Fiza Bibi Ameen is a gold medal qualifier in BS Physics from Riphah International University, Islamabad. She also contributed a prize-winning submission to the HEC inter-university essay writing competition held in 2022. She enjoys researching and writing about science, technology, and informative topics in various niches. She is a freelance writer and may be contacted at [email protected].
The Privatization of Government Schools
The news about the privatization of government schools sparked new levels of unrest among nationals and teachers. The privatization plan included the privatization of buildings, playgrounds, and laboratories that were previously the government’s assets. It has been emphasized that control and authority will no longer belong to the government after privatization. Hundreds of schools in the districts of Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Multan have been reported to be included in the initial steps.
It has been argued that large institutions with a large number of students will be charged fees and other educational dues, changing the educational landscape altogether. Protests by concerned citizens, such as class boycotts, rallies, and other flavors of intense protests, have been documented. Teachers also announced their intention to challenge the decision and raise their voices however they can, including in an appeal to the provincial high court. Hundreds of teachers and students have been arrested and dealt with strictly.
Later, the news about the privatization of government schools was refuted by the caretaker government of Punjab’s minister of information. Additionally, the minister urged the citizens to refrain from disseminating false information regarding privatization. No matter what the government decides, what lies ahead for Pakistan’s educational system is a question that has been pounding on our doors ever since its independence.
In either case, how will Pakistan’s landscape shift? Put differently, what are the potential advantages and disadvantages that Pakistan, both with and without privatization, may possess?
Merits of Privatization
A Potentially Improved School Administration
Pakistani government schools, quite arguably, are disorganized. There have been reports regarding the lack of departments, faculty, and infrastructure—in other words, the proper allocation of funds and control over them. The recent Battgram district incident involving school-going students dangling from a broken chairlift speaks volumes about the lack of educational facilities in deprived areas.
This, additionally, highlights how little even the governments have realized about the overlooked areas. Thus, many organizational issues in Pakistan’s far-flung areas remain unearthed and, thus, unresolved. It is argued, quite reasonably, that without a major shift in today’s working framework of government schools, almost nothing will change their situation. On the contrary, private schools in Pakistan are well organized and, with time, are expanding their financial horizons. Parents, despite being well aware of free education and other financial liabilities, proudly choose them over government schools for as long as they can.
The number of private schools is also increasing as a consequence, which brings more competition in this sector. Since private school administrations are aware of how challenging it is to meet the needs of a dynamic academic environment, they have been working to develop innovative opportunities to help students tap their potential.
Currently, amid the failings of government-controlled schools in disseminating standard education, privatization may offer an opportunity to change the gruesome patterns. The private organizations, while taking control of schools in overlooked areas, have the potential to bring home the screeching yet ignored problems and creative and practical ways to improve the scenario. All in all, this is the direct control over a school or a group of schools (which will be much less than the overall government-controlled schools for one organization) that will attract positive change.
Check & Balance on the Quality of Education
The evaluation of the teachers and students falls short in government schools. There have been stories about schools where teachers do not even make the effort to show up for class. The students were discovered skipping classes. All of this, and much more, gives a clear impression about the quality of education in public schools.
Experts, while providing a panacea at the Asian Development Blog in 2022, proposed that recruitment and availability of qualified faculty and improved quality of education are the keys. Looking at the growth (both in quality and quantity) of private schools, a Pakistani will attest to it. In private schools, to stand the test of time, teachers undergo evaluation, be it as assignments assigned to them or the results they produce monthly and annually.
Furthermore, because of strict accountability to parents, they ensure the presence of registered children at the school and inform parents about whatever concerns they have regarding children. Thus, to ensure the quality of education, both the students’ and teachers’ performances are evaluated. There is no such thing as a ghost teacher—the registered educator enjoying the salary without doing his job—in a private school.
The Economist, many years ago, reported the private schools of poor countries as performing better than the public ones. It also highlighted the need for the government’s assistance in the positive turn private schools have already taken. The Asian Development Bank proposes a solution along similar lines. Privatization, thus, ensures a rigorous check and balance on the quality of education, which promises an improvement in actual learning.
Innovative & Creative Opportunities in Private Schools
The academic landscape in private schools changes as the world’s opportunities expand. For example, a study aimed at assessing the creativity of students from private and public schools in Lahore found that the students from private schools were more creative in writing and expressing themselves than their peers from public schools. Their teachers were found to be employing creative and effective teaching techniques as well.
Despite the fact that not all private schools seek improvement (for example, many lack the needed lab, library, and infrastructure facilities), it is quite safe to say, by and large, that creative exploration in public schools cannot match itself currently with the private schools. The teaching methods are quite outdated and unable to engage students effectively with the limited attention span they can spare in today’s times. As a result, the students lag behind their peers from private schools and, in the long run, from the rest of the world. Entrusting private organizations with education could potentially improve the environment for innovation and help students become contributing members of society.
Equality of Syllabus
A big flaw of Pakistan’s prevalent educational system is the difference in syllabi across different educational sectors. The Single National Curriculum seems like a panacea to this problem. The PTI government worked to translate it into practicality. However, some problems have been found. For example, this research article explores the merits and demerits of this approach. It highlights that the immediate equivalence of syllabus with hazy purpose is the problem in the practicality of this term.
As mentioned, what unites the private school organizations is their need and motivation to satisfy the demands of change on academic grounds. Curriculum, being one major aspect of education, holds significant importance. The current syllabus of courses differs from one private school to another. However, for the most part, they have the same focus: improvement, which welcomes a change of curriculum when the school needs it and is ready for it. In a nutshell, privatization knits within itself the possibility of an equal or at least similar syllabus and, thus, learning.
Equality of Educational Background of Students
To draw in more students, private schools almost always strive to provide better academic opportunities. This highlights the fact that students attending private institutions now have access to contemporary academic backgrounds and research opportunities. Government schools have large labs and library facilities. Still, they do not have the right and practical means to share pertinent knowledge with every student in a way that piques their interest and curiosity.
Upon entering a university or college, students with diverse educational backgrounds often struggle to fit in with the educational gaps in their background. For example, it can be difficult for a student from an institute with fewer lab facilities to balance in advanced labs initially. The language and medium of instruction are also different. In addition, the seemingly surmounting gaps might trigger mental health issues in the young ones.
Therefore, by handing over control to private institutions, students from former government schools will also be able to effectively develop their skills. This promises equivalence of educational background among students all over Pakistan.
Demerits of Privatization
Increased Financial Liabilities for Already Suffering Citizens
According to a report from the World Bank, 34% of Pakistanis will live on an income of less than Rs. 588 in 2022. The documentation on petrol, energy currency, and inflation keeps coming from international sources. The national news also depicts the gruesome picture of poverty in all areas of Pakistan. Government institutions, free with their promising non-interference as other educational dues, were the home to 65% of Pakistanis, according to 2017-2018 statistics. Owing to Pakistan’s exacerbating economic crises in recent years, the numbers must have remained the same or increased.
Private schools, along with their offerings of opportunities and innovations, have a huge impact on finances. The families below the poverty line (which are growing in number amid the current economic downturns) have two options:
- Avail free education for their children no matter the quality it promises.
- Leave the children uneducated
Any parent with hope in the right direction will choose the former.
The above example illustrates the educational situation of students from extremely impoverished families. In the current circumstances, however, an increasing number of people are losing their standard of living. A choice for them is to put their trust in government schools to lighten the load. If the government privatizes these schools, the already suffering class will watch the more aggravating financial crises (both in number and individual magnitude). Thus, millions of Pakistanis who already struggle with balancing expenses and earnings will be worse off, or their children’s education will suffer and possibly terminate.
Citizen-government Trust Regarding the Cost of Education
People can feel secure knowing that there are no unstated fees in government institutions. For private institutions, however, things work differently. Private educational institutes, arguably, take education more like a business market, which, in other words, attests to the non-negotiability of their demanded educational expenditures.
Given the current circumstances of the economic abyss, it would be difficult for private organizations to win over families who have faith in public education. This, again, will exacerbate the suffering (be it mental, academic, or financial) of students and their families.
Lack of Trust in Private Schools’ Innovative Approaches
The way government schools are run has historically been regarded as favorable by the traditional public. For instance, whether or not it is practical or justified, separate institutions for girls and boys are warmly welcomed in some parts of Pakistan. The problem, of course, is not the same in all regions. Over the years, the situation has taken a turn. Swat’s Mangar Kot, for example, witnessed that no girl’s school could keep not them from acquiring an education.
As the need for education changes globally, private institutions impose modifications that a large section of the population might find unwelcoming. This disparity between the government and private sector’s approaches may lead to an increase in school dropout rates, especially in regions where the literacy rate is low and citizens cannot yet take into account the alternative perspective. The result might manifest itself as increased unrest among the nationals, along with its potential effects on children’s education.
The Suffocation of Literacy Rate
An estimated 28 million children in Pakistan do not attend school. Its literary rate today stands at about fifty-nine percent, which is far better than Pakistan’s initial literacy rate. However, compared to 2022, it has declined from 62.8% to 59.3%. A comparison with its expanding neighbors also confirms the long road to planning and implementation that Pakistan has yet to take.
Because of the aforementioned demerits of government schools’ prioritization in today’s Pakistan, the literacy rate will dwindle even further. This situation begs one to question whether this educational reform aims at facilitating the academic journey or to wipe the academic part from deprived children’s lives altogether.
A Threat to Sincere Government Teacher’s Secure Direction
Teachers in government have a reputation for being slow to fulfill their responsibilities and respond to the needs of the hour in their field. To achieve the security of working for the government, some teachers do, however, diligently strive and pass exams. To continue their government service, some might take residency away from their hometowns and families. This includes women, as they feel financially and socially secure under the shelter of a permanent job.
The decision to privatize will also affect the safe path that government teachers have worked so hard to achieve. Impeding a great number of women teachers’ way to financial independence, the decision screeches about the searing imprints on the personal finances of the nation and the overall economic downturn for the country.
Conclusion
The comparison of private and public schools implies acknowledging the relatively better quality of education in private schools. The students from such schools are evaluated and provided with facilities such as innovation, infrastructure, and acknowledgment. Privatization, on the surface, seems like a needed decision backed by corresponding research and experts. However, Pakistan’s current financial situation can only take this decision in the negative direction.
The families, barely coping with the bills and other liabilities, are nowhere near paying for their education. What matters more in the currently dwindling literacy rate is to support students in continuing education while paving the way for better quality. Thus, it is high time for the government to learn from the experience of private schools and bring amendments to the sector until Pakistan is ready to welcome privatization.
If you want to submit your articles, research papers, and book reviews, please check the Submissions page.
The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
