Public Forum Islamkot

THARDEEP RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (TRDP)

ONE DAY WORKSHOP ON EDUCATION HELD ON JULY 4, 2006AT ISLAMKOT, DISTRICT THARPARKAR

IN COLLABORATION WITH

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTE (NDI)

THARDEEP RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Near Dargah Hussain Shah Siran, Mithi - 69230 District Tharparkar Sindh Pakistan Ph: 0232-261462, Fax: 0232-261379 E-mail: [email protected]

Introduction Education is a vehicle for the transmission and promotion of enlightening values focusing on inspiration rather then just substance progression.1 The word education in its literal sense has been derived from the Latin words Educare means to bring out.2 Educatum means to nourish while Educere means to lead out.3 Every civilization facade some evils owing to illiteracy in citizens as built-up crisis, populace predicament, fiscal hitch and hush-hush dilemma but from beginning to end in education entire problems can be worked out. Education is a route to set up, working out and gives directives for a particular rationale and increase of characters and intellectual supremacy through logical commands.4 Education encompasses coaching and erudition detailed proficiency incredible fewer substantial but weightier ruling and intelligence. Education has deepseated goals to impart culture from age bracket.5 Education means premeditated and well thought-out movement by a professional to communicate information to make employers and employees more beneficial for the society.6 This motion chiefly engross the management of substance by the talent to learners who are learning about the subject matter.7 It is the field of study that is fretful with the pedagogy of ideas and knowledge.8 In Islam, education means to lead out from dusk of ignorance to beam of knowledge and it should facilitate us to recognize our intentions and its achievements as described in next verse of Quran-e-Pak (62:2) “He raised among the unlettered a messenger from amongst themselves reading unto them his revelation and purifying them and teaching them the book and the wisdom”, (4:59) “Obey, Allah and obey his Prophet (S.A.W) and then amongst you in authority”, (14:1) “this is the book which we have sent down to you so that you may bring the mankind from the darkness into the light”.9 The thought of human development stressed on education for the progress of individuals as well as nation. It is significant that the human development is substantially different than HR. The role of education is training of human capital. From the HR approach, the function of education is just to develop skills, in order to make people more productive and innovative and as the investment. The concept of human development considers education as one of the basic dimensions of development. Education is an indispensable instrument in combating exclusion and social discrimination. Education can be a vehicle through which the equitable distribution of resources is guaranteed.10 The route of education is separated as logical area which is accountable for enhancing a person’s rational dexterity and acquaintance, the expressive area wherever feelings, appreciation and values reside and the memorization area that evolve personnel mechanical skills.11 Basically, the wealth of education is divided wideranging edification produces astuteness, dependability and alertness of civilization and occupational edification set up high-quality for a explicit job. 12

The fundamental chore of education is to embed a will and flair for knowledge. It should manufacture not educated but intellect populace. The just humanity is a wisdom society wherever grandparents, parents and kids are students collectively. 13 The rationale of education is to produce a substantial populace of such educated man and women who could comprehend the globe well enough and survive to carry a change in education. Devoid of worth edification, a country is leap to leg behind in the rivalry.14 The rationale is the deep-seated aspiration of the progression to be achieved via education (Callaway, 1979) and teachers.15 The significance of education is more than it was ever before. Today, we are in the epoch of computers. The industrial countries consider edification as fundamental in the lives of those nations. They spend hefty fortunes, sizeable moment in time and added wherewithal to supply prominent education to their citizen. Education plays very important role in the development of a nation. It is a technique by which we get hold of skills, acquaintance and attitudes. The gainful employment of educated manpower is an important aspect of the overall progress.16 It has a well-built effect on civilizing people. The high a man/woman goes in the educational ladder, the better him/ her and his/her family score in most health and family welfare indicators. Both men and women who obtain more education are more likely to work in trained occupations and have greater access to media services, lower fertility levels, greater awareness of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and their children are less likely to die at a young age. To diminish the scarcity in all facets, education shows business in the society. Erudite personality male/ female gross fiscal and communal rank followon sinking the deficiency.17 Education in its entire diverse characteristic plays a determinant character in progress. The thought of human development regards people's educational level as one of the most important measurable dimensions that express society's level of development. Educated people are better able to innovate and to take up ever more industrious methods that permit them to lead well-brought- up, ingenious and longer lives. Educated people have the crucial instruments to clash next to societal segregation. They can manipulate verdict that affect their lives and are competent of being paid and giving out information thus contributing to enriching the knowledge and cultural heritage of humanity. Apart from the transmission of scientific knowledge that allows individuals to jump stages in the learning process and socialization.

An overview of existing schools & Colleges in Tharparkar Number of Institutes Enrolment Teachers Boys Girls CoTotal Boys Girls Total Men Women Total Type Level Ed 2252 308 466 3026 62,417 31,391 93,808 3433 393 3826 Schools Primary 227 13 22 262 4,158 948 5,106 324 20 344 Middle 23 4 02 29 4,374 926 5,300 355 33 388 Secondary Higher Secondary 0 0 Colleges Intermediate 01 01 291 66 357 14 14 Degree 0 0 Post Graduate 0 0 Professional 2,502 325 491 3,318 71,240 33,331 104,571 4,126 446 4,572 Grand Total So if we will look in these figures provided by SEMIS on Women teacher is teaching 75 girls on the other hand one men teacher is responsible for only 17 boys students. Participation Rates in Schools & Colleges Population Enrolment % age Out of Schools % age Age Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Men Women Total Type Stages of Group Classes 4-9 124,215 96,230 220,445 50% 33% 43% 50% 67% 57% Schools Primary 10-12 53,808 41,962 95,770 11% 3% 8% 89% 97% 92% Middle 13-14 23,551 18,120 41,671 11% 3% 7% 89% 97% 93% Secondary 15-16 20,312 15,843 36,155 1% 0% 1% 99% 100% 99% Colleges Intermediate 17-18 19,540 16,862 36,402 0% 0% 0% 100% 100% 100% Degree 6,967 6,313 13,280 0% 0% 0% 100% 100% 100% Post Graduate 19-20 195,330 443,723 248,393 29% 17% 24% 71% 83% 76% Grand Total

The event started with recitation from the Holy Quran, Mr. Shamsh-ud-Din had the privilege to do so. Haji Nabi Bux Balauch, member BoD-TRDP welcomed the participants and explained the importance of the Public Forum. Mr. Kanhaee Lal, Regional Manager, Chachro introduced himself and gave an informatory briefing on TRDP’s recent activities in collaboration with Local Government at district, taluka and union council levels. MAZHAR LAGHARI, NDI-ISLAMABAB Today here in IslamKot we have organized the public forum on education similarly; a public forum was organized in Umerkot yesterday. This forum certainly, would help us to sort out education-related issues and their solutions especially regarding girls’ education. He emphasized on the need of healthy and frank discussion to be generated in the forum. Every participant has an equal opportunity and right to take part in the discussion, I have come from Islamabad to participate in the forum, Mazhar concluded. MOHAMMAD AYOOB KHOSO This is a good platform; such type of programs should be organized at village and union council levels. School-aged children are being indulged in the labor therefore; they can not go to schools. He urged for increased communication and teachers’ training. SHAMSH-UD-DIN OTHO Mr. Otho acknowledged TRDP for taking efforts to uplift the status of education in the villages. He raised the issue of unavailability of teachers in schools, he voiced for middle-passed and matriculated rural girls who are not being encouraged and given opportunities to serve as teachers in their respective villages. He said that committees haven’t remedied poor health of education and schools. VAHSAN SAMOO Mr. Samoo spoke on the issues related to the supervision of schools, he said that Supervisors do not work efficiently, take pocket money from teachers. At many places teachers make fake result sheets and don’t care for the future of

students. However, hardworking teachers face pressure situations, it is very demoralizing since they are asked to serve the personal interests of supervisors and other officers. Teachers from Chachro are posted in Government Girls High School, Nagarparker therefore, they can’t come to school. MOHAMMAD ISMAEEL KHASKHELI These are rural schools, in Nagarparker (taluka Nagarparker) many school buildings which are built during last 10 years period do not function as schools however, teachers are posted in these schools. RATTAN LAL BHEEL A system does exist and schools run in villages. School children are being taught a long list of subjects so that they can’t learn properly. The quality of education is continued to be poor; caring and honest teachers and efficient education officers have been the story of past. The Education Department should take efforts to recruit hardworking male and female teachers. MOHAMMAD ZAMAN TUGUSAR Girls can’t continue their education due to outside teachers. AKBER ALI KHASKHELI This is a nice program, one can express his views. The parents and teachers are equally responsible for deterioration of educational system in our district. Carelessness and bribery have become everyday business. SUHRAB VASAEPOTO We have gathered here to discuss on education, how to better its quality, Suharab probed to participants. He suggested to handover schools to NGOs for a period of one year; he said that TRDP will be the best organization for assigning the responsibility.

MORU MAL, ADHEEGAM I am thankful to TRDP for inviting me. He said that the involvement of money in educational system is deplorable. It should be a collective effort to improve the quality of education in our area. RAMESH KUMAR KAROONJHRAEE Education is our basic need; no any nation or country could develop without education. The political involvement at local level has deteriorated the whole process of education particularly in villages. NOOR AHEMAD JANJHI I wholeheartedly welcome all the participants of this forum. Since our topic was education and how to improve the quality of education. Many of the participants have already put a list of complaints and issues and given suggestions. However, teachers who do not teach in schools are making injustice to themselves only to spoil the future of children. KEWAL RAM The teachers have been targeted and responsible for education in schools. But it is the responsibility of parents /villagers to complain against teachers who are mostly absent or not teaching well. Parents have also right to say the teachers that they have been appointed only to teach their children, so he has to render his service honestly. He emphasized that girls are well-educated in the rural area; they are waiting for recruitment on merit basis for rendering her services in primary schools particularly. HOTCHAND, DISTRICT OFFICER (EDUCATION) I am very grateful to TRDP for inviting and organizing this event. We all are Thari, we have to struggle more and work hard to improve the quality of education, and however, we know, recognize and are aware of things well. I would suggest organizing these types of events in each talukas of district. He said that parents should have to be aware of their children's education. Teachers should have to fulfill their role in teaching honestly. Parents should have to complain against the absconder teachers. He said that there is issue

of political involvement which is entirely wrong; we (Villagers, NGOs and Government) have to think about jointly. At last I would like to request parents to enroll their children in schools instead of making them cowherds or goatherds. SONO KHANGHARANI, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TRDP I welcome all the participants wholeheartedly and also for those guests who have come from Islamabad to this remote and backward area of Sindh to participate the event. It is our job to sit together and work with the people, for the solution of problems on priority basis, whether it is preliminary education or scarcity of water. Today we have gathered here to discuss on education. I would say teacher to fulfill his duty with honesty if he want to be recognized as best teacher and would request parents that they enroll their children in the schools instead of sending them to work on wage labour /domestic work and also monitor their children's study. It is not so simple to get children educated for that achievement we must have to monitor at home on a regular basis. For that purpose it is more difficult to manage due to less income however, we could reduce expenditures for instance, tea, cigarette etc and invest this money on education for considering the best result and bright future of our children. - The End -