ISLAMABAD: Speakers called for a comprehensive and workable education policy to meet the contemporary challenges and help the youth to have a better life in the society.
They were speaking at a book-launching ceremony, arranged by Institute of Education and Research (IER), Punjab University (PU), said a press release here on Wednesday.
The book published by Oxford Press on Education Polices of Pakistan was written by eminent Educationist Dr Shahid Siddiqui.
The speakers included Vice Chancellor Punjab University Dr Mujahid Kamran, Vice Chancellor Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) Dr Uzma Qureshi, Dean and Director, IER, PU Dr Mumtaz Akhtar, Professor Shahzeb Khan, and the author Dr Siddiqui, who is currently Vice Chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU).
While presenting the book’s review, the speakers noted that it was the first document that gave a comprehensive account of education policies in Pakistan, since 1947. Through the book, the author who had been associated with Pakistan education system for the last three decades made critical analysis of the policies designing process and their implementation. Each chapter of the book contains a section devoted to specific issue of the education system. Besides, identifying the reasons for failure of education polices, the writer made some doable recommendations for effective implementation of the education policies.
Dr Mujahid Kamran said that the book provides answers to various pertinent questions, relating to the education system that our nation needs today. He hoped that each teacher and scholar will go through it to understand the basics of education policies.
Dr Uzma Qureshi commended the author for making substantial recommendations in the book as a future guideline for policy-makers. Dr Mumtaz and Dr Shahzeb appreciated the author’s devoted efforts in providing a useful data for the researchers. It is relevant to research scholars, teachers and those who are interested in educational policy planning and its implementation. Explaining the various features of the book, Dr Siddiqui said, it is an attempt to study the education policies in Pakistan in a critical and holistic manner.
The book with 14 chapters selects major themes in education policies, for example, vision and goals, universal primary education, literacy, female education, language issues, higher education, technical and vocational education, special education, religious and madrassah education, curricula and textbook, and teachers and teacher education, tracking each theme through policies from 1947 till 2009, when the last education policy was offered.
The author through his book has done pioneering work as nobody had previously discussed the policies in a comprehensive way, the speakers said that adding outdated and ineffective education policies have been the major reasons behind several prevailing education-related issues
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