three levels: (1) identification of the most pressing
problems found in primary education of the province; (2)

investigation of how other nations around the world have

dealt with similar problems; and (3) describing possible
solutions f'or the problems based on research and personal
experience of the investigator.
The sources of da.ta for identification of the problems
comprise both official and unofficial documents, publications,
 5
yearbooks on educational statistics, educational plans, and
personal observation of the investigator be a teacher and
an administrator in the education system of the province
under study.
The available data on the strategies and programs used
by other countries include a body of literature on educat ,
research reports, and other pertinent articles. ssible
solutions to the problems and suggestions r improvement
are based on review of the case studies and personal experience
of the investigator.
 CH..i\PTER I I

OVERVIEWOF P5.H/IARYEDUCATION

Pakistan's Situation

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan emerged as an idepen-

dent sovereig:.ri stete on August 14, 1947. It is an ideolo-
gical state and was the outcome of the relentless struggle
launched by the muslims of the Indian sub-continent to have
a separate homeland where they could practice their faith
e.nd religion freely.
Geographical :Background.
Pakistan is basically an agricultural country. However,
there a.re a number of f'ast growing industries which are
slowly but surely giving its economy an industrial bias.
Government also encouraging in the setting-up of agro-
besed industries to give it further b.oost and to accelerate
the pace of industrial growth for the economic prosperity
of its people.
It has a total area of nearly 796095 square kilometers
with a populati.on of 110 million. The co.u.-,1try is divided
into federal territories and four provinces namely Punjab,
Sind, North West Frontier Province, and :Baluchistan.
Pakistan's population growing at an alarming rate
of 3.1%. The infant mortality rate 98 per one thousand
live birth. It has 30 .1 % literacy rate and there a doctor
 7

for 2ud6 persons. c2.pi ta income 365 US Do

growth rate 5. 2;' 1
~. The fore debt is 15,6 ions
1
end the inflation rate is 10.6%.
:r,:2n2p:eme1:.tof education System.

EdUC8,'C on the concurrent Legislative

list of Federal Provi:':1cial governments. The feder2l
cove h2.s the powers to attend to matters relat to
, planning, curriculum, textbo standards,
lamic education. also ible for per-
taining to the education of i students foreign
cou:-.tries foreign stud s Pakistan. federal
goven1ment the overall policy making, coord
edviso authority. All iO~lal t
the eTc:l e.rea. 2:::d some special ions ly
es are tered by the Fed g:overnment . Apa.rt
f~om the ebove, t provit1cial goverD.ments are sol res-
ible for other matters concerning implementation of
education policy, orga.iizat , administrat , a:1d manage--
ment of public scho tern. The private sector is o
permitt to contribute the process of schooling does
so to some extent o all stages now. Finances to meet
development expei1.diture in education in the province are

ioned facts have heen taken from the Primary

end Non-fo Education , Ministry of ion,
Gover:1ment of Pakistan, A Framvrnrk for Uatio~1al Plan of
Action (1990-2000), Islamabad.
provid the er~l . ~ecurri~g expenditure
.
to rr1eet s c.t1.21~1 es
~

ies are bor~:.e the

ial governments.
·The federal r1ir~istry o:f' educfd is head by

inister of educat The st c servant res ible

to the try the atio~ Secretary. The -try
divided 0 • A provL1cial eciucat departmeEt is
headed by a provincial Education Minister. However, the c il
servent in charge oft depe,rtnen t the prov ial
tion ecret . All provinces, except Baluchis , have been
further divided into regions for the purpose of administra-
tion. The head of the regional office is called the Director.
/She is the person who looks after the department pro-
:::iona.lly. The hierarchy then runs down to the Divisional
Director, District Education er, Sub-divisional Edu-

cation Officer, and sist~nt Sub-divisional Education

o ers. The adm:L" trative structure is quite centralized.

Status of primary Eciuca.tion.

There are nearly 120,GGO primary schools which provide

basic education facilities to approximately 60~; of the
school-going children of age-group 5 to 9 years. E:arolme:nt
of children in these schools is around 9. OC, million vvhich
is approximately 52;;Gof the total population of the 5 to 9
group children. Boys participation rate ar-ou1d 6 75;
e it case of girls. other VJords, 3 of
e boys e.nd 6 6;fo the girls of school go age are st
 9

out of the s ol tem. ~ue to the rapid populat growth,

approximately 2.6 million ch of the relevant group
8re being added to the t population of 5 9

cohort, out of wh only 1 • 6 mill could find es

in the ting primary schools. The one r:;illion
continue jo the swell ranks of illiterates which has
evidently ed L:;tan &,t lov.'est bottom literacy
rate among the c of the world. The posit of fema,le

2.t icn is E1.ll more grim and ser

pat varies from overall 34% to the lowe i.e. 1 . 7% in
some of remote districts in the sp2,rs popul2,ted
province of Beluchistan. The situation is aggravated
due to the problem of dropout which is nearly especially
d ,,·--i-._,.
....
LL "'r~de
re -:.::.
.:..:..~..:._ c· 1 - 3 • Lax , tive supervision, teacher
enteeism, irrelevance of curricula, and indifference of
comnuni ty, are some of the root--causes of dropout v1hich have

becoae a bane of the primary educaticn tem of Pa:C:ista.11.

most agoniz t that there
are nearly 29COO primary schools which have no
These institutions are called s ss schools
fu:'lction either under a shade of tree or ir: an open sky Where
the children squat on bare earth in all seasons and confroiit
the vagaries of inclement weather passively. Besides, there
ere 16 primary schools which have only one :sroom. 'I'l:.is
is quite ion of the concept of quality educat which
le.ys the mi:n.imum target 0::1 one teacher and one classroom for
every cle,ss. The c i tions of primary schools in the rure.l
ereas is 211 more de:pres e of trained
te2 , teachers absentee icipat ·" of s,
and above tea I pe tory attitude toward teachin£
beceuse of lake of dedicat L:terest iL

ir'·" wa:~re::-:.t servious attention 2.

North ~est Frontier Province's Situation

Tl"ce .. rtJ:1 Jest ?rontier Province (:; .'.J.F.P) is one of

the four provi~ces of Pakis situated at north--west
and Chine.,. outlire of some of the
sic ts 2.nd sta.tus of primary educat province

given below:

F.W.?.P. ate. Glance

Some of the b2,s facts about :: • '1. F. P are 2ts uno.er:

1• Area 7 4 , 5 21 3 q_uar e T ters

2. Population
5,821,752
Female 5,239, 6
Tote.l •. 11 ,u61 ,328

3. Density of population 148 person square h.M.

4. Sex rat .. 394 female to 1 male
5, Climate . • Cold in winter and hot
in summer.
6. Avera.ge rah1fall 16. 5 L1ches

2 Ibid
 11

7. s sp ..en Eirnlko,

8. Economy Agricul t1,,re/Bus SS

9. Li terc,cy e
T:12.le 25.8%
Female 6.5%
Aggregate 1 6. 7~~

of government schools:
Gender Primary rliddle 1Ii{jh

Eele 12,204 65:J 325

Fem2.le 3 ,681 184 171 10

Total 15,835 842 996 53

Sou:r-ce: pulation Census Organization, N./i.F.P.

Brief description of primary Education

Prime.17 is an important sub-sector
ion Department. There are 15 primary 2 midd.le
schools cate the needs of ildren both rural and
urban areas of the province with an enrolment of 1,330,576
( ir~ primary schools) and 277, 6 33 ( in middle schools) . The
overall enrolment rate 54% of the relevant age group
(5 - 9 years), 81% male and 245'° r female. The figures
given at Table 1 reflect enrolment in the provincial
government schools.
 12

Table 1

Enrolment Governmer..t Scho

Level of s Number of schools

( 2.) Boys 12,204 1,C4v,176

(b) "
\:r 3, 2 , 4 (.,:()
·rot2,l 1 5, 1,330,5'(6
IVIidclle ( 2..) Boys 658 237,435
( b) Girls 1....:-4 4u,19
To J42 277,6

Source: Educ2.tional Statistics (yearbook, 1990-91),

Directorate of Secondary Education,

In ir-,;t2,n, about 1 of the total primary schools

are shel terless. The ?! • 'N. F. P is fortunate iL this rer3:pect

the st er cf these erle scho

T2ble 2 es the posit

Table 2
Shelterless Scho

Province J..ural Urban Total

Punjab 12,092 12 ,092

B&.luchistan 3, 1 50 3,150
Sind 2,200 258 2,458
.F.P 201 6 207

Source: Primary Education Improvement, by National

Education Cou:::cil, lamabad, 1986.
 13

Coupled with the alarming situation, i·r r:iost of the

primary school3, the tee,chir:.g-lec:c::.·nL,5 2.ids 2"re only c:i2.lL,

black boards, and textbooks. A large number of teacbers,

being �:trai�ed, are not well convers2�t with the �etiodo­

logy of teaching, due to which they are not in a position

to impFrt quality educatio� according to the latest tech­

niques. The result is thrt the stand2rd of education at

p::-·im2ry level is :.:-iot sl-:.O'Ni�-:.g any imp,:overnent.

Various research studies conducted by many agencies

h2.ve reve2led tha.t the main reasons for nassive :1.ropouts,

low p2:::·ticipation r2.tes, L1crease :L.1 out of school childrer:c,

2nd poor turn out from schools lie in the weaL1e::rnes L:herent

i-r-1 the ech.1.c2.tionccl system itself.

Problems of fallL1g st2.ndards 2.nd deterioration Ln.

qu2.li ty of education is cor;.pou:nded by virtual i10nexistei1ce

of ince�tives and motivation for acquisition of knowledge.

Excessive ex:pe:c1di ture OY-l salE·ries an.d very little f1;.21ds for

not1--s2 le ry es�:3ential cor;1por�ents 2.uch as buildi 1r;s, equipmen. ts,

materipls, furniture, etc: are problems common to all

prime.ry sc:-:.ools in the Horth West Frontier Province of

Pa.kistan.
 III

AREASOF PRC

The purpose of this chapter is to identify the most

press problems found primary educat in the orth
~est ?rontier Province of istan. As mentioned in chapter
I, the followi~g areas/aspects of primary education in the
province were to bes ied .,_..or ent ication of the
major problems:
Enrolment and Dropout
The enrolment e, e ecially respect
stud s, :-T.Yi. F. P very discouraging a~1d requires im..T;J.e-
diate attention concerted efforts on the part of
concerned. Table 3 shows percent of children of
releva. t age-group (5 - 9 years) the five grades of

p~im2ry education i the province.

Table 3

Enrolment Rate

Gender Urban Rural Total

Male 78 83 81
Fema..le 49 19 24
tfale and Female 64 52 54

Source: Primary Education Development Program,

Government of N.W.F.P, 1989 - 1999.
 15

Dropout rate in primary c ses is the ighest in

E • .'1.F.P a.s compared to the provinces of Punjab, and Sind
2nd to some extent similar to Baluchistan. Table 4 clearly
throws l on is grim picture by showing provincewise
percenta.ge of dropouts in primary education.

Table 4

Provincewise Dropout Rate

Area Baluchistan NWFP Sind Punjab

Urban ( a) Male 56 60 40 12

(b) Female 80 70 50 24
Aggregate 60 63 43 18

Rural (a) Mole 68 70 77 1q

'-./

(b) Fem2.le 93 78 9 56
Aggregate 79 71 79 49

Source: Primary Educaion: Desired l.1easure by liatior,,_al

Council, Islamabad, 1986.

Curriculum and Instruction

There has been wide-spread criticism on the primary

school curricula, which has b,een 'branded irrel:evant, unsuited
to the development levels of children, and devoid of basic
knowledge of science, which evidently has failed to lay the
sou.,.vid foundations for the promotion of science and tecbnology.
The existing curricula is overloaded with general subjects
 16

and is beyond the absorb capac of the child. It h2.s

even failed to provide basic proficiency in langu,age and a
child. soon relapses into illiteracy after leaving the
primary school.
Another defective aspect of the existing curricula of
primary education is that of non-availability of physical
education activities which are rtant for the health and
physical/mentel growth of children at primary schools.
Children of this particular age level (5 - 9 years) like
to play games and take part in various physical activities,
but unfortunately, they are not given the opportunity to
fulfil their desire/need.
In most of the primary schools in N.W.F.P, the
instructional materials are only chalk, black/green boards,
and the textbo • Besides the non-availability of teaching
aids, a. large number of teachers are not well conversant
tvi th the methodology of teach , due to which they are not
in a posit to facilitate the teaching-learning process
and impart quality education to the children.

Teacher supply and Training

One of the crucial problems still to be solved is that
of selection and training o:f teachers working in the primary
schools o:f the province. A planned recruiting program to
con tact, inform, and enable suitable young men and 1ivomento
prepare for and enter teaching does not exist. Recruiting
procedure is limited to the rules of appointment which mainly
 17

specify the appointi:1g a.uthori ty and prescribe the minimum

acedemic and professional qual ation required for teachers.
V2.cEncies are filled as they occur, all appointments being
first me.de on a temporary/probationary basis. The mL::.imum
requireme:c~ts for primary teaching are the Matriculation
certificate and one year of professional training. case
of uI1-trained teache:cs, i.t is just Matriculatio:'.'1 certificate.
L. I,i. W. F. P, there are 1 9 governme:nt colleges for
elementary ( primary) teachers L-ricluding 6 for e tea-
chers. The tea.cher traini:g program conducted through these
co es is just sufficient to provide trained staff to the
newly established primary schools under a::1nual development
program fore aided projects, but behind in
provid inservice training to all the untrained teachers
serving in the primary schools of the province. The total
tmmber of trained and untrained primary school teachers in

r:. W. F. P is shovn:1 in Table 5 below:

Tab,le 5
Numb;er of' Teachers

Teachers Male Female Total

Trained 22,145 6,866 29,011

Untrained 9,321 3,753 13,074
Total 31,466 10,619 42,085

Source: Report on Social Action Plan ( 1991 - 94) for

Education Sector, Government of N.W.F.P.
 18

The untrained tetchers, who have at least three years

service a.t their credit, are trained through short term
courses of three months duration, which is inadequate for
their professional development.
Coupled vvith the lack of inservice teacher trainL1g
facilit , supply of female teachers to primary schools
rural areas of N.W.F.P is also a major problem to be solved.
In the t:cadition bo~d society of rural area, a preference
r female teachers has been a recurr note. Parents feel
more comfortable when their girls are under the care of
fema.le te2chers. While the cTucial need for women teacher
hes been ide1.1tified and found essential, the problem lies
in the availability of trained women teachers. In most
cases, tra.L::.ed women te2-chers prefer teaching in urban
areas, further aggravating the lack of trained teachers who
would be willi ....-1gto be posted Li rural schools.

Supervision a~id Evaluation

One of the major problems in primary education the

North West Frontier Province has been the defective procedure
of teacher supervision and evaluation. It is an established
:fact that successful implementation of a program depends,
more or less, on the efficient working of the administrative
m2.chinery which ha.ndles the progra.m. Need for such a.n
improvement hecomes more necessary in view of huge involve
ment of the program. During the past decade, there had been
tremendous increase in the number of primary schools in
 19

the province which has ered them u:nr:,anageable in the

present administrative set up. proper training has ever
been arranged for the s root level supervisors and
officers who handle the affairs of primary education. The
head teachers of primary schools, who used to b.e very
ctive one time, are not more than figure heads as they
do not lrnve the power to manage eir schools. The super-
visors s ti:::g r away their offices rule them, which
in fact they ce.nnot, due to which the primary education
in N.W.F.P has suffered enormously.
Effective supervision of schools is hampered by

several problems. There are too few supervisors to cover

the vast areas that need to be covered, some of which are
virtually inaccessihle, particularly in flung mountai-
nous area of the province. Then too, the small number of
existing supervisors are burdened by the large qu2_nti ty of
administrative pa,per work, leaving them little time for
actuel field visits. Supervisors also prefer to visit the
more accessible schools, situated at a distance of not less
than 16 kilometers from their offices, which then allows
them to claim their travelling allowance and go home to
their families. Even duril:lg these casual visits, the super-
visors just check the teachers/students' attendance, building
condition, and see that rules are obeyed. Such a vis can
rightly be called an inspection, not supervision, beca.use the
teaching-learning activities are not ob_served and checked
 20

for providing professional guidance to the tea.cr.ers. The

irregular visits and lack of supervision, especially in
the more remote schools lead to both teacher cmd pupil
absenteeism and eventually to the student dropping out of
schools.
Another problem in primary education of the province
is the defective pTocedure of evaluation used by the
supervisors for a.ssessing teachers' work. Most of the
supervisors use the process of summative ev~dua.tion for
teachers' assessment. They fix dates for annual inspection
of almost all the schools during the last two months
(February and March) of the academic year and judge the
value/quality of teacher work done throughout the year.
Such an approach to evaluation is mostly based on indivi-
dual characteristic/academic qualifications of teachers.
But for instructional purpose, the evaluation should not be
geared to individual characteristics of teac~ers because
success in tenching may not be associated with college
degree, grade-point average, knowledge of the subject, or
years of experience. It is mostly based on the process and
method teachers use for imparting knowledge and facilita-
ting the teaching-learning process.
 IV

EXPERI CE

some other develop countries have dee.l t vd th s

p-. oblems. ioned i-, er III, the major

problems ide:'.lt ed in the sy.stem of primary educs.tion
--o-'"th st ier ProvL"lce of istr:~:ri are to be cussed

e light of experience from other cou11tries:

High Dropout

Dropout refers to those students who be~in but not

compelete an education program. The dropout and low
pa.rt ipat and retentio:1 rate primary level 8.

01~ problem common to almost 2.ll the developi.:_g countTies

of the world. countries, a major factor u:nd.

universal primary education is that a le.rge proport of

the child:~ en who enrol in school dropout before completing

the entire primary cycle, usually within first two years.
The incidence of dropout is i:r~dicative of the low effeciency
of the education system and represents a waste of human a.nd
financial resources invested in the system (Singh, 1986).
According to the UlTDSCC Bullet "Education for All 11

(19'-39), in Ind , it is currently estimated that about 85%

of al_ students dropout of the school system by the ei,ght

year of scl'::.ool renote 2re~s, the dropout e

is even hia~er. The reasons r dropout a.ud en tee

po ed out in Bulletin ( 94) are:

1• 11
hee.l th and ical problems,
2. poo qualified teachers the low standard of
education provided schoo ,
an i::-~flexible curriculum thet is too dem2.nd
which involves t mar;.y students s
reP-:2.rd as irrel
4. passive, teacher-orient modes of le2.:c·- ,
5, the se2.so::·12l dem&nds cf agricul t1..:r2.l wo that require
children to e..ssist parents in their wo activit s 11 •
The Bulletit~ has further clarified that it particu-
l2rly diffricul t to attr2.ct Emd aL'Yl in school ildrer.1.
who come from eco,1cmically deprived and socially disadvantaged

sect oft society, and who live remote, difficult

terr2.L"c. To combB.t low retention and high abs eeism rates,

educ2.ticn. ri ties L'Yl many countries ha,ve developed a

number of tactics. scme countries education is u.:cliversal

but net c cry (e.g. Malaysia), vYhile in ot:-:er it is

compulsory ( e. ~. Thailand, Ctl.ina) • In countries as

Australia and Viet Nam, a.l though educaticn is compuls0ry,

spec allowance is made to accommodate the needs of i-

cular racial/ ethnic groups vrho may not want to attend school.
Attempts are also b.eing made to maximize parental support
their children's education. T:"1is is encouraged through

such 2,ctivities as home visit programs, the provision cf

scholarships, free host accommodations and free luncl:.es,
textbooks, Emd unifcrms .
 23

Africa., some of the c ries l1ave att ed to

redesign tteir educ2t structi;.res, e3pec at the

prime.ry level. AccordL1g to Mbe.mba ( 1 2) , n some English

spea.l:ing cou::,t:cies have attempted to e.malt(B.mate the tv10-

2.ge primary educati.::cn in::...eri ted into one, usually

with a reduction cf a e in the tot . Sudan ch2.nged

its prim2.ry ion structure from four to six years

order to reduce dropout. Primary education in T2,.nza.:::1ia ts

for a. period of seven years. Botswana has been recom::,ended

a long-term structv.re of six years U2.1iversal primary edu-

cation, but L2.s to mai..ritain the e::;,t seven years struc-·

ture u:i:1till the quality of primary education has been
improved. Zambia was recommended a primary educatio:1
structure of six yea.rs to replace t:,e present structure of

seven years. Zimbabv:e has a primary educetion ting for

seven ye.s.rs. The entry age varies cou::itry to c ry
is 2rTow1d the age of 6 - 7 years 11
1•

Irrelevant Curriculum

school curriculum is main means by which a

country's goals in education are translated into practice

a.t the school level. The curriculum, its outline and content,
indicates which areas of knowledge and what types of skill

1Mauno A. Mbamba, Primary Educ2tion for an I~1deueDdent

},'.·Pm"'bJ.
.U "-'"" ' C',, ....Ct•:• Pl!:l"ll''l."'r'r
_c,~- .. J... _.:_;-:::... 1.1·,,.,P
..:... "'"" "'l•tu'"·ti"on
10 C. ..:....l..
,f
J U""Cert'"i··11"t,r
J..t. C, -- ,1 2.nu'
--·--

instebility,(Stockholm: t and W ell

ernat , 1 9cJ2) page 1 60.
'
 24

devel:;,pment are particul2rly VEtlued in E.ny given country.

ccordi.".'1g t the O Bull iE ( ion , 1 )'
most cou:ctries the As and Pacific region, 11
curr
lum outlines are prep2-red by centr2,l education authorities
and s.re generally prescriptive. L-:.. other countries (e.g.
Ind , Australia, Halaysia), a curriculum framv;ork rather
cry syllabi is prepe.red. Certain core components
this fr2,mework are taught throughout the countries
ionE~l or context-specific components bei:C1g incorpo-
n,ted as required. For tance, curriculum u:ci ts evant
to the needs interests of populations being taught are
specifically included in some coru1tries (e.g. Philippines,
Indonesia, Nepal).
11
In the vast majority of countries in the region, vri th
the exception of tralia, vvhose curriculum development is
coordinated at the state or territory level, the curriculum
of ols is centrally developed. T!!:any that sue a
centralized curriculum is too rigid, inflexible, and
un-suitab.le for many scho populations. The reason th2t
these centralized sub.ject--based curriculums are o en
biased towards the perceived needs and interests of urban
population groups and reflect an expectati.on that those being
t2ught are motivated in the school system for an extended
period of time. As a result in many countries (e.g. Nepal,
Theiland, Maldives), the content of the school curricul1..1.m
often rega.rded as being irrelevant to the needs and
 25

aspirations of those livL"l.g in rur2cl eclucat contexts.

"There is a _g awareness of tjese types of prob-
lems and so more is being done in countries throughout the
region to decentralize decision making regard is
appropriate curricu.lum content for different populat
groups. Special efforts have been made to cater to needs
i:ud E,.spiratio ,s of c:1ildren and adults belo to d
a.dva.nt2.ged sect of the population and those resid
remote ere2s of a. country. Examples include the develop-
ment of a curriculum that is oriented towards com.muri ty
problems (e.g. Malaysia_, ia, Tru'dland, Viet ), and
of a he2.lth, ritional and e~vironmental
s2::.:it ion curriculum (e.g. India). A number of countries
the region have also developed nev, curricula which empha-
s e pupil-oriented activities. They encourage pupils to be
active and resourceful learners, while teachers are enccuraged
to utilize project and assignment work tbat ene.bles childre,1
to learn independently 112•

In several cou.'Yltries, there has been a re·-·examination

of the cuYriculum in relation to universal primary education

when it was felt that the existi..'Ylg curriculum did not meet

the diversi:f'ied needs of learners. Irrelevant curricula and

2u:m~scoPrincipal Regional Office for Asia and the

ific Bulletin, Education for All, (Bangkok: UNESCO,
1 989) , p. 94-95.
 26

unsuitable teaching methods are seen as an important reason

for non-enrolment and early withdrawl from school. According
to Raja Roy Singh (1986), curriculum renewal in these
cour_tries is movi..."lgtowards:
1) ''Decentralized adaptation of the core curriculum to
meet the specific needs of local communities;
2) Infusion into the curriculum of issues which are of
great concern to local commu::iities, such as heal th,
hygiene, nutrition, population education, and
environmental education;
3) Emphasis on socie.lly useful productive work aimed at
linking education and the world of work and at promo-
ting from quite early age a feeling of the dignity of
manual work and work methods;
4) Use of the local environment as a learning resource,
particularly for generating concern. for its protection
and preservations;
5) Strengthening of science and mathematics in the curri-
culum to prepare children more adequately for living
in a society in which science and technology have a
crucial role in national development as well as in
individual living;
6) An orientation with respect to moral values 113•

Dearth of instructional Materials

Dearth of instructional materials which are relevant

to the content of the curriculum being taught, is also one
of the major fact.ors influencing the quality of primary

3Raja Roy Singh, Education in Asia and the Pacific:

Retrospect : Prospect, (Bangkok: UNESCO, 1986),
p. 1 26 - 127
 27

education in various developL1g countries. It has been

reported in the mrnsco Bulletin ( Education for All, 1969)

that in some countries where tt1e curriculum is centrally

prescribed ( e .e. Viet Nam, India, c~·"Lvia, Malaysia), text-
books and other materials are prepared and published by a
government curriculum branch or com..rnercial publis~:ers, and
then distributed f'or use nation wide.
In an effort to overcome the lack of relevant teaching-
learning materials, teachers in suc?i countries as Australia,

Eala.ysia, India, 2.nd the Maldives are encouraged by education

2uthorities to prepare their own materials and audio-visual

aids, usL~g loc resources, in order to make the materials
more relevant to the particular population groups being
taught. They have also heen encouraged to develop materials
that meet the needs of those being taught large single
classes and multiple class/multigrade teaching situations,
as well as the demand of the newly literate for more and
b:etter ·books. Of special relevance in difficult education
contexts has been the production of low cost teaching lea.r--
ning materials the.tare responsive and relevant to local
needs. In o.rder to help achieve this end, many countries in

the Asia and Pacific region (e.g. China, Australia, :Maldives,

Thailand) organize workshops for teachers to assist them in
acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to develop their
own resource materials for use in schools (Education for
all, 1 989) •
 2

Lack of te2cher tra.ining Facilities

The preparation of te2.ching personnel for improving

the qua.li ty of education and implement innovative
progra.ms calls for special attentio·n. With increased
emphasis on inservice teacher education, a variety of
approaches are being used in various developing cour_tries,
including correspondance courses and radio and t evision
packages compris broadcasts, pre- and post-broadcast
discussion and support material in print. In some countries,
teachers centers are be set up to provide consultation
and other services to teachers, alongvvith weekend orientation
courses. Networks of institutions providing support services
to each other is another approach used for the inservice
upgrading of teachers' comp ences through school-based or
area--ba.sed progr2ms ( ingh, 1986).
Coupled with the lack of teacher training fac ities,
short2.ge of qualified teachers is another problem ed by
various developing countries. The fact that those who are
available to teach in schools often do not have the nece-
ssary knovvledge and skills needed for effective teach
r instance, they may not know how to teach large, often
multigrade classes, or possess the skills to cope with
teaching children from diverse cultural backgrounds.
As per UNESCOBulletin (19'39), it is widely accepted
throughout the ia and Pacific region that without approp-
riately trained and sensitized teacher nothing substantial
 2 ',

can be achieved to improve the outcome of teaching and

learning in difficult education c exts. In mar,y countries
f the region, a relatively standardized pre-service teacher
educ2tion program taught, but little is be done to
orientate prospective teachers to tte type of eel condi-
tions ::o ee.rning difficult thc:d 2.re especi2.lly relev"'nt
in e ctively teaching childre,1 i:n. ti::.eir ·:arge,
It also bee:~~ pointed out t::e UNESCO Bull
(19 9~ that there a surplus of ed teachers some
countries L~ the ion (e.g. Australia, Thailand, India),
it is generally difficult to st.aff schools in the over-
crowded urban and remote rural areas because these are often
regarded as unattractive or undesirable work locations by
many teachers. In Viet Nam, the commitment of teachers
do WO in such scho is :re cogniz by the award of •
J;.ccording to same Bullet ( page 97) , 11
a blem
thet persists throughout the relates to quality
2nd appropriateness of the teacher education procrams pro-
vided, whether at preservice or inservice levels. To resolve
this problem, many countries have conducted national enqui-
ries into their systems of teacher education in order to
identify the areas where changes can be made to ensure that
teachers are being adequately prepared to teach diverse
population groups in their charge. Many other initiatives
and innovat also are occuring. For example, attenpts
are be made in most countries to attract the most capable
 30

recru.its into the profession (e.g. China, 7:Tepal). In

addition, school-bas teacher education are being
adopted in some count (e.g. Austral iland,
'
E2,laysia) in order to overcome the theory-practice gap that
is said to occur in many preservice centers. Also, inservice
training is being made more widely available (e.g. Ind ,
Lia.laysia, ina, lTepal), us d tance education and
external studies as main instruct rrrecl II

In the research report series ~unber 9,

Nielsen and Tatto (1991) have discussed the sue os tea-
cher educe.tion in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Accord to
them, Sri Lt.nka has disting1..1.ished itself as the only major
cotmtry in the South ian region ( ich inch,cles India,
, B~~£l~fesh, Pakis , and Sri Lanka) to achieve a
high rate of literacy and enrolment in basic education. is
siYe &cc isl111ient is root in the Government's
cor::1r.1itment to univers&,l primary educatioz-:.. reforms
i tiated by the government have ,given birth to two nevi
approaches to primary school teacher traininp::: preservice
training at the newly constituted colleges of education,
started in 1985; and. inservice training through distance

4BRIDGES (Be.sic Research and Implementation in

Developing Education Systems) is a project of the Harvard
Institute for International Development, the riarvard
Graduate School of Education, and the office of Sducation,
B1).reau for science and technology, Unit States Agency
for International Development (USAID).
 31

education whict was ieted in 1983 by the National

titute of Educat rrith help , tte Sr;ecl

erne.tional Development Agenc:y. Sirnil2.rly, Indones

also e.tt near ru1iversal primary educ2.t ( "'5
'J - 9;····.')
ci/J

during the e eighties (1 89). After at ing extra-

ordinary success in increas access to basic educ2tion,
ian government now ,1=:;ivesmore attention to
the q of teachers increasinc the
of teachers. The ian Spen ULivers y

been taking leading role in a consortilm of ian

institutions to train teachers through distance education.

Irrep;-ule.r teacher supervision and Evaluation

F. r;:cGinn ( 1 992), in l:is rev10rd to BIU

res report series number 11. has called attent to
two key concepts from clas ;::;
i org2nization theory:
s of control; and scope of control. Span of c rol
refers to the 111).mberof agenc that are ed by a
superior a~ency. If the span of control is too large, the
supervising agency can not do their job well. r:Iany countries
have a school inspectorate system in which supervisors. are
unable t,o help improve teaching because they are responsible
for too many schools. To solve this problem, some countries
have created a new layer of authority in between the district
supervisor the school. The sub-district o e:rs may be
res for as few as ten schools.
 32

Scope of control refers to the kind of authority held

by e2ch a.gene:,:-. r.IcG-inn ( 1992) has given tl:.e exo.mple of
Sri L2nl<;:2.,where each new layer of the organization h2.s
been assigned responsibilities appropriate for that span of
control. According to him, the eff~ctiveness and effeciency

of the schools can be increased by moving critical decision

closer to the scene of ~ction.
Alkin, cited by ?To2.L1b2.( p2;.ge 177) defines eval1,,1_a
tion
as, "the process of 2.f:,certainin"ri: the decision to be made,
selecting rele.t ed ir:forrr,a t ion, and col:l.ect ing Emd 2x,2ly-
sLv~ L1formation in order to report summa.ry date. useful to
decision m2.kers in selecting amon;-:~al terrrntives 11
•

Evaluation Day be formative or it may be surmnative.

Formative evaluation is carried out at intervals throughout
the im:;:ilercentation process, while surn.Dative ev2.luaticn is
done at the end of the implementation process of the program.
·::.'he fiTst is the type of ev2.luation v1hich guides and aids
development, while the second is the kind of evaluation
1.vhich 2;ives judgement as to the value or worth of the
resulting program, especially the outcome of the program

(Mbamba, 1982). In order to carry out a successful program

of evaluation, the evaluator should, according to Yoloye
cited by Mba.mba ( page 179 ), have the followin2: characteristics:
1) 11
have competence in the skills of evaluation,
2) become a responsive and interactive member of the
ma:::12.gemen
t t earn,
3) support active ratter than passive management processes,
 33

4) function as 1:n int iary or,

5) tre.tive cor.:rpetence 11
•

In order to assess the ext to J:O ed

s are beir::.g achieved, is a need
e.11 evelop countries for a vigorous and comprehens
ten of supervis and ev8.li;.ation. Only ttcrough
ervis a.nd fo ive evaluation and assessment will
2drni:cist ors have reliable information regard the
extent to which the t earnir::.g s ion have

helped org211ize h2.s been successful.

 CF.,.APTERV

PROPOSALSAND SUGGESTICNS

Pronosals for solution of the Problems

The problems diagnosed in primary education in the

North -Jest Frontier Prov:L1ce of Pa.i-:istan, reported in
chapter III, are to be approached in the light of experience
from other countries, discussed in chapter IV, and proposals
made for their solutions imd suggestions made for further
improvement in this chapter. These proposals are described
under the following sub-headings:

Strengthenin.g of institutional c2~pacity

OpenL1g of new primary schools for attaining 100%

enrolment is obviously beyond the resources of the t=;overnment.

Therefore, manageable, feasible, and practicable physical

targets for opening new primary schools be determined and

2ttained through the annual development programs and foreign
aided projects.
Since construction of primary school b~ildings takes
at least 1 to 1 .5 year, therefore, for the time being, it
is proposed to start operating the primary schools in rented
buildings, mosque buildings, vrnrl:i:1g places, and all av2,il-
able space which can be considered for teaching purposes.
The system of double shift schooling be introduced in order
 35

to utilize the existing facilities/buildings effectively

to the maximum.

Making school environment Attractive

Most of the existing primary schools have no holding

power because of an unattractive enviromnent, which results

in poor retention and high dropout. To overcome this press-
ing problem, a right and meaningful direction should be
given to the primary education system in the province. The
existing physica,l and human resources infrastructure be
improved by providing buildings to shelterless schools and
additional classrooms to overcrowded schools. Qualified
teachers, flexible curriculum, student-oriented modes of
lea.rning, and provision of suitable instructional material
c2n make the school environment attractive for students.
Primary education should be made compulsory for each and
every child, those not complying with this directive should
be fined. To accomodate the needs of poor and disadvantaged
students, who may not want to attend school, a special allowance
should be paid to them. Attempts should also be made to maxi-
mize parental support for their children's education.

Reviewing· the existing Curriculum

The existing curriculum of primary education in the

province is overloaded and unsuited to the development needs
of the children. It should be made flexible and relevant to
the needs and interests of children. Instead of centralized
 36
rigid curricul~m biased towards the perceived needs and
interests of urb2.n population group, a decentralized
flexible curriculum appropriate for different population
group is needed :=or prim2.ry education L1 provir:.ce. Special
efforts are to be made to cater to the needs and aspirations
of children belonging to disadvantaged sections of the
popul2tion 2nd those residiI1.g in tt:e re:-J.ote a.re2. of t;-:.e
p:::'ovinc e.
Iri order to m2.l,::eit more ef::'ective 2ccording to loc2.l
needs, the existing curriculum at primary level should be
reviewed. Similarly, textbooks at prima.ry level should also
be reviewed and made more effective and attractive for the
children. Children like beautifully arranged books with
pictures, illustrations, and reading materials which are
easily understood. The books being used in primary schools
of North West Frontier Province lack many such qualities.
If beautifully designed and improved, these books will be
a source of motivation and attractio::-:. for the c:1ildren.
Curriculum provisions also need to be related to the
personal, vocational, and citizenship needs of the learner
and to the economic, social, and cultural needs of the
country. But, curriculum provision alone cannot guarantee
either the quality of the educative process or the achieve-
ment of the curriculum ob,jectives. Much depends on the
availability of ·other necessary facilities for schooling.
 37

Developi..'1g apnropri2,te instructional ?.'Iaterials

o:cder to fEc --le2.:?1n process

and improve the qu~lity of te ElO appro
'
tr1..wtion21 m2"terials should be provided to eact. every
prime.ry s 1 in e province. Some of these teacher support
P .d 2UX
1 r~,r instructional mat are: polit and
topograptical maps, rts, illustrated diagrams science
processes, 2.lphabet strips, alpha.bet , number cards,
number li::~es, ,,.ildren' s dictiona,ries, atlases, children's
mag2.zines, c. As curriculum is centrally prescribed and
ement in primary schools of the province, so
instructions.l materials wh \1 are relevant to the content
of the currciculum being taught should be developed and
published by Bu1'.'eau of Curriculum Development and Education
Extension services, Government of N.W.F.P, 2.nd then distri-
buted for use in schools throughout the province. Teachers
can also be encouraged by the education authorities of the
province to prepare their mvn materials and audio-visual
aids, us local resources, that meet the needs those
being taught in schools. For this purpose, workshops can be
organized for t.eachers to assist them in acquiring the
knowledge and skills needed to develop their own resource
materials for use in schools.
Encouraging female Teachers

One major prob,lem in female primary education is the

shortage as well as un-willingness of female teachers to
 38

serve in schools located in rural areas of the province.

It is proposed to introduce special incentives in the s:cape

of hardships allowance at a reasonable rate per month to
female teachers for service in primary schools in the remote
rural areas. Proper arra,ngement for their accomrnodation and
security in the remote backward areas should also be made
by the government. The philanthropists of the local comm-
unity should also realize their responsibility in this
regard.

Training of Supervisors

One of the main problems in the primary education

sector of the province has been the lack of adequate planning,
m2.n2.gement, supervision ar.1.dmo._itoring capability at the
lower implementatio:1 level. For increasing efficiency and
m8king que.litative changes, it would be necessary to have
qualified and trained educational administrators and super-
visors at all levels of t~e system. These administrators
a.nd supervisors should have competence in the skills of
supervision and evaluation, so that they can be responsive
2,nd interactive members of the management team.
In order to improve job related skills of supervisors
and administrators working at all levels of the primary
education system, organizational development training work-
shops should be designed and conducted lo,y the Directorate
of primary education, lT.W.F.P. For increasing t:ie efficiency
and effectiveness of primary schools, the head teachers
 39

should also be properly trained in school ma~1agement,

administration, and supervision of classroom instructions.

Introducing alternative methods :for te2.cher Training

Teacher training is essential for improving the quality

of primary education in N.W.F.P, which has chosen to employ
un-qualified teachers to achieve universal primary enrol-
ment. In order to cater f'or the training needs of preservice
as well as inservice un.qualified/untrained teachers, the
existing teacher-training capacity needs to be increased and
new colleges for elementary teB,chers opened. Establishing
new te2.cher training colleges and making necessary arrange-
ments for conventional/broad inservice training to improve
the quality of teaching force can be expensive, and out of
ree.ch for the education department in the province, which
is already under-financed. But, alternative methods that
cen be effective for training the teachers with less cost
tha:1 conventional methods can be adopted for solution of
teacher.training problem. These methods can be:

Distance Education. In some subjects it is possible to

provide training which is at least as good as that provided
by traditional inservice programs at much less cost through
the use of distance education method. This method is not
equally effective for all subjects or in all contexts, but
it can produce the requisite r'esul ts in the subject
of te2.cher-training in terms of how much teacher trainees
learn, yet cost less. The critical factor in distance
 40

education is not the capital-expensive hardware of rad and

television transmitters and receivers. Succes3ful programs

can b.e run using correspondence methods, and broadcasts
over unused commercial television channels or rad stations.
It is not the technology of transmission that makes these
programs effective, but the ind of learn si tuatio::.1 that
they c e. In distance education, learn materials are
developed using principles of instructional design, which
cus on how people lee.rn, rather than on the subject
matter being taught.
The distance education program being implemented
through Iqbal Open University in the country
(Pakistan) needs to he improved and re-designed for ful-
filling the professional needs and requiremer,ts of teachers.

Professional Seminars. Inservice training can

place through d cussion and conference with fellow teachers,
he2.dm2ster, learning coordinators, and other visiting super-
viso.::-s. For this purpose, pro ional seminars can be
arranged by the local educe.tion authori tie to pTovide a
time for rela.xed non-threatening discuss periods, so that
teachers are able to express themselves freely.
The most effective part of these professional seminars
that of cooperative or collaborative learning. Teachers
get the oppoTtuni ty to meet e.nd discuss ts.:eir sons e.nd
difficulties with their counterparts and find out alterna-
tives/solutions to their problems. These meetings/seminars
ca.r, partially substitute for inservice teacher tra~··-~··,....,
 41

Peer Coaching. Inservice traini1lg c2ll &,lsc tal:.e place

within the school through observing others at work and
through consultation with experienced colleagues/peers.
Peer coaching can play an effective role in the professional
development and training of a begirL.viing teacher if properly
planned and carried out in the schools. This involves
identification of the problems and difficulties faced by the
new/untrained teacher and support provided by an insider/
experienced teacher who is assigned the responsibility to
train and educate the newcomer.
It is important to provide the new teacher with a
mentor who is experienced and able to guide, assist, and
support him/her. It is also important for new/beginning
te2chers to be able to discuss ideas and concerns with peers.
As the purpose of peer coaching is to assist, not assess the
beginning teachers, so it should take place in a friendly
situation and good professional relationship among teachers.

Suggestions for Improvement

The following suggestions are offered for raising the

standard and improving the quality of primary education in
the province:
1. The lack of schools is one of the most serious problems
to enrolling and retaining children in schools. There
is 2. grave need for more and better equiped facilities,
pe.rticularly in the rural area of the province. In
 42

addition, exist fc.c ies, o en po ccnst-

ructed and overcroVJded, so require improvement,
othenvise the numbers of non-enrolled 2nd pouts
·will grmv.

2. It is not enough to s2.y that a teaching ility

exists within so mr.my kilometers of a vill2ge, w.. en
in fact to reach that scho 2. child must fo a wide
stream or E:.cros:::; a thick fore,c3t or ...igh r:ou:c.tain.
, in billy remote bacl;:ward area the
province, the c eria for establis:1ment of new schools
should be relaxed.

3. A det ed school mapping exercise be carried out to

determined e needs and proper locations for opening
of new prim2r1 scho to meet the needs of c
ren vri th e..n eas 2.ccessible distance.
4. The existing p:,:im2.ry scho for boys be us

for co-education at least upto 3rd grade the e3tab-

lislunent of ep2.rate schools girls es net

under the existing criteria for openin.g news ols in

cert2.in areas of the province.

5. The analytical cap2.ci ty the educ io::i sy;,:;tem in

N.W.F.P is inadequately developed with ~eak data
gathering and research capabilities. As a result the
working of the system poorly monitored and policy

dee ions t to be e tri2.l ed on unreli2ble d2.ta.

A pre--requisite of reas efficiency is e develop-
ment and m2inten21::.ce cf c: research c /capacity to
 4 '3

dia~nose end analyse the existing 3ystem and provide

E, reliable be: 2e for dee is ion m2,}::in&r, plam1in.0:, oan2.ge-
ment, 2nd implement2tion.

6. In order to m2ke the school environment healthy and

attractive for children, physical activities e.~.

snorts, 2.t':1letics, games, skippL1.g, etc; shoulci be
included in the primsry school cu::criculv ....
rn. Children af

the primary sd1ool EP:e "~;roup ( 5-9 ye2rs) like to be

involved in phy::.:ico.l 2.ctivi ties.
7. To overcome the s~1ortar:e of female teachers in the rural
areas of the province, the prescribed qualification for

appointment of female teachers belonaing to that area

need to be rela.xed. If possible, fin2.nci2.l 2.icl for
meetirlf-2: the private cost of their educEticn ma.y rl:rn

be provided to encour2cae Emel motiv2te them for acqFirina

hi~her education.
8. The existing criteria for teacher - pupil ratio of one
te~c~er for forty students (1 40) should be chan2ed
into a ratio of one tea,cher for tv.renty five students
(1 25), so that proper individual attention can be
given to each c:md every student b:y the teacher for

effective learning.
9. The salary structure and service conditions of prim2,ry
tee.chars should be i:r:rproved. They join the service 2s

-prim2.ry te2cher 2.nd retire as primary teac':1er. No

opportunity for promotion to higher posts is given to

them. In order to make tea.ching profession attractive,

 44
2 re2.son2.ble q_uota in the exi:::.;ti,:1g posts of learning
coordinators be determined for promotion of primary
school teachers on the virtue of seniority, so that
they may have a chance of vertical promotion like
clerks, patwaries, stenotypists, etc: in other
departments.
10. A strong motivational compaign should be launched to
convince parents to send their children, particularly
girls, to schools.

Suggestion for further Research

Similar research studies should be conducted at each

district and sub-divisional level to see whether the quality
of primary education there is upto the standard or below the
standard. The conditions prevailing in the girls schools be
compared with those of boys schools. The facilities available
in public (private) schools should be studied and compared
with those of government schools. Similarly, the English
medium schools be compared with Urdu medium schools. Such
comparative studies will help in improving the efficiency
and quality of primary education and removing the dispara-
ties and discrepancies, if any.
It is hoped that this study will persuade the authori-
ties and public of North West Frontier Province to pay more
attention to the educational needs of small children. Thus
it may contribute, in a humble way, towards improvement in
the quality of primary education in the province.
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