By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
THE Taliban`s move to bomb and torch schools — most of them girls` — have caught the public eye in a dramatic way. Nearly 200 schools have been attacked in Swat alone in the last several months.
Educational institutions in Fata and some of the settled districts of the NWFP have not been spared either. In fact, the first school that was bombed was in Angoor Adda in South Waziristan in February 2006.
Continue reading Education: the common enemy
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
IN the midst of a general sense of insecurity spawned by terrorist attacks and the gloom spurred by spiralling inflation, something rejuvenating happened in Karachi last week.
The Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association held its Fourth Karachi International Book Fair much to the delight of bibliophiles.
Continue reading Creating a book culture?
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: The WIP
Anil is now a young man of 19, studying for his high school examinations at Bahria College. He is also working a summer job with a cell phone company to earn a few extra rupees for his family.
I have known Anil since he was a child, when he joined The Garage School in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi where he lived with his family. The school opened in 2000 when Shabina, an enterprising widow, decided to utilize her garage space to help poor children acquire some education. Anil was amongst the first 15 or so children who enrolled. Today he acknowledges, “Under the discipline and guidance of Madam, my life has changed.”
Reviewed By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
The major factor in the destruction of education in Pakistan has been the lack of commitment on the part of the government.
EDUCATION, one of the most neglected sectors in Pakistan, has received more attention from experts and laypeople than from policymakers. It has been investigated very often because the negative impact of this neglect is now being felt in every walk of life.
Continue reading What ails education in Pakistan?
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
AFTER politics and the economy, the subject that is being frequently discussed today in the media is education. One should welcome this positive development since public debates will enhance awareness about the needs and problems of this sector and thus generate pressure for reform.
The federal education minister, Lieutenant General (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi, has been quite vocal on this score in a bid to establish the credibility of his policies. A few days ago he appeared in a PTV talk show. Earlier he gave a comprehensive interview to CRI’s newsletter.
As could have been expected, Mr Qazi had many good things to say about his achievements as the education minister. One would not dispute the merit of some of them though it is too early to say whether they will be sustained. One also wonders if these policy measures will not be misused.
Continue reading Identifying needs of education