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The Education System of Pakistan

Paul Norris UK NARIC

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Pakistan

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Key Themes of Presentation

• Secondary and Higher Secondary Education

• State University System

• Private Higher Education Institutions

• Quality Assurance System

• Identifying Best Students

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Population

• Total Population: 162 million (2005 est)

• Annual Population Growth Rate: 2.03% (3 million p.a.)

• 96% of the population are Muslim; Pakistan is an Islamic Republic

• Estimated Literacy Rate: In the region of 45%, with girls between 25-30%

• Acute Teacher Shortage

• Average Annual Salary $450; 34% live below poverty line

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History

• 1947 – Independence from Britain and Partition from India

• 1971 – Civil War in East Pakistan, leading to independence of Bangladesh

• Early 1970s – All educational institutions were nationalised by Bhutto

• 1977 – General Zia Ul Haq conducts a coup of Bhutto’s government

• 1979 – Islamic penal code introduced; Govt Commission determines that public sector alone cannot satisfy demand for education

• Mid-1980s – Private education institutions allowed to operate in compliance with government compiled standards

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History Cont.

• 1988 – Zia killed in plane crash; subsequent elections return Benazir Bhutto as PM

• 1999 – General Pervez Musharraf seizes power

• 2002 – University Grants Commission superseded by Higher Education Commission

• 2004 – Govt decides that private tertiary institutions that do not meet HEC standards will have charters withdrawn in Feb 2007

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Geography

• Four main provinces: Baluchistan, North-West Frontier Province, the Punjab and Sindh

• Islamabad is a separate federal district

• Azad Jammu, Kashmir and Gilgit are autonomous states; Kashmir being the focus of ongoing tensions with India

• Almost 70% of country’s population reside in villages and small towns i.e. rural areas

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Language

• Official Language is Urdu

• Regional Languages include Punjabi, Pushtu, Sindi and Baluchi

• English is widely used in business circles

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Education System: An Overview

• School Education System: 5+3+2+2

• Higher Education Structure: Either 2+2+2+3, 3+1+2+3 Or 4+2+3

• Continuing similarity to British Education Model

• Increasing role of US-style Private Higher Education and the importance of the recently introduced HEC Accreditation Process

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Secondary Education

• Subsequent to 8 years school (5 years primary, 3 years middle)

• Grades IX and X (ages 14 and 15)

• Two streams: Science and Humanities

• Examinations conducted by 26 Regional Education Boards

• Tend to be marked out of 850 marks

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Higher Secondary Education

• Grades XI and XII

• Leads to the HSC, otherwise known as the Intermediate Examination

• Available in four streams: Science, Humanities, Medical Technology and Home Economics

• Each stream sub-divided into a number of different subject groupings

• Usually out of 1100 marks

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Most Suitable Students

• Most prestigious schools are Army Public Schools, Divisional Public Schools, Autonomous Colleges and some private sector institutions

• Regional disparity in quality of HSC examinations: Punjab regionconsidered the most difficult

• Pre-Medical and Pre-Engineering Examinations – most competitive streams

• Science and Medical Technology are more prestigious than Humanities and Home Economics

• English at Elective / Advanced level involves an advanced comprehension of literature, whereas English Compulsory level ismore similar to foreign language study

• A good candidate is one who has achieved an overall grade A, especially in the Punjab region

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Modares Education

• Madrassah Schools offer specific religious education, independent of standard state system

• Now more than 10,000 madrassahs teaching up to two million school children

• Secondary Schools known as Durul Ulooms

• Grade X award known as Saanvia Aama

• Grade XII award known as Hasaanvia Khasa

• Legally recognised as equivalent of SSC and HSC, provided there are passes Urdu, English and Pakistan Studies.

• Students can then progress to either general universities or to take Islamic studies at a Jaamia al Islamia

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Vocational Qualifications at HSC level

• Polytechnic Diplomas: Diploma of Associate Engineer

• Commercial Institutes: Diploma

• Other Specialist Medical Qualifications, in line with decisions of IBCC

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State Higher Education System

• Traditional public universities are umbrella institutions, basedupon the University of London model

• University undertake administrative role

• Constituent and affiliated colleges provide teaching and conductexaminations

• Colleges are also responsible for their own entry requirements and are another indicator of prestige

• Unitary universities tend to be more subject-specific and are structured by the more common faculty and department method

• Currently 47 Universities and 8 Degree Awarding Institutes (2005)

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Traditional Degree Structure

• Bachelor (Pass) degree, 2 years, broad foundation study in a wide variety of areas

• Bachelor (Honours) degree, 3 years, greater extent of specialisation

• Master’s degree, 1 or 2 years, depending on entry qualification

• Master of Philosophy degree, further 2 years, before Doctoral studies

• Bachelor degrees in broad areas such as arts, commerce, humanities and sciences

• Master’s degree programmes involve a research component – often in the form of coursework

• Unlike the UK, the Master of Philosophy degree stage is a separate phase to Doctoral studies and focuses on independent study

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Professional Degrees

• Professional Bachelor degree, 4 years

• Professional Master’s degree, 2 further years

• Subject examples include engineering, pharmacy, computer science and medicine (5 years)

• Certain Professional Councils are authorised under charter to issue Diplomas / Certificates

• In Pakistan, the duration of study is considered the principal determinant of level. Therefore, Professional Bachelor considered equivalent to general Master’s degree; Professional Master’s = MPhil

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Further Points

• Popularity of IT, Business and Management programmes

• Law degrees can be studied as an undergraduate award, lasting 5 years, or as a postgraduate Bachelor degree lasting 3 years

• Physiotherapy is often a three-year degree, which is usually topped up with an extension course, designed for those wishing to practice in the West

• Some universities award a Diploma in Architecture instead of a Bachelor in Architecture

• Some universities award the title Doctor of Veterinary Medicine as a first degree

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Private Higher Education Institutions: History

• First private HEI: Aga Khan University established in 1983

• By 1997, 10 private universities

• 2001-02, number of recognised private HEIs had doubled to 20

• 2002 – UGC becomes HEC to reflect priority of ensuring higher quality education provision

• 2004 – HEC announces that those institutions not meeting acceptable criteria by February 2007 will lose university status

• 2004-05, now 29 universities and 14 degree awarding institutions

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Private HEIs: Reputation and Fees

• Reputations vary widely – some of very well reputed and compare well to best pan-regional institutions

• Others are little more than degree mills

• Most conduct US-style higher education and practices

• Many of these institutions concentrate upon business education

• Fees are very high by Pakistani terms: IQRA University / Asian Management Institute charges the equivalent of $2200, almost five times average annual salary

• Most fees cost between $1000-$1500

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Identifying Best Students

• Institutions of particular quality are Lahore University of Management Sciences, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi and the National University of Science and Technology

• Marks worthy of special consideration are GPAs of over 3.2

• In state HEIs, a First is awarded for 60% average, which is probably the minimum to accept

• Engineering colleges of particular quality are Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Science and Technology and Shaheed Zulfkar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology

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Higher Education Commission (HEC)

• The HEC prescribes the guidelines under which all institutions of higher education may open and operate. It monitors all degree-awarding higher education programmes for quality assessment and is responsible for chartering both public and private institutions of higher education

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HEC Quality Assurance Committee

• Constituted in October 2003

• Composed of Vice Chancellors of various universities

• Broad Representation including smaller, medium and women universities along with geographical equality

• Have developed a ranking system of universities, with particularreference to private HEIs

• Have established new criteria for the award of PhD degree

• Are now requiring Universities to introduce Quality Enhanced Cells (QECs), which will be phased in over the coming years

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HEC Sub-Committees

HEC may set up national or regional evaluation councils or authoriseany existing council or similar body to carry out accreditation ofInstitutions.

• Existing Accreditation Councils are Computing and Engineering

• Draft Proposals are currently being reviewed for Agriculture, Business and Education

• The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and the Pakistan Veterinary Medicine Council are the two professional bodies currently charged with this purpose

Equally, HEC has also established a Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)that will regulate and facilitate the Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) inindividual universities.

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HEC Rankings

• Category A: University / Institutions Meeting Major Requirements

• Category B: University / Institutions with Minor Shortfalls, Expected to Meet the Cabinet Criteria

• Category C: University / Institutions Not Meeting the Requirements

• Category D: University / Institutions Seriously Deficient

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Fraud

Pakistan has extensive problems with fraud. Key issues include:

• Some of the private HEIs, chartered to practice, are little more than degree mills; so reference should always be made to the new Ranking List

• Format of certificates is not standardised, but there are many fake documents about and especially from the University of the Punjab

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Summary

• Most HSC students are not suitable for direct entry onto European undergraduate programmes

• Most Pakistani undergraduate degrees would not allow direct access into European postgraduate programmes

• However, the most able students may be suitable for direct entryat both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels

• Otherwise, it is worth considering bridging programmes or advanced standing as the most appropriate options

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The Education System ofBangladesh

Nick EverettUK NARIC

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Session Overview

Setting the Scene

Bangladeshi Education – An Overview

• Secondary EducationGovernment & Non-Government Institutions

• Higher EducationInstitution Details

Conclusions – Relevance of Bangladeshi Qualifications in Europe

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Setting the Scene

Total Area: 147,570 sq. km

Population: 144, 319, 628 (2005 est. CIA)

Population Growth: 2.09% p/a (2005 est. CIA)

Climate: Sub-Tropical Monsoon

Religion:

Muslim: 90%,

Hindu, Buddhist, & Christian: 10%

6 Main Regions:BarisalChittagongDhakaKhulnaRajshahi Sylhet

Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), EnglishDialects/Languages: Assamese, Oriya, Silheti.

Literacy Figures:

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 43.1% male: 53.9% female: 31.8% (2003 est. CIA)

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Bangladeshi Education System

Primary Education:

- 78,363 Primary Schools

- 315,055 Primary Teachers

- 17,561,828 Primary Students

- 1:55.7 Teacher/Student Ratio

- Higher education

- 21 Public Universities- 54 Private Universities- 2600 Degree Colleges- 5 Regional Engineering Universities- 12 Government Medical Colleges- 14 Private Medical Colleges- Bangladesh Open University

- Teacher and Student figures unavailable for HE

Secondary Education:

- 23,660 Secondary Schools

- 265,819 Secondary Teachers

- 10,464,591 Secondary Students

- 1:39.4 Teacher/Student Ratio

Ministry of Education, 2004

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Secondary Education

Types of Secondary Education

• Government (or “Public”) Secondary Schools• Non-Government (or “Private”) Secondary Schools

Access qualifications

Boards of Education

• Seven Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE)• One Madrasah Education Board (MEB)• One Technical Education Board (TEB)

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Secondary Education

Three Levels of Secondary Education

• Junior Secondary• Senior Secondary (a.k.a. Intermediate Colleges)

Secondary School Certificate (SSC)• Higher Secondary

Higher School Certificate• Madrasah Schools

Dakhil MadrasahDakhil Examination

Alim MadrasahAlim Examination

Quality Assurance

• Regional Disparity

European Relevance of Bangladeshi Higher Education Access Qualifications

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University Level Education

Universities in Bangladesh

• Public Universities• Private Universities• Degree Colleges• Regional Engineering Universities

Degree Programmes

• Bachelor Pass degree (2 years)• Bachelor Honours degree (3 – 4 years)• BSc / BEng (4 years)• Bachelor of Medicine (5 years)• The Fazil Examination (2 – 3 years)

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University Level Education

The University Grants CommissionResponsibilities:

– To assess the needs in the field of University education and formulate plans for the development of such education

– To determine financial needs of the Universities– To receive Government funds, then allocate and disburse such funds,

in the form of grants, to Universities for maintenance and development

– To evaluate the programme under implementation for development of Universities, teaching departments, institutes and other constituent institutions

– To examine all University development plans– To gather statistical (and other) information on university issues– To advise the Government on the establishment of new Universities,

or proposals for expansion of existing Universities– To advise the Government on proposals to grant the right to confer

special degree awarding status on colleges which may be considered suitable for such status

– To exercise such other powers and perform such other functions as may be conferred on it by any law or by the Government

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University Level Education

Bangladeshi Degree Programmes: A European Perspective

• Learning Outcomes• Teaching Methods• Subject Specialisation• Relevance for Access onto European Postgraduate Programmes• Grades

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Questions and Answers