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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