WUNRN
PAKISTAN - GENDER GAP INDEX Report
2007
Educational Attainment
Literacy
Rate
Female 36%
Male 63%
Enrolment in Primary
Education Female
59% Male 77%
Enrolment in Secondary
Education Female
18% Male 24%
Enrolment in Tertiary
Education Female
4%
Male 5%
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WUNRN
For copies of the FULL DOCUMENT (92
pages)
please send request to WUNRN - mosie@infionline.net
Excerpts relating to Equity in
Education and Gender and Education:
EDUCATION
IN
_______________________________
A WHITE PAPER
DOCUMENT TO DEBATE AND FINALIZE THE
NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY
December 2006
PREPARED BY
JAVED HASAN ALY
NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY REVIEW TEAM
This
White Paper is intended to stimulate discussion of major policy issues concerning
Education Sector in
7. Equity
7.1 Definition, Scope
and Context
The concept of equity
goes beyond equality of opportunity, where everyone is treated the same, to fostering
a bias-free environment where individuals benefit equally. It recognizes that
some people require additional and specialized support in order to achieve
equal benefits. Equity in education, therefore, would take
into consideration not only equal access to education of a particular standard, but the
contents of curriculum, instructional and evaluation materials and practices,
different ways of learning and views of knowledge, and everyone having
the opportunity to achieve.
According to the
Convention Against Discrimination in Education adapted by UNESCO in 1960, any distinction,
exclusion, limitation or preference which, being based on race, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
economic condition or birth, as the purpose or effect of
nullifying or impairing equality of treatment in education is tantamount to discrimination.
This refers to all types and levels of education and includes access to
education, the standard and quality of education, and the conditions under which
it is given.
The Convention against
Discrimination in Education has not been ratified by
We need to look at both
equality and equity in public and private education, focusing on institutions and
students. It is our purpose to address issues of gender, economic and
geographic disparities, parallel systems of education and medium of
instruction, especially teaching of the English language.
7.2 Gender and Education:
The educational status of women in
Bachelor’s degree and
1.4% achieved a Master’s degree. 60% of the female adult population is
illiterate. Of the 3.3 million out of school children, 2.503 million are girls.
73.6% of primary age girls attend school, compared with 92.1% of boys.
Moreover, a sizeable majority of rural girls drop out of primary schools.
Women in
Although education has
been seen to add value to a female worker, increase her productivity and make
her less vulnerable to violence or harassment, it is often the economic
productivity and security that are given as reasons that are used to hold girls
back from schooling. Poor families allocate scarce resources to their sons’
education, expecting higher economic returns. Cultural limitations discourage
parents from sending their daughters to mixed gender schools. However, the
problem is not just of demand. There have been situations where girls are
enrolled in boys’ schools even upto matric level, indicating that supply of
quality girls schooling is falling short. Similarly poor physical environment
or lack of basic facilities in schools also discourages parents from sending
their girls to schools. To remove these supply side blockages, unwavering
support and coordination between all stakeholders (politicians, bureaucrats,
government departments, planners, implementers and community organizations) is
required. Right from 1947 till 1998 the emphasis on girls education finds due
articulations in the policy documents but the physical targets were not matched
with financial and social investment in the cause of female education and hence
the appalling state in which the underprivileged women of
7.3 Policy
Recommendations:
1. Compulsory and free
primary education of girls by 2010; free secondary education with progressive
targets setting by 2020.
2. Hiring of teachers
and teachers training should be oriented towards reducing gender gaps.
3. Additional resources
for provinces with wider gender gaps.
4. Continuous linkages
between federal, provincial Education Departments and research organizations
for gender disaggregated data and analysis so it can inform policy inputs.
5. Establish realistic
and attainable specific goals.
6. Set up more powerful
gender groups in the Ministry of Education.
7. Have committed fund allocations and human resources to implement and monitor progress towards goals and introduce a monitoring checklist. Greater emphasis should be placed on vocational training and technical education for women.
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