Effectiveness of Educational Administration

 

Effectiveness of Educational Administration

 

            Academic institution is a cornerstone of a country. It is the foundation of

 

skills and knowledge of the citizens who are the labor force for the national

 

production. Adequate and competent educational system is one of key towards

 

progress and development.

 

            In Pakistan, the Ministry of Education of Government oversees the

 

responsibility over academic institutions. Aside from funding the public education,

 

the federal government assists in curriculum development and financing of some

 

researches.

 

            The literacy rate in the capital city of Islamabad is about 89 percent but

 

only 20 percent in some rural areas. However, there is a notable increase of

 

literacy rate in every passing generation. Moreover, command over English

 

language is fast increasing with 18 million Pakistanis or 11 percent of population

 

enables to speak English, making it 9th largest English speaking nation and 3rd

 

largest in Asia. It is a progress towards globalization.

 

            However, one of the criticisms of Pakistani education system is the gender

 

disparity in all levels of education. The Taliban enforcement of a complete ban on

 

female education in the Swat district largely affects the large disparity of female-

 

male ratio of students. Some 400 private schools enrolling 40,000 girl students

 

had been shut down. But, 10 schools enrolling girl students trying to open had

 

been blown up by militants in the town of headquarters of the Swat district.

 

            Moreover, Pakistan only spends 2.9 percent of GDP on education. But,

 

the recently approved national education policy increased the allocated funds to

 

7 percent of the GDP. The government is planning to raise the national literacy

 

rate to 85 percent by 2015.

 

            On the other hand, educational administration is also one of the main

 

concerns in alleviating the current situation of the academic system of the

 

country. There is a growing interest among public administrators in using

 

evaluation as a means of analyzing and improving the quality of teaching.

 

Educational administrators address the need to be updated in information in

 

order to adapt to specific situations. They strive to meet the social needs and

 

expectations such as using the newer technology of computer age as teaching

 

aid.

 

            It is critical to realize that the education in the 21st century is far more

 

demanding and competitive in compared to the earlier times. This is due to the

 

fast growing knowledge base, advancements in technology and the increasing

 

perspective on globalization. An educated man should proceed to the

 

international standards before being regarded as a valuable employee to an

 

organization.

 

            However, outdated materials and obsolete techniques in the school

 

system are still being used by the poor countries, particularly Pakistan. What’s

 

needed is a complete overhaul of the traditional teaching methods.

 

            In this case, educational administration plays a pivotal role in updating and

 

making more active rather than passive learners the students. Teachers have an

 

important part in making this total renovation of the quality of education possible.

 

            Teachers have the control over what to teach and how to teach it.

 

Therefore, they should be allowed to develop the expertise and self-confidence in

 

showing the students the path towards independent thinking and learning.

 

However, seen from this perspective, Pakistan is far away from achieving the

 

goals of overhauled education because of idealistic rhetoric of education policies

 

but underpinned by the required research in guiding educationists. The prism of

 

English language teaching is an evident manifestation of problems from the

 

government administration to the teachers to the curriculum itself. Despite the

 

increasing number of English speakers, it does not necessarily indicate progress

 

of quality of education.

 

            Moreover, pedagogical decisions continuously rely on the discretions of

 

government figures. In one instance, a textbook on Sindh was rejected by an

 

education minister because it was twice as long as the corresponding book on

 

the North West Frontier Province. Thus, to solve the problem, the textbook board

 

minions cut the half part of the book – without consulting the authors and experts

 

if it would affect the data and learning processes. The original manuscript was

 

only retrieved after years and printed under a World Bank project.

 

            Many of the problems regarding the quality of education are reflected by

 

incompetent teaching techniques, obsolete classroom materials and outdated

 

facts and researches of the lessons. However, the government is still the one

 

playing the large part in worsening condition of education in Pakistan because of

 

its policies that need to be reviewed and reassessed. Changes are inevitable,

 

thus, the education sector should learn to cope so that they can keep up in the

 

fast pace of globalization and progress.

           

 

 

 

 

References:

Azcutia, Julio Puente, Educational administration and institutions
for evaluation of the education system, May 1999, http://www.ince.mec.es

Sarwar, Zakia, Pakistan’s Terminally Ill Schools, January 2010, http://www.asiasentinel.com

 

Shah, Dawood, Decentralization in the Education System in Pakistan: Policies and Strategies

 

 

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