Education in Pakistan: All Demand and Little Supply 
by Masooma Habib

posted on December 12, 2001

The is the text of Ms. Habib's presentation at the Pakistan Economic Development Conference held on March 07 1998 at MIT.

I would like to speak about education in Pakistan at two ends of the spectrum-- at one end higher education in the private sector, and at the other end NGO schooling for the very poor. In each case, I will try to identify criteria that successfully meet parents' demand for education, and then address the question of how successful initiatives can be sustained.

Providing education to its citizens is clearly not a priority for the Government of Pakistan. Policy makers do not seem to realize the immense importance of investing in the people of the country, and not only in roads and airports. Lack of skills and high illiteracy levels are as great a barrier to economic development as inadequate infrastructure. This will become increasingly evident as Pakistan is forced to compete in world markets where most developing countries already have more skilled workers.

Low investment in girls education also imposes a high cost on society. When women are more educated, labor force participation rates increase, their children are better nourished and educated, and of utmost importance to Pakistan, fertility rates are lowered. The population of Pakistan is estimated to grow to 250 million in twenty years and the country does not have the resources to sustain this increase. Female illiteracy will be an important contributor to this population increase.

DEMAND FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR The need for colleges and universities to provide quality education cannot be emphasized enough. Good institutions of higher learning are essential for building leadership and professionalism in our country.

Unfortunately government institutions no longer enjoy the reputation they used to 20 years ago. The spacious campuses of Punjab University, Government college Lahore and Karachi University, are not perceived as institutions of high academic standards anymore. At the core of this deterioration is the public examination system. Malpractice in the system have made the Intermediate, Bachelors and Masters degrees unreliable measures of student competence. Public institutions of higher learning have also become a hotbed of student politics, and student and teacher absenteeism is high.

The inability of degrees from government universities and colleges to serve as screening devices for selecting graduates in the job market has led to a substantial demand by parents and employers for private higher education, where students are willing to pay high fees. We are all familiar with the traffic jams caused by private colleges and institutions that have mushroomed in rented houses in cities all over Pakistan. However these institutions are mostly commercial ventures, some of them playing a role in providing marketable skills. Most serve as tuition centers to prepare students for board exams, rarely providing quality education and opportunities for intellectual growth.

A few universities in the private sector have attempted to fill this vacuum for quality higher education, of which the best known two are the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and the Aga Khan Medical University in Karachi. These universities provide successful alternatives to poor quality education in the public sector. In the case of the Lahore University of Management Sciences, the initiative came from businessmen, who supported and funded the setting up of a private school that they perceived would meet the demand of Pakistani industrialists and bankers for well qualified local MBAs.

I will highlight the experience of a relatively recent establishment in the private sector, the Lahore School of Economics. The Lahore School originally aimed to provide a graduate degree in Economics and Management and eventually expand to an undergraduate program. The Lahore School was established in 1993 and received a charter from the provincial government at the beginning of 1997. I was teaching at the School during this formative stage, and it gave me an opportunity to gain some insights into the mechanics of the birth of an institution. It was clear that there is substantial demand for quality higher education in the private sector. Parents are willing to pay over Rs. 100,000 a year for educating sons as well as daughters which is several times higher than the cost of an equivalent degree from a public university, but at the same time lower than the cost of sending students to foreign universities. Parents' demand also reflects the job market demand for education. For instance, bankers and industrialists often commented on the preference for well trained local MBAs over those with foreign qualifications as the local graduate adjusted better to the Pakistani business environment. For this reason, banks and businesses are also willing to support private institutions because they need well trained graduates to work in their organizations.

There are many interesting features and stages in the setting up of an institution. My focus here is to identify three features that served as important criteria for meeting the demand for higher education.

1. obtaining a charter by the government to award the institution's own degrees
2.  ensuring well qualified faculty willing to work intensively with students
3. creating an atmosphere of learning through regular assignments on current topics, regularly inviting speakers on a variety of topics and supplementing lectures with tutorial sessions.
   
1. Obtaining the Charter. The process of obtaining a federal or provincial charter that allows a private university to award its own degrees is a fairly rigorous one, and although the government has allowed many educational institutions to flourish, there is a long review process before official sanction is given. Therefore a private institution's willingness to go through this process and open itself up for review is important for establishing credibility. One of the primary objectives of the Lahore School was to obtain a charter from the government to enable it to award its own "recognized" degrees. The process of obtaining the government of Punjab charter took three years of active pursuit. This was a frustrating experience, requiring a high level of persistence. Since the School had announced its intention of pursuing the charter from the outset, students and faculty participated enthusiastically in the process. Obtaining a charter is therefore an important milestone in meeting quality standards expected by parents and employers and setting an institution apart from other commercial ventures.
   
2. Qualifications and dedication of Faculty. Even before the charter was obtained, enrollments were rising. The school started with a first batch of about 20 students. Just before the charter was obtained there were about 100 students enrolled in the program and now there are over 200 students. This was partly in anticipation of the charter, but also because well qualified teachers were recruited and were expected to work intensively with the students. Teachers were also given independence to design their own courses. Recruitment of well qualified staff is one of the biggest challenges in maintaining high standards.
   
3. Creating an Atmosphere of Learning. Another criteria for success is enabling the student to analyze the material being taught. When students entered the Master's program, although they were bright, eager and confident, their creative and analytical abilities had not been given an opportunity to develop in college years where the emphasis was on reproducing materials from textbooks for end-year examinations.

Tutorials were an important feature of each teaching session where material covered in lectures was reinforced through assignments based on the lecture and discussions among students divided into smaller groups.

Inviting outside speakers regularly to discuss real world situations relevant to the class material kept students abreast of current events and gave them an opportunity to exchange views with professionals and policy makers. Another important feature of many courses was assignments in which students were required do independent research. Although students were not used to independent work, or even using libraries, with faculty guidance and persistence, students overcame their initial reluctance and handicaps and often came up with creative projects.

Sustaining Standards in Private Higher Education Behind successful ventures there are always individuals or a group of people who are committed and persistent in achieving goals for their institutions. However when the institution expands, individuals may lose the momentum to maintain high standards. It may also not be possible for one person or a small group of persons to effectively continue maintaining the same level of interest and high standards. Once an institution is successfully established it is important to also establish a clear organization structure for sustaining quality to guide those who work in it.

To remain financially viable, it is important to be able to cover running costs through fees, and avoid unnecessary costly investments in facilities since parents and students attach a lot of value to the substance of the material taught, the competence of the instructors, and the ability of the faculty to work intensively with students. And investment in these inputs is in fact essential to meeting the demand for quality education.

In conclusion, how does one example aid us in thinking about the future of higher education? Does the solution lie in handing over higher education to the private sector? s to What about the public resources tied up in the infrastructure and staffing of the many government universities? Can these be salvaged? Although the majority of Pakistanis have access only to the cheaper state provided education, there is scarce evidence of reform in state universities. In one case, in an effort to reclaim its former reputation, Government College Lahore pursued autonomous status to give its own examinations and award its own degrees, independent from the Punjab examination board. This will be a challenging undertaking, since drastic reform of existing teaching methods, curriculum and funding will be required. The results of any committed efforts in this direction will be very instructive for similar experiments in other government colleges and universities.

Let me now turn to another vital area of schooling for children from low income families.

B: SCHOOLING FOR POOR CHILDREN IN THE NGO SECTOR Only 60% primary age children in Pakistan attend school, a much lower rate compared to neighboring countries. Moreover, the gender gap is large. There are only 56 girls to every 100 boys enrolled in primary education. Although the government has doubled expenditure on education in the last ten years the emphasis is still on construction of facilities and recruitment of teachers without an effort to improve quality of education. The vast majority of children who do attend school are not able to read and comprehend material other than what they memorize from textbooks. Nor are they able to perform simple computational skills in mathematics. So for a lot of children who do make it to school, the education they receive is extremely inadequate and an inefficient use of public resources. Dissatisfaction with government schools is reflected by the low attendance rate --20 to 30 percent of schools are either empty or have very few students.

The consensus of a number of studies on schooling in Pakistan is that low enrollment and low retention rates are a reflection of poor supply in terms of low quality of education offered. Parents do not consider it worthwhile to send their children to school if they are not learning anything. Children's time is considered better used in chores at home or assisting parents in income earning activities. Since the opportunity cost of educating poor children is high, the quality of education also has to be high, in order to convince parents of the value of sending children to school. Millions of poor families in Pakistan want good schools for their children. They demonstrate this demand enthusiastically when they are assured that the education received is worthwhile. Participation rates are high in successful projects. In the government assisted Balochistan community schools project, there is 87% female enrollment compared to the province average of 18% . Successful schools established under the Baldia Home Schools project, the Orangi Pilot project and the Aga Khan Rural Support Program have also been in operation since the eighties. All these schools operate with community support and involvement.

The inadequate supply of public schools has also encouraged the growth of private schools in the last ten to fifteen years. Two types of private schools exist in urban areas, those catering to the elite, or educated middle and upper classes, and schools of a much lower quality, charging low fees, catering to the poor. Low-income families in urban areas spend a substantial part of their budget towards educating children in private schools because they perceive these schools to be of higher quality compared to government schools. However, only 10% of all school going children in Pakistan attend private schools, and the responsibility for educating the poor still lies heavily with the government. The challenge is two-fold--improving the quality of existing schools, and to increase the number of schools.

Let me now narrate the experience of one NGO school to illustrate how a community can be transformed if a committed effort is made to provide good education. About a year ago, I had the opportunity to work with an NGO school in Sheikhupura, about 40 miles out of Lahore. This school started functioning in 1991 and evolved as part of a rehabilitation program for flood devastated settlements along the Lahore/Sheikhupra road. This community did not have access to any government school. A new school building was constructed, and over a 100 children registered on the first day the school opened. By 1996, enrollment had reached 1500, and F.A. and FSc. classes had also started since there was no college in the area. Now efforts are underway to start a computer center for the senior classes. The demand for schooling in the area led to the opening of another school further along the Sheikhupura highway in 1995, where enrollments have reached 500. Land for both schools was donated by factory owners of the area.

Some performance criteria of the school are indicated as follows:

1. Cost-effectiveness: The annual cost of schooling is about Rs. 2000 per child, which is half the cost per student in a government Parents are charged a voluntary tuition fee of Rs. 10 per month and Rs. 20 for those who can afford it. Despite their poverty, 70% of parents are able to pay at least Rs.10 per month. In fact they pride their ability to pay for the education of their children. Since drop-out rates are also much lower and achievement levels higher compared to government schools, society gains much more for the limited resources spent in an effective NGO school compared to a typical government school.
   
2. Learning abilities: Children from very poor families are assumed to come from so-called disadvantaged backgrounds where there is lack of intellectual stimulation due to parents illiteracy. In fact, children entering school in the kindergarten, class 1, and class 2 levels, from ages five to seven, were observed to be capable of learning and absorbing material very quickly. They had well developed motor skills, and good communication and social skills. These skills are learnt at home. For instance, small motor skills are developed because children are expected to engage in household chores from an early age and also learn to perform tasks for themselves such as buttoning and unbuttoning, pouring water and so on. When asked to draw birds, vegetables or flowers, they tended to draw examples from real life-- making very detailed drawings of crows or carrots or roses. As a result, in the initial years of school, children from poor backgrounds were seen to be very ready for learning, probably as capable as the average kindergartner from a typical middle to upper class school.
   
3. High returns to early education: It is also in the first two or three years of school that children lose the opportunity for learning if memorization is stressed and children are intimidated by teachers. Therefore the returns to the first two or three years of schooling can be very high and crucial in building a strong educational foundation that would give high dividends in terms of academic achievement in higher grades and lower drop-out rates. 

Extra effort at the "kachi" or pre-school level, and up to the first three classes is also important from another perspective. Poor parents face pressure to pull children out of school to help with domestic or market related activities. If the high standard of education is established at an early stage, parents will be willing to make greater sacrifices to keep children in school. Even in case the child is forced to drop out, the first three or four classes may be the only education he or she will obtain. Therefore, the more intensive education is at this stage, the more useful it will be to the child.

4. Introducing English at an early stage: The school's policy of introducing English from the very beginning is a feature specially attractive to parents. "English medium" schooling is sought after by parents of all income groups, because even illiterate parents can perceive the opportunities the knowledge of English can open up for their children. Given that curriculum in Urdu is poorly developed, and most children speak Punjabi at home, there is no natural advantage in teaching only Urdu in the earlier classes. The challenge lies in training teachers to instruct the children properly.
   
5. Co-education works well. Classes are co-educational up to the intermediate level. Parents do not object to co-education, due to their trust in the school administrators and the principal. Girls make up 50% of most classes.
   
6. Competence and training of teaching staff. The success of the school hinges on the dedication, competence and constant supervision of the principal, or the headmistress, who in turn is motivated by NGO workers. Some of the teachers were trained at considerable cost from private teacher training centers in Lahore. These teachers then trained the other school teachers. Recruiting, training and retaining teachers (especially after they had received training) is a difficult challenge. The school has also started recruiting some of its own matriculate students after they have graduated to teach in the primary classes.

In conclusion, the success of NGO schools depends on the commitment and motivation of a few individuals and their ability to raise funds. And society cannot depend on this commitment alone. What this example does reveal is the strong demand for high quality education by poor parents and their willingness to pay for this education. Therefore it is important for the government to focus on the type of education it provides and on improving the substance of education.

The main lesson to be learned from the diverse examples of education given here is that there is a positive and high response to good quality education, at the higher and primary level, and that a high priority should be attached to providing education of substantial quality. Although the current education situation is dismal, the high demand for education indicates that intensive investment in the right type of education could yield high returns in terms of enrollment and achievement rates within five to ten years. The initiative for this would have to come from the government, and enhanced with the help of NGOs, and the community.

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Ms. Masooma Habib Economist/Independent Consultant

Ms. Habib is an economist with a Bachelor's degree from Kinnaird College, Lahore and a Master's degree from McGill University. She has a broad range of professional experience, having recently served as an Associate Professor at the Lahore School of Economics. She was a consultant with the Education & Social Policy Department of The World Bank in 1994, and was with The World Bank's Population & Human Resources Department from 1987 to 1991. Her published work includes papers on employment generation in Pakistan, educational policy in developing countries, and female education in Pakistan. Ms. Habib is currently an independent consultant and resides in Washington, DC. She is married with two children.

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