Policy Paper Pakistans Uniform Education System PP-E-02

Pakistans Uniform
Education System
Policy Paper: PP-E-02 Section 1.2.2 Dated: 18-02-2017
A Policy Paper for Future Educational System of Pakistan

Prepared By
Talha Raza

Educational Society For Strategic Analysis And Research Pakistan

www.essaar.pk

ESSAAR Educational Society For Strategic Analysis And Research

www.essaar.pk
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Policy Paper Pakistans Uniform Education System PP-E-02

1.2.2. Pakistan Educational Conference (1947)

The first education conference was held in Karachi, from 20 November 1947 till 01 December 1947 and it
was convened under the supervision of Qaid-e-Azam. Personally, he was unable to attend conference due
to illness but he sent a written message for the attendies of conference which described the very clear
future patern and guide line for our education system.

Before a day on 27th November 1947 in Karachi, Qaid-E-Azam gave a message to the nation:

I am glad that the Pakistan Educational Conference is being held tomorrow in Karachi. I
welcome you all to the capital of Pakistan and wish you every success in your deliberations, which I
sincerely hope will bear fruitful and practical results.

You know that the importance of education and the right type of education cannot be over-
emphasized. Under foreign rule for over a century, in the very nature of things, I regret, sufficient
attention has not been paid to the education of our people, and if we are to make any real, speedy and
substantial progress, we must earnestly tackle this question and bring our educational policy and program
on the lines suited to the genius of our people, consonant with our history and culture, and having regard
to the modern conditions and vast development that have taken place all over the world.

There is no doubt that the future of our State will and must greatly depend upon the type of
education and the way in which we bring up our children as the future servants of Pakistan. Education
does not merely mean academic education, and even that appears to be of a very poor type. What we have
to do is to mobilize our people and build up the character of our future generations. There is immediate
and urgent need for training our people in the scientific and technical education in order to build up our
economic life, and we should see that our people undertake scientific, commerce, trade and particularly,
well-planned industries. But do not forget that we have to compete with the world which is moving very
fast in this direction. Also, I must emphasize that greater attention should be paid to technical and
vocational education.

In short, we have to build up the character of our future generations which means highest sense
of honor, integrity, selfless service to the nation, and sense of responsibility, and we have to see that they
are fully qualified or equipped to play their part in the various branches of economic life in a manner
which will do honor to Pakistan. (Qaid-E-Azam Karachi 26th November 1947)

That event was the first step for the formulation of the future educational policy of newly born Pakistan
and Qaid-E-Azam showed his great concerns for the educational conference by sending his message for
the foundations of educational policy, in which he said:

"... the importance of education and the type of education cannot be over-emphasized ... there is
no doubt that the future of our State will and must greatly depend upon the type of education we
give to our children and the way in which we bring them up as future citizens of Pakistan ... we
should not forget that we have to compete with the world which is moving very fast in this
direction."

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Policy Paper Pakistans Uniform Education System PP-E-02

Qaid-e-Azam delivered his concerns regarding the future of education in Pakistan in four aspects:

1. The Education system of Pakistan should suit every type of student.

2. It should be aligned and constant with our cultural and historical values.
3. It should inculcate a high sense of honor and integrity in students.
4. It should include the latest techniques and emphasize on modern science and technology.

The 1st Education Minister Mr. Fazal Ur Rehman explained that the aims of education in a democratic
society must be holistic. He suggested that the socio-political element entails training for citizenship
and proposed three dimensions of education:

1. Spiritual
2. Social
3. Vocational

He stated:
The possession of a vote by a person ignorant of the privileges and responsibilities of
citizenshipis responsible for endless corruption and political instability. Our education must [teach]
the fundamental maxim of democracy, that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance and it must aim at
cultivating the civil virtues of discipline, integrity, and unselfish public service.
(Ministry of Interior (Education Division) 1947, p.8).

He also noted that education must serve to make all members of the body politic citizens of
Pakistan, no matter what political, religious or provincial label one may possess
(Ministry of Interior (Education Division) 1947, p.8)

Thus, the educational conference envisioned an educational system that would prepare citizens with the
knowledge and dispositions needed to create a benevolent educated society.

It was stated in the conference as:

In the sphere of higher education which seeks to create a class of the elite that will determine the quality
of our civilization and will direct and plan our national life, so there is an urgent need for drastic reform.
We must do all we can to prevent the present aimless drift of all and sundry to high schools and colleges
and the colossal wastage which the absence of any selective principle involves. The purveyors of
knowledge in the form of cheap degrees. They are essentially homes for the promotion of learning and
have a vital role to play in raising the moral and intellectual tone of society and of unfolding before it
endless possibilities of human development. hope that through the establishment of an inter-university
board or any other coordinating agency our universities will not only raise their existing standards of
scholarship but also through a frequent interchange of teachers, the institution of inter-university
extension lectures, and discussion of the common problem make a worthy contribution in all departments
of human knowledge. (Govt. of Pakistan, 1947)

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Policy Paper Pakistans Uniform Education System PP-E-02

The Chairman of conference formed the following Sub-Committees to come up with the
recommending guidelines in each sector:

1. Scientific Research and Technical Education Committee.

2. Adult Education Committee.
3. University Education Committee.
4. Primary Education Committee.
5. Secondary Education Committee.
6. University Education and Primary and Secondary Education.
7. Womens Education Committee
8. Committee for scheduled caste and backward classes education
9. Cultural Relations Committee
10. Joint meeting of the committees on the university education, scientific research and
technical education and cultural contacts
11. Joint meeting of the committees on University Education, Womens Education and
Primary and Secondary Education

The reports of various committees were submitted for finalization on 29th November 1947,
which recommended the following stages for the execution of an educational program as first 5
years to be devoted to planning, recruitment of teachers and training. In the 6th year, about
500,000 people were to be made literate with an annual increase of 300,000 thereafter.

The major recommendations of the conference were:

A) Free and compulsory education in Pakistan.
B) Education should be teamed with Islamic values.
C) Emphasis on science and technical education.

The main emphases in that conference were on immediate actions to improve literacy rate and it produced
a strong philosophy of as well as a number of ambitious recommendations indicating the future goals of
education in Pakistan. Unfortunately, the policies formulated in that conference
were not implemented properly due to various reasons including increased
number of immigrants and other administrative problems of newly born
Pakistan and British colonial system was continued which proved a major
setback in our education system, many of its recommendations remained in documentary
form only for the lack of institutional or economic resources and leadership to pursue them.

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Policy Paper Pakistans Uniform Education System PP-E-02

Taken by famous Life Magazine photographer Margaret Bourke-White

Womens Education Conference at Karachi in November 1947
Khadeeja Feroze Uddin (2L), Deputy Directress of Public Instruction of West Punjab
Begum Sofia Ahmed (R), the daughter of the Gov. of Sind,

Khadeeja Feroze Ud-din (R), Deputy Directress of Public Instruction of West Punjab

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Policy Paper Pakistans Uniform Education System PP-E-02

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