JAMAAT-I-ISLAMI (JI)Emir Sirajul Haq, while unveiling the party manifesto for the next general elections, stated that if it came to power, it would appoint PhDs for teaching in primary schools.
This is an impracticable statement seeing the primary educational priorities in Pakistan and the JI`s own approach to primary education.
Primary education has never been given its due importance in Pakistan. The budgetary spending is extremely low compared to secondary and tertiary education. The quality of primary education is also not satisfactory. This is the reason that the drop-ratio in primary education is high.
In power in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, the JI has concentrated only on the uniform of students and contents of textbooks. The uniform in primary schools was changed from black to white clothes during the MMA government in spite of resistant from different quarters.
During the present government, it revived the contents of textbooks. Teachers`training or appointing qualified teachers has never been a priority of the JI.
The provincial governments need to focus on improving the quality of primary education. It should work to end the difference in education standards in private and public sectors. Primary schoolteachers should be adequately trained not only in academics but also in child psychology.
Thus, if our roots in primary education become strong, we will have little worries about secondary and tertiary education.
