SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN: THE STATE OF EDUCATION (pb)

The state of education in Pakistan is far from satisfactory There has however, been some recognition of this problem and efforts have been made to improve the educational profile The discussion has, however, remained largely confined to the subjects of enrolment, particularly at the primary level, and resource allocations while both these topics are important, there are other crucial underlying problems that have generally not found place in the debate on education Several questions arise How critical is the state of education in Pakistan? Where does Pakistan stand in relation to other countries in the region? How unequal is the distribution of educational opportunities? Is land inequality a barrier to education? Why is education important for economic growth and development? Where does Pakistan stand with respect to knowledge-based economies? How has macroeconomic policy impacted education? Which level of education has higher rates of return? What are the underlying problems with the primary education curriculum? How are examinations the bane of Science education? How have the different streams of education created divergent worldviews? The State of Education, SPDC's fifth annual review of Social Development in Pakistan, endeavors to answer all these questions It attempts an in-depth examination and analysis of the global as well as sectoral aspects of education in Pakistan and identifies the necessary areas of intervention with a view to raising the human resource level of the country Author: Kaiser Bengali