Research thesis on the topic of Dropouts at Primary Level submitted for accomplishment of degree requirements of M.Ed at AWKUM

1. CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF DROP-OUTS AT PRIMARY
LEVEL
BY: JAMAL SHAH
Thesis in the partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master
in Education
MARDAN COLLEGE OF HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION
ADBUL WALI KHAN UNIVERSITY MARDAN
2010
1

2. DEDICATED
to the most revered man of the universe and beyond it
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)
who enlightened the life of the people, awaken them of the deep slumber of
darkness and educate them to lead a respectable life to get the blessings of Allah AlMighty.
2

3. ABSTRACT
The high dropout rate at primary level in Pakistan suggests that there are some
problems that hinder the process of learning. The goals of this study will be to determine
what is standard primary education and why do we need it; to examine the relationships
between children‘s needs and available resources; to consider the problems to the
students, and causes that divert them from education at this level e.g. corporal
punishment, pair groups, inappropriate environment, poverty, poor methodology,
incorrect use of A.V. Aids etc; and finally through intervention, to evaluate the impact of
different factors which may affect the process of learning at this level. This report is
about a lot of students of our nation who do not complete primary school education,
about the fact that this situation has gotten worse in most parts of the country especially
in Khyber PukhtoonKhwa during the last decade.
The report identifies several approaches to increasing student retention at school.
Outcomes have been analyzed using a variety of parallel and inconsistent analysis of
various methods in local schools at Takht Bhai. The study results are estimated to make a
significant contribution to the context field of education by providing an accurate
evaluation of the impact of different techniques and factors on key learning outcomes in
primary education settings which may help in solving the problem of dropouts at this
level.
3

4. Chapter
TOPIC
Introduction
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
Background
Education in Pakistan
Obstacles to Education
Statement of the Problem
Hypotheses of the Study
Objectives of the Study
Significance of the Study
Procedure of the Study
1.8.1
1.8.2
1.8.3
1.8.4
Population of the Study
Sample of the Study
Sample Size
Research Instruments/ Tools for Data Collection
Review Of Related Literature
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
Education
Theories of Education
Primary Education
Quality of Primary Education
2.4.1 International Standard of Quality of Primary Education
2.4.2 International Declarations on Quality of Basic Education
2.4.3 Definition of Quality in the Context of EFA
2.4.4 Quality of Primary Education in Pakistan
2.4.5 Teachers at Primary Level
2
2.5 High Drop outs at Primary Level in Pakistan
2.6 Causes and Effects of Drop outs
Methods And Methodology
3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
Population of the Study
Sample of the Study
Sample Size
Delimitation
Research Instruments/ Tools for Data Collection
Presentation, Tabulation And Analysis Of Data
4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
Low Enrolment Rate
Corporal Punishment
Poverty and Family Background
Teacher‘s Role (their own problems & absentees)
Bad Social Environment
Lack of Basic Facilities
Curriculum and Education Policy
Poor Evaluation
Summary, Findings, Conclusions And Recommendations
5
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
Summary
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations
Bibliography
Appendices
4

5. CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background
Education plays a vital role in human resources development. Schooling,
according to the human capital theory, is an investment that generates higher future
income for individuals. It elevates the productivity and competence of individuals and
thus produces skilled manpower that is capable of leading the economy towards the path
of sustainable economic development. Strengthening the quality of education has
become a global agenda at all educational levels and more so at the primary level.
Quality primary education also ensures increased access and equality and it is mainly due
to these reasons that various international Forums and Declarations have pledged
improvements in quality of primary education. It was stated in a report of Educational
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 1991) that dropout phenomenon is a
world-wide problem associated with the process of development in any society whether
such society is a developing or developed nations. For instance, in the United States, a
federal study group known as the National Commission on Excellence in Education
observed critically that high school dropout rate rose to almost 30% by the late 1980s. In
the light of the Annual Education for All Global Monitoring Report, published by
UNESCO, it has been revealed that Nigeria, Pakistan, India, and Ethiopia, account for 23
million out of the world‘s 77 million out off-school children. There are many differences
between the education systems of developed and developing countries. Like many other
developing countries, the situation of the education sector in Pakistan is not very
5

6. encouraging. National commitment towards quality primary education has become
significantly visible since the late eighties. From then onwards, the government has
experimented a number of initiatives and interventions for improving quality with
national and foreign funding.
1.2
Education in Pakistan
Though Pakistan has made significant improvement in raising adult literacy;
however the goal of universal primary education has not been achieved due to low
Enrolment and high dropout rates. The low enrolment rates at the primary level, wide
gaps between regions and gender, lack of trained teachers, scarcity of adequate teaching
materials, shortage of proper schools, corporal punishment, religious invention, poverty
etc. indicate the poor performance of this sector. But most importantly high drop-out rate
has almost paralyzed the efforts for acquiring the goal of universal primary education in
the country. The most cited and most widely available indicator of the education quantity
is the gross Enrolment rate, defined as the number of children enrolled in a particular
level of education, regardless of age, as a percentage of the population in the age group
associated with that level. The age range for primary school is usually 6 to11 years. In
1960, primary school gross Enrolment rates were 65 percent in low-income countries, 83
percent in middle-income countries, and over 100 percent in high-income countries. By
2000, Enrolment rates had reached or exceeded 100 percent in both low and middle
income countries in all regions except Sub-Saharan Africa, where gross Enrolment rates
peaked at 80 percent in 1980 and then declined slightly. In many countries, gender
disparities in access to education are significant. About 56 percent of the 113 million
school-age children not in school are girls (UNESCO, 2002). In low-income countries,
primary gross Enrolment rates are 107 percent for boys and 98 percent for girls; this
gender gap is wider at the secondary level, 60 percent for boys and 47 percent for girls.
The literacy level in Pakistan is understandingly lower than any other country of the
region. This is perhaps due to the high level of drop-outs at the primary level.
6

7. The high levels of drop-outs at the primary school level remain the milestones of
journey through school education. There may be many reasons taking part in this
educational wastage, some of them are considered as ―The resources spent on dropouts
are an ―educational wastage‖, because the limited literacy and numeracy skills acquired
at less than primary level are lost by the drop outs. Consequently overtime they may
revert to a state of complete illiteracy. Another kind of educational wastage results from
the introduction of various incentive schemes to attract students. These schemes have
yielded limited results, simply because they are not well integrated through the system.
For example, in Sindh, the scheme to provide free primary education, including books, is
beset with the most serious problem of extended teacher absenteeism in rural areas, and
all the students are promoted to next class even if they do not appear in the examination.
Teacher absenteeism is particularly acute because in these rural primary schools there is
only one teacher for all the five classes. Furthermore, most of the teachers admit that
they can only teach the regional language; therefore they do not even distribute the books
for English and mathematics provided by the education department. Besides the
characteristics of the system, household characteristics such as the poverty levels and the
socio-cultural factors also have a strong bearing on the decision to educate children‖.
(Bilquees, Faiz; p.45)
So it is evident from the above assessment of education in Pakistan that its
quality has greatly affected the literacy rate, but high drop-outs at primary level is a very
critical issue to ponder on. Pakistan, as compared to even other developing countries, has
a very high drop-out rate as recorded by UNESCO in 2004.
1.3
Obstacles to Education
But it is very serious as currently surveyed by different NGOs in Pakistan and
considered corporal punishment the most dangerous which is culturally accepted to
ensure obedience, especially in previous NWFP (now, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa). In a
survey in Hayat Abad Peshawar a teacher Abdul Akbar (age 40) says, ―The teacher
7

8. needs to ensure obedience and ensure children receive proper guidance. For this, an
occasional light beating or other physical admonishment is necessary‖. (Pakface.com,
May 03, 2010)
Though legislation is made to ban this practice but it is poorly implemented.
Teacher absenteeism is another factor that is particularly acute in rural areas because in
rural primary schools there is only one teacher for all the five classes. Moreover, most of
the primary teachers are undergraduate and professionally untrained; hence they do not
know the psychology and interest of their students which result in drop-outs. Besides the
characteristics of the system, domestic distinctiveness such as the poverty levels and the
socio-cultural factors also have a strong bearing on the decision to educate children.
Children tend to drop-out in large numbers in Pakistan at three significant levels;
primary, middle and secondary but it is more startling at primary level which is to be
considered the right of every child as promulgated in the education policy of Pakistan.
1.4
Statement of the Problem
Primary education in Pakistan is strongly impeded by corporal punishment,
poverty and lack of basic facilities in schools. This work is intended to find out the
causes, effects and solutions of high ―Causes and Effects of drop-outs at primary level in
tehsil Takht Bhai‖.
Data is gathered from local primary schools in tehsil Takht Bhai through field
work and survey.
1.5
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study were:
1. To determine and analyze the causes that force the students to drop-out at
primary level in Takht Bhai;
2. To find out the effects of drop-out on universal primary education in tehsil
Takht Bhai; and
8

9. 3. To pinpoint the possible solutions of this problem of increasing drop-outs at
primary level.
4. To provide recommendations for actions and interventions to minimize this
phenomena; and
5. To contribute to the capacity building efforts of the concerned actors in the
field of education by sharing knowledge and experience by carrying out
applied research in the field of education.
1.6
Significance of the Study
The high drop out rate in Pakistan is a very serious problem for the government,
governmental departments, and educational sectors and even for every citizen of the
country. To cope with this problem one has to find out the causes of the problem. These
would definitely help in providing the remedy for solving this problem. Primary
education is the base for any kind of education and is universally thought compulsory for
every human being of the world. People throughout the world are striving for
universalizing the primary education. Pakistan is also trying its best but is facing many
hindrances, e.g. poverty, physical punishment, etc. This work is, therefore, very
important in this prospect that it is considered to provide the causes and effects of this
high drop out rate in Pakistan.
1.7
Hypotheses of the Study
The hypotheses of this study were:
1. Poverty is to be considered the root cause of high dropout rate at primary
level in tehsil Takht Bhai, Mardan.
2. Corporal Punishment has played a major role in students‘ leaving the primary
schools.
3. Lack of basic facilities and activity less curriculum at primary level also
compel students to leave their schools.
1.8
Procedure of the Study
9

10. The following methodology was therefore adopted to help the different sectors to
resolve this problem.
1.8.1 Population of the study
This study was conducted in male primary schools in Takht Bhai city. The
number of male students in Takht Bhai was nearest 40, 000.
1.8.2 Sample of the Study
The group of male students taken for study was the students studying in the
primary classes (Nursery to Five). 560 students dropped out during this decade. Only
Government Primary Schools were under study.
1.8.3 Sample Size
A simple of 56 male students (10% of dropped out) and 10 govt. primary schools
i.e. 50% of the target population was taken as a sample.
1.8.4 Research Instruments/ Tools for Data Collection
This study was a qualitative and quantitative analysis based on two kinds of
information:
i) Published or secondary information
ii) Primary data (original or first-hand account of events or experiences)
This study was structured in a way that first of all, the problem in hand was
described and then its role in education was also mentioned in an appropriate method. In
next step materials from different sources were compiled to help in correct identification
and knowledge of the problem.
The data is accumulated from different primary schools in Takht Bhai through
survey with the help of a social organization Youth Empowerment Society.
Questionnaires are prepared and filled in this survey through physical visits to these
schools and questions are asked from the students of the concerned schools and reasons
are investigated from the students who dropped out from their schools.
10

11. CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE
2.1
Education
The word education has been derived from ―Educare (means to bring up) or
Educere (to raise) or educatum (the act of teaching or training). So the education means
to train or to lead an individual or group of individuals for a specific purpose. Education
means knowing and understanding something or getting acquisition of something
through careful observations and experiences. Education includes activities of educating
or instructing or activities that impart knowledge or skill. ―Education plays the role of
leadership in the society. The functions of the educational institutions are to develop the
people physically, mentally, psychologically, socially, and spiritually‖. (Ghulam Rasool
Mamon; p.5)
It improves and promotes the economic, social, political and cultural life of the
nation. Education is a dynamic process which affects all spheres of life equally.
Education is a formal kind of learning which is usually pre-organized and pre-planned. It
is also usually regular, disciplined and comprises of recognized learning materials.
Education being an indispensable tool in nations building is a process of systematic
training and instruction designed to transmit knowledge and acquisition of skill,
potentials and abilities which will enable an individual to contribute efficiently to the
growth and development of his society and nation.
11

12. 2.2
Theories of Education
For instance in Sparta, people used education for promotion of physical growth
and defense of the country. {Socrates on the other side thought education as to ―dispel
the error and discover the truth‖. Plato-―Education is the capacity to feel pleasure and
pain in the right moment‖ ―Aristotle thinks education a process of creation of sound
mind in a sound body‖. Pestalozzi-―Education is natural, harmonious and progressive
development of man‘s innate powers‖. W. James says, ―Education is the organization of
acquired habits of such actions as will fit the individual to his physical and social
environment} (Educational Philosophy by Dr. Dalaganjan Naik; p.8)
Islam gives grand importance to education which is obvious from the sayings of
Allah in the Holy Quran:
Allah has termed education (
) a light which enlightens the life of His
creature and can show them the right path. The Allah through our Holy Prophet says,
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) had also highly valued education and
says, ―
‖. (Al-Hadiths)
It was he who made the people of Arabia good and taught them the laws of a
virtuous life. He gave them the message of Allah, to abstain the wrong doing forbidden
by Allah Al-Mighty.
Famous Muslim scholar Imam Ghazali (R.A.) says, ―Education is a way to
distinguish between good and bad and right and wrong and to make Allah happy‖
12

13. Similarly, Ibn Khaldoon states, ―Education is a process of intellectual and moral
training of human beings‖
Education in Islamic perspective can also be defined as, ―Education is a complete
social process, which makes possible the growth of all aspects of the personality of an
individual so that to get the reality of the universe and its creator and enable to act in
civilization, organization and modern application of society as needed and comprises of
all experiences which can affect the application of mind‖. (Mirza Sakhi Muhammad
―Ilmul Taaleem‖; Part I, p.5)
―Education can empower spiritual, mental, intellectual and physical capabilities
and can make the personality balanced‖. (Attash Durrani ―Perspectives of Education‖
A.I.O.U., Islamabad; p.117)
Hence, according to the mentioned definitions education in Islam does not mean
only to impart knowledge but to lead a useful life which was instructed by our Allah to
us through Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
This would help a Muslim to work for the betterment of his community in
particular and society as a whole to strengthen peace and prosperity in the world.
Islam is a complete way of life which teaches and trains human beings according to their
nature. Allah knows about the strength and weakness of human beings so it is His task to
present the organizational system according to. Education and training can be set apart
from each other.
According to Professor Khurshid Ahmad, ―Educational thinking maneuvers both
knowledge and self-enlightenment. That is why the particular educational system of
Islam consists of education and character building as two aspects of a single fact‖.
(Educational Ideology of Islam; p.15)
Education is important especially for women because it provides important
means for their empowerment. Apart from the acquisition of knowledge and values
conducive to social evolution, education provides many other benefits. The development
13

14. of the mind, training in logical and analytical thinking, organizational, administrative and
management skills accrue through education. Enhanced self-esteem and improved
financial and social status within the community is a direct outcome of education.
Education, therefore, be made available to all.
For better parenting and healthier living also, education is an important factor. It
is beyond doubt that educating girls can yield a higher rate of return than any other
investment. Education is consequently that route which paves the way for modernization
of a country.
2.3
Primary Education
It is the earliest program of education for children, beginning generally at the age
of five or six and lasting from six to eight years. ―It means full-time education suited to
the requirements of students up to the age of 12 years‖. (Online Dictionary)
―Primary education is the beginning of a systematic set of studies in reading,
writing, and mathematics‖ (Michael Wann ―The Primary Education‖; p.7)
―Primary education is the first stage of compulsory education. It is preceded by
pre-school or nursery education and is followed by secondary education‖ (Wikipedia)
―By primary education, we explicitly mean the first five years or grades of education,
where the age of the child is between 5 to 9 years‖. (Gulzar Hussain Shah ―The Role of
NGOs in Basic and Primary Education in Pakistan‖; p.12)
―Primary education refers to the compulsory education where in the students seek
the basic knowledge about all the relevant and necessary subjects of life that may include
the counting, word formation and comprehension and knowledge about general ethics,
norms and standards of the surrounding‖. (Dr. P.A. Shami and Kh. Sabir Hussain, ―Basic
Education‖; p.15)
In some countries there is a public examination at the end of the fifth grade when
a completion certificate gives entry to higher level schools as well as an independent
confirmation of the literacy of the child. Whether there is a public examination or not, we
14

15. will take primary education to be the first five years of education for a child starting at
the age of about 5 or 6 years and graduating from primary school at the age of 9 or 10
years. The purpose of the elementary school is to introduce children to the skills,
information, and attitudes necessary for proper adjustment to their community and to
society. Basically, the subjects taught are reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, social
studies, science, art, music, physical education, and handicrafts. These are often
supplemented with other subjects, such as foreign languages. Over the years new subject
matter has made the elementary school curriculum more advanced than heretofore.
This is the time when the experiences of children make their tilt towards particular
discipline and program of life.
Usually in some countries primary education ends up at the age of ten years
where the students pass their 5th grade examination. This time period initiates and made
all pupils understand about how to work in community as a class and how to deal and
obey authorities in general in society. Other than this discipline is the most important
aspect that is learned in these preliminary years before stepping into the stream of
professional education.
2.3.1 Primary Education in the world
It is compulsory in all the countries where in all the courses and subjects take
compulsory position and children are introduced with the basics of language, art, science,
arithmetic and other aspects of life specifically the religion. General education of all
disciplines is very necessary for every child which is provided in primary education.
―The World Development Report 2000/2001 indicates that the biggest problem of
poverty, besides the lack of food, is the lack of power directly related to a lack of
knowledge. Worldwide almost 1 billion people lack a basic skill to acquire knowledge:
they are illiterate. They are illiterate because they have had no primary education or
because the quality of their primary education was too low. Basic education is an
investment that pays off. The value and role of ―knowledge‖ is different in every culture
15

16. but good basic education is essential in every culture and at all levels. A carpenter needs
to know what an angle of 90 degrees is. When a mother does not want her child to get
diarrhea, she needs to know the basics of hygiene. Millions of Africans do not have
access to information on HIV/AIDS because they cannot read‖. (Morison; ―Education and
economic growth‖; p.23)
Basic knowledge and access to information enables people to choose good
governments or to oust bad ones. The effectiveness of investments in health and
sanitation depends on good basic knowledge among villagers. The effectiveness of
extension services for poor farmers depends on their capacity to understand what is being
explained to them. ―A recent OECD study states that those few countries in Africa that
years ago significantly invested in (primary) education now derive economic growth
from this investment. Going back in history, it is generally acknowledged that the
introduction of compulsory primary education in Western Europe in the 19th century has
been a crucial factor for economic and social development. Giving priority to primary
education does not compete with other sectors, it supports their development. A well
educated population is also crucial for countries wanting to take advantage of market
opportunities, wanting to export or to attract foreign investment‖. (Lockheed and
Verspoor, ―Improving Primary Education in Developing Countries‖)
Free market access is important but what do you do with it if your country has no
competitive enterprises because its population cannot read or calculate or is not
innovative.
The absence or the poor quality of basic education not only becomes visible in
illiteracy but also shows its effects among people who do finalize secondary school and
university. Ministries, factories, hospitals and farms in developing countries often work
inefficiently, not because the people working there are not capable but because they lack
the right knowledge and skills. For instance, a test in Nicaragua showed that 7 out of 10
engineers could not calculate the contents of a cube with sides of 1 meter. The argument
was that they did not have the formula at hand. Similarly, a doctor in Ghana claimed
16

17. seriously he had vaccinated more than 120 % of the village population. Are these
engineers or doctors ―stupid‖ or less intelligent? Of course not, something went wrong
when they passed through primary school. They probably got teachers without an
adequate level of knowledge, who were poorly prepared or who were not motivated.
2.3.2 Universal Primary Education
(Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls,
children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic
minorities have access to and complete free and compulsory
primary education of good quality.) By UNESCO—2006-09
All children must have the opportunity to fulfill their right to quality education in
schools or alternative programmes at whatever level of education is considered 'basic'.
All states must fulfill their obligation to offer free and compulsory primary education in
accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other
international commitments.
The international agreement on the 2015 target date for achieving Universal
Primary Education (UPE) in all countries will require commitment and political will
from all levels of government. For the millions of children living in poverty, who suffer
multiple disadvantages, there must be an unequivocal commitment that education be free
of tuition and other fees, and that everything possible be done to reduce or eliminate
costs such as those for learning materials, uniforms, school meals and transport. Wider
social policies, interventions and incentives should be used to mitigate indirect
opportunity costs of attending school. No one should be denied the opportunity to
complete a good quality primary education because it is unaffordable. Child labour must
not stand in the way of education. The inclusion of children with special needs, from
disadvantaged ethnic minorities and migrant populations, from remote and isolated
communities and from urban slums, and others excluded from education, must be an
integral part of strategies to achieve UPE by 2015.
While commitment to attaining universal enrolment is essential, improving and
sustaining the quality of basic education is equally important in ensuring effective
17

18. learning outcomes. In order to attract and retain children from marginalized and excluded
groups, education systems should respond flexibly, providing relevant content in an
accessible and appealing format. Education systems must be inclusive, actively seeking
out children who are not enrolled, and responding flexibly to the circumstances and
needs of all learners.
One of the most important findings of the EFA 2000 Assessment that preceded
the World Conference on Education for all held in Dakar in April 2000 was that the
performance of primary education fell below desired levels. Many gains in primary
education had diminished due to national and international conflicts, natural disasters,
and situations of extreme poverty. The report suggests a wide range of ways in which
schools can respond to the needs of their pupils, including affirmative action
programmes for girls that seek to remove the obstacles to their enrolment, bilingual
education for the children of ethnic minorities, and a range of imaginative and diverse
approaches to address and actively engage children who are not enrolled in school.
Access to primary education is taken to be a basic right of every citizen. All
citizens need to be literate to function productively and to make their full contribution to
society as well as to realize their own potential.
Almost all countries hold the welfare of their citizens as the prime objective for
their existence. The citizen is taken to be the end for which the state functions. If citizens
are to be treated as an end, their needs and prerequisites for a good life become part of
the package of basic rights that are the foundation of a state or society.
Given that, education becomes a pre-requisite for developing the full potential of
a citizen and it becomes a prime concern for the state. It should be clear that the
argument for basic rights does not depend on the question of the ability of the citizen or
even of the state to pay for this education. It depends solely on the perception of the
welfare of citizens and what is considered to be necessary to ensure this welfare. The
factors that are considered to be prerequisites for the self development of citizens are of
18

19. course not static. They have to be relative to the state of development of the society in
question, as well as to other societies around it.
They also have to be relative to the state of science and technology of the society.
A more scientifically advanced society might require more education and training as a
pre-requisite than a society that is less scientifically advance. But for almost all societies
now, primary education is considered to be a definite pre-requisite.
2.3.3 Universal Primary Education in Pakistan
Some, though not all, consider middle and secondary education to be necessary
too, and Pakistan is moving in this direction. Following from this concept of relative
prerequisites for societal development in different countries, Adam Smith had a very
relative notion of what constitutes poverty. In his times, if a worker did not have a silk
shirt he could not show himself in public with dignity. This was poverty for Smith. The
same argument is used to justify both the importance of literacy in particular, education
in general, and their connection with the state of society to justify how much education
should be expected in this pre-requisite category.
Furthermore, at a current institutional level the Constitution of Pakistan places
the responsibility for basic education unambiguously on the State. This is reflected in the
principles of policy in Article 37, which states:
―The State shall:
1) Promote, with special care, the educational and economic interests of
backward
classes or areas.
2) Remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education within
minimum possible period.‖
The second principle makes it clear that the Constitution places responsibility for
the provision of free and compulsory primary and secondary education on the
government. It should also be noted that the provision holds for all citizens of Pakistan,
irrespective of race, colour, ethnicity, religion and gender. Furthermore, the first point
19

20. emphasizes the increased responsibility of the state in offering education to backward
classes or areas of Pakistan. This further strengthens the idea that access to education for
all citizens is a basic right that they can and must claim from the state and society. The
responsibility for actual provision of education falls on the provinces, and the actual
executing agency is usually the local government.
All provinces have made primary education compulsory through appropriate
legislation, or are working on such legislation. However, the implementation of this
legislation remains uneven. The National Education Policy (1998-2010) also envisages
universalization of primary education in Pakistan. It has ambitious targets, and if the
government is able to achieve these targets most of the work of getting all children of the
relevant age in schools would be completed. This will take us a long way in achieving
universal literacy eventually.
So according to the above mentioned statements it is the duty of the government
to provide the basic primary education to every citizen of Pakistan. But it constantly
failed to facilitate its people this dire need of basic education and skill.
Literacy rates in Pakistan continue to be low, with over one-half of adult
population still illiterate. However, over the past two decades, improvements in literacy
rates have been impressive, especially for females and that, too, in the rural areas.
20

21. TABLE 2.1
Literacy Rates (10+ years) (%)
YEAR
RURAL
TOTAL
47.12
17.33
26.17
Male
55.32
26.24
35.05
Female
37.27
7.33
15.99
Both
63.08
33.64
43.92
Male
70.00
46.38
54.81
Female
1998
URBAN
Both
1981
GENDER
55.16
20.09
32.02
Table 2.1 revealed that overall national literacy rate was 44% in 1998 with wide
variations across location, provinces and gender. The average literacy rate for urban
areas was 63%, with 70% for males and 55% for females while the rural literacy rate was
much lower at 34%, with 46% for males and 20% for females.
Limited provisions exist in the public sector for early childhood care and
education and one-third of children attending ―katchi‖ and Class 1 are admitted to the
former section. In the urban private schools, however, there has been a mushroom
growth of nursery schools and kindergartens. At the primary level, gross enrolment rates
have always been higher in urban than rural areas. Also, these rates display sharp gender
disparities within each area but due to higher levels of overall awareness, improvements
in the socio-cultural attitudes towards girls‘ education and certain policy measures
which focused on female education, especially in rural areas under the Social Action
Programme (SAP), the gender gap has somewhat narrowed during the 1990s. It may,
however, be kept in mind that although wide variations exist in the statistics quoted for
key education indicators across various government data sources, but there is unanimous
agreement that the gender gap at the primary level is still well pronounced.
21

22. Figure 2.1
Literacy Rate of Selected South Asian Countries
100
90
80
70
60
Pakistan
India
50
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
40
30
20
10
0
Adult
Male
Female
Figure 2.1 showed that Pakistan has the lowest literacy rate as compared to its
neighbour south asian countries, except for Bangladesh which is marginaly less than
Pakistan, all other countries have tremendous growth in their literacy rate.
22

23. TABLE 2.2
Progress In Gross Enrolment Rates At Primary Level During 1990s
YEAR
RURAL
TOTAL
71.4
59.4
62.6
Female
63.2
23.2
33.9
Both
67.4
41.9
48.8
Male
92.0
89.0
90.0
Female
82.0
52.0
61.0
Both
1998/99
URBAN
Male
1990
GENDER
87.0
71.0
76.0
Table 2.2 showed a contrasting difference of progress in enrolment rate at
primary level between urban and rural area in Pakistan. It is also evident that female
education in the country is always lagging behind the total which is very alarming.
Universal Primary Education is important for eradication of illiteracy, Promotion of
equality among members of society, combating poverty and diseases.
Universalization of primary education serves as an instrument for development of
national economy. It is one of the top priority goals as committed by Pakistan at the
National and International levels. The task has forbidding magnitude and need massive
efforts.
Pakistan is perhaps one such state among 200 countries on the global map
wherein percentage of primary education has declined to the extent of 3 per cent during
the last decade. According to studies conducted by the World Bank, three out of five
persons in Pakistan cannot read and write. Pakistan is at No 132. In the literacy chart,
literacy in Punjab is below 46 per cent and eight million children between ages of 5 to 9
are deprived of primary education while 40 per cent of Punjab population up to the age
of 14 years consists of children - of them 50 per cent do not go to schools.
23

24. ―The children population of less than 18 years of age in Pakistan is 70 million. As many
as 20.60 million are of less than 5 years, and almost 20.30 million below the age of 18
years do not go to schools. The total strength of schools in Pakistan is 2,60,0095 out of
which 1,44,724 are in the public sector. The total strength in these schools consists of
30.33 million children. The number of primary schools in Pakistan do not exceed beyond
1,25,000 where capacity for admission is minimal. The lack of facilities in government
schools force the parents to send their children to private schools where they have to pay
higher expenses, which inflict a heavy toll on the domestic budget of families while their
children do not get quality education. According to Education For All -EFA Global
Report, 45 percent children leave the primary school without qualifying 5 th class
examination due to missing facilities both at the school and at their doorstep. (UNESCO,
report-2003)
A human development report 2008 of the federal government says that one out of
40 schools do not have boundary wall, 1/5th are without electricity and drinking water
facility and 1/4th do not have any class room furniture, 1/7th do not have lavatories.
Hundreds of schools can be termed as ghost schools as teachers are getting salaries but
the institutions do not exist anywhere. Hundreds of primary schools in the peripheral
areas are used for livestock.
According to a study conducted by Education Executive Club and presented at
the Pakistan National Forum special session held recently on primary education, the
rupees two billion amount allocated to upgrade schools in the total of Rs 30 billion
earmarked for education in 2008-09, the primary schools will get little share.
Consequently, the children will continue to sit on jute mats and under the open sky. No
new school will be opened in Punjab during the current budget period.
So primary education in Pakistan is quite perilous for the coming future. It needs
a sincere will for improvement and upgradation as per international requirements.
Though it is striving for universalization of primary education but this dream never came
24

25. true in the recent past. Pakistan is though facing a lot of difficulties in the current decade
but it can still manage this basic need of the people if it desired so.
The government since its birth never tried to allocate a good chunk of GDP and
GNP for sake of progress in primary education. The amount allocated for education is
low for its quality and need in every budget.
Therefore, it always lags behind the quality and standerd necessary for the
universalization of primary education in the country. Financial investment is, of course,
always a big problem for this country it had never made an effort to fulfill it.
TABLE 2.3
Financial Act 1995-96 to 2002-2003 (Rs in Billion)
1995-96
Recurring
Budget
39.610
Development
Budget
2.585
Total Education
Budget
42.195
% Of
GDP
2.00
1996-97
40.536
1.968
42.504
2.62
1997-98
46.100
2.984
49.084
2.34
1998-99
46.979
2.427
49.406
2.40
1999-2000
51.572
2.430
54.002
1.7
2000-01
54.396
1.966
56.362
1.6
2001-02
64.975
2.500
67.475
1.9
2002-03
67.270
2.604
69.874
1.7
Year
From the tabular data (Table 2.3) it can easily be concluded that government is
not able to invest the requisite amount on education in accordance with the population
growth. Allocations lag behind the developing countries in the region. A comparison of
education indicators in some of the countries of South Asia and South-East Asia from the
data available from publications by some of the organisations of the United Nations
25

26. Pakistan compares favourably with respect to economic development if tills is measured
as GNP per capita.
However, this is not reflected in its performance with respect to [he development
of education or the skill endowment of it population.
TABLE 2.4
Comparative Picture Of Education In South Asia
Adult
Primary
Combined
Literacy
Enrolment
Enrolment
Rate
Rate (Net)
Rate
2001
1995-2001
2001
1990
1998-2000
1990
1998-2000
Bangladesh
41
79
54
4.5
2.5
10.3
15.7
Bhotan
47
53
33
N.A
52
N.A
12.9
India
58
89
56
3.9
4.1
12.2
12.7
Maldeves
97
99
79
4.0
3.9
10.0
11.2
Nepal
43
66
64
2.0
3.7
8.5
14.1
Pakistan
44
46
36
2.6
1.8
7.4
7.9
Sri Lanka
92
97
63
2.6
3.1
8.1
N.A
Country
Public Expenditure On Education As Percentage Of
GDP
Total Govt. Expenditure
Table 2.4 showed that Pakistan has the poorest performance in each of the
indicators, which reflect these. Only with respect to the primary school completion rate
for Bangladesh does Pakistan perform better, but his is only marginally so. It would
appear from the data that while the overall performance of Pakistan is poor. Pakistan's
performance with respect to females is even worse.
Hence, it is evident from the comparison of different countries with Pakistan that
it has almost the lowest standard of primary education throughout the world except for
very poor and backward countries in Africa and elsewhere.
26

27. This has a constrasting effect on the quality of education in the country which is
also considerably low for the world class standard. Pakistan has also to ensure the quality
standard of primary education for all its people.
2.4
Quality of Primary Education
Education provides the bedrock for reducing poverty and enhancing social
development. An educational system of poor quality may be one of the most important
reasons why poor countries do not grow. In Pakistan, the quality of education has a
declining trend. It is realized that science education in particular is reaching lowest ebb
and needs to be improved urgently. ―There is acute shortage of teachers. Laboratories
are poor and ill equipped and curriculum has little relevance to present day needs. The
schools generally are not doing well. Tracing causative factors responsible for the
present state is a critical need. These include defective curricula, dual medium of
instruction at secondary level, poor quality of teachers, cheating in the examinations and
overcrowded classrooms‖. (Economic Survey of Pakistan, 2002)
In Pakistan efforts have been made to mould the curriculum in accordance with
our ideological, moral and cultural values as well as our national requirements in the
fields of science, technology, medicine, engineering and agriculture, etc. The rise in
supply of educational infrastructure or removal of the supply side constraints can play an
important role in raising literacy and education of the population. Development budget
allocation for the social sector has been very low throughout and is evident from the
budgetary allocation for education as in Table No. 2.3.
―At the sub-regional meeting of South Asian Ministers in Kathmandu in April
2001, Quality Education was unanimously identified as a priority area from the regional
perspective. The ministers and all participants were in agreement that there was an
urgency to seek remedies for bottlenecks faced in these areas to meet the intermediate
targets and EFA goals by 2015. In the context of quality education, the discussions
highlighted, that in spite of concerted efforts and resources devoted to quality, the results
27

28. have been neither satisfactory nor sustainable. Why is this so?‖ (Dr. Munawar S. Mirza,
―Quality of Primary Education‖)
Failing standards reveal poor service delivery, leading in turn to low levels of
interest; and improvement in quality is a key element that could ensure equity for
learners through substantive entitlements in terms of capabilities for improving human
well-being.
2.4.1 International Standard of Quality of Primary Education
Several international and regional meetings have reiterated the need for Quality
EFA. In this context, the Dakar Framework of Action refers to quality both within the six
goals and the accompanying strategies: ―Improving every aspect of the quality of
education, and ensuring their excellence so that recognized and measurable learning
outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills‖.
Strengthening the quality of education has become a concern of paramount
importance in discussions on education. The concern is shared equally by all the
stakeholders at all levels of education including the primary education.
―The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) declared primary education
as the basic human right of all people. Accordingly, all nations prioritized universal
access to education. The developed, and many developing, nations have attained
universal or near universal access to primary education. Now the focus is on the quality
of students' learning. The concern is valid not only for nations who have attained the
quantitative targets, it is also valid for nations still striving for expansion of educational
access. It has been established that access and quality are not sequential elements.
Quality is rather considered, in the light of growing evidence, a means for achieving the
universal access and equity of education regardless of gender, location, race, religion,
and social class‖. (Hoy, Jardine, ―Improving Quality in Education‖)
28

29. The World Bank (1997) in one of its reports on elementary education in Pakistan
has also laid equal emphasis on the expansion of access and quality as the quality has
been visualized instrumental in improving access. The report states:
"The best way to improve access is to improve quality which would make
coming to school or staying in school a more attractive option from the perspective of
parents as well as children. Moreover, effort to improve quality will tend to increase the
efficiency of the public expenditure and will encourage parents to contribute to children
education." (World Bank (1997), Pakistan towards a Strategy for Elementary Education, Report
No. 16670 – Pak)
Quality of education also means setting standards which make a pavement for
assessment of standards, comparability of programs, and accountability for meeting the
targets. To ensure the acheivement of these standards one has to make ample efforts.
These require sincerity of the authority concerned of these countries who are facing this
lack of quality in education especialy in primary education which is basic and elementary
for all the human beings of all regions of the world regardless of any creed, culture,
society, religion, geographic conditions, etc.
2.4.2 International Declarations on Quality of Basic Education
1. The Jomtien Declaration of EFA, 1990: A landmark document for the promotion of
basic education emphasized that 'the focus of education must, therefore, be on actual
learning outcomes rather than exclusively on enrolment'.
2. The World Education Forum, Dakar Framework of Action 2000: Emphasis on quality
of education is included as one of the six goals:
"Improving all aspects of the quality of education, and ensuring their excellence of all so
that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all especially in
literacy, numeracy and essential life skills" (Article 7(vi))
The Expanded Commentary on the Dakar Framework of Action includes following two
articles on quality:
29

30. i) Evidence over the past decade has shown that efforts to expand enrolment must be
accompanied by attempts to enhance educational quality (World Bank (1997. Article 43).
ii) Government and all other EFA partners must work together to ensure basic education
of quality for all, regardless of gender, health, location, language, or ethnic origin
(Article 44).
3. The Recife Declaration of UNESCO E-9 project (Education for All in the nine most
populous developing countries), of January 2000, reaffirms commitment to the
enhancement of quality of basic education through adopting several measures.
4. The Beijing Declaration of the E-9 Project on ICT1 and EFA (August 2001) reiterated
its commitment to raise the quality of education through using Information
Communication Technology (ICT), and better training of teachers and administrators.
―Despite the growing concern about the quality of education, its crystallized
definition is somewhat difficult (Aspin & Chapman, 1994) largely due to a wide array of
stakeholders and consumers along with the complexities of teaching-learning process
which need to be unfolded continuously. ―Terms like effectiveness, efficiency, equity,
equality and quality are often used interchangeably‖. (Adams, D., ―Defining Education
Quality. Improving educational Quality Project‖)
Most of the people view quality of education as the learning outcomes of students which
is the primary concern of all stakeholders. But to achieve the desired quality the
antecedents, that is the input and process should also have quality in terms of efficiency,
effectiveness, excellence, and social justice.
The quality education output can be achieved only if quality is ensured at each
level of the educational process from standard setting, learning environment, teacher
training, teacher-learning process, assessment and monitoring.
Adams (1993) included six elements of quality i.e. reputation of the institution,
resources and inputs, process, content, output and outcomes, and value added.
30

31. Lockheed and Verspoor (1991) in a study of developing countries have identified
various input and process determinants of educational output. These include orderly
school environment, academic emphasis in the form of clearly defined learning outcomes
and standards, curriculum, particularly the ―implemented curriculum‖ (textbooks, other
learning materials), time for learning, effective use of school time, qualified teachers and
healthy children. The developed countries show the similar results with a varying level
of quality inputs. the curricula is also important in raising the student achievement.
―A report "US about Initiative on Education for All, 2002" enlists teacher
training, improved curriculum, management system, parent and community involvement
and accountability as the major required educational reforms.‖ (Dr. Munawar S. Mirza)
The USAID has thus laid down the same parameters for funding basic education
programmes i.e. accountability, qualified teachers in every classroom, locally managed
schools, and participation of community.
2.4.3 Definition of Quality in the Context of EFA
The Dakar Framework of Action 2000 defined quality of education in terms of
recognized and measurable learning outcomes especially in literacy, numeracy and
essential life skills. Article 42 of the Expanded Commentary on the Dakar Framework of
Action further elaborates that 'a quality education is one that satisfies basic learning
needs, and enriches the lives of learners and their overall experience of living.
The measures to attain the required quality were suggested as under:
1. Healthy, well nourished and motivated students.
2. Adequate facilities and learning materials.
3. A relevant curriculum.
4. Environment that encourages learning.
5. Clear definition of learning outcomes.
6. Accurate assessment of learning outcomes.
7. Participatory governance and management and engaging local communities.
31

32. 2.4.4 Quality of Primary Education in Pakistan
Pakistan policy makers have drawn guidelines for the enhancement of quality of
education from the international knowledge, Declaration on EFA, and indigenous
situation analysis. The National Education Policy, 1992, in the context of primary
education, clearly mentions the plan to adopt special measures for improving the quality
of education. These measures include proper training of teachers, update 'primary kit'
provision of computers, books of general knowledge, science and mathematics and
raising the number of teachers to five per school over a period of ten years.
Pakistan is a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and
many other declarations down to the World Declaration on Education for All (1990), the
World Education Forum: Dakar Framework for Action 2000, the Recife Declaration of
E-9 Countries 2000 and the Beijing Declaration of E-9 Countries on ICT and EFA 2001.
But Pakistan, despite policy statements and target setting in various education policies
and five-year plans is still far below universal primary education access and retention.
The priority is thus, still on the expansion of basic educational opportunity to all.
However, with the emerging international agenda of quality education, Pakistan has also
readdressed the educational target setting by adopting a two-pronged approach based on
quantitative expansion along with quality enhancement, particularly since the 7th Five
Year Plan. The National Education Policy 1998 has included many elements and
strategies for improving quality at elementary level. The central message of SAP-II and
EFA beyond DAKAR is Quality Education and that the access is not sustainable without
quality (Govt. of Pakistan, 2000).
The important policy statements and strategies are listed below:
The National Education Policy 1992 recognized that the quality aspect of primary
education has been compromised and required urgent examination of the measures
needed for its raising. The policy has mentioned several strategies for the purpose
including teachers‘ training; updating ―primary kit‖; provision of books; etc.
32

33. The National Education Policy 1998-2010 had also included among its objectives
the improvement of elementary education. The policy gives a comprehensive list of
quality inputs such as merit-based recruitment of teachers; pre-service and in-service
training of teachers; improving the quality and availability of books; etc.
Education Sector Reforms: Action Plan 2001-2005 based on National
Educational Policy 1998-2010 among its nine sectors includes a cross-cutting thrust area
of quality assurance in education including upgraded teacher training, textbooks and
curricula, and assessment system.
The National Plan of Action (NPA) for Education for All also addresses the
issue of quality education. The major quality inputs suggested include reforms in
curricula (focusing on basic learning needs of child, youth, adolescent and adult),
textbook
development
and
teachers‘
training.
An
improved
system
of
examination/assessment i.e. National Education Assessment System (NEAS) will also be
introduced. Besides, early childhood education programmes will be initiated as part of
efforts to improve the achievement of pupils at primary education level.
In Pakistan, the system of National or Provincial Assessment has yet not been
established. Standardized data on student learning over years or over repeated
measurements is non-existent. However, the realization of a coherent National
Assessment has been emerging since mid eighties of the last century. Resultantly a
number, nearly two dozens, isolated studies on student learning have been conducted by
different agencies and organizations since 1984 and more so during the last decade.
Some of the studies have been conducted at national level, whilst other focused on
provinces and still some other had a very narrow focus and limited sample. The
parameters, methodologies and rigour of the studies also vary. The tests used were
generally curriculum and textbook bound. Some small-scale studies used competencies
as the standards for testing.
A compilation and analysis of various studies has been done and it has been
33

34. concluded that on the average students do not achieve competency on more than half the
material in the 5th grade curriculum (Benoliel, 1999 in UNESCO, 2001). BRIDGES
(1989) observed that students of grade 4th and 5th attained scores of 29 and 33 in science
and 25 and 26 in mathematics. A study by Mirza and Hameed (1995) in 14 Punjab shows
that students of grade I, II, III, IV and V attained mean scores of 62%, 70%, 53%, 51%
and 46%, respectively. In grade IV and V the lowest scores were observed in
mathematics. Baseline survey of Sindh (2000) reported a mean score of 8 in
mathematics. Studies further show that students performed better on items measuring
rote learning and poorly on items requiring comprehension, problem solving and life
skills. Pervez (1995) also found over 60% children at the end of grade 5 competent in
rote learning whilst only 18 - 27% could write a letter, read with comprehension and
demonstrate life skill knowledge.
2.4.5 Teachers at Primary Level
The importance of teacher as key figure in the education process has always been
recognized. The most recent National Education Policy 1998-2010 also recognizes that
the teacher is considered the most crucial factor in implementing all educational reforms
at the grass-root level.
The World Declaration on Education for All emphasized the role of teacher as
under:
"The pre-eminent role of teachers as well as of other educational
personnel in providing quality education needs to be recognized and
developed to optimize their contribution ….…improve their working
conditions and status notably in respect to the recruitment, initial and
in-service training, remuneration and career development
possibilities." (Article 1.6 p. 58).
The Dakar Framework of Action for EFA, 2000 also states as under:
"Enhance the status, morale and professionalism of teachers" (Article 8-ix)
The quality of public primary school is a matter of concern both in terms of
number of teachers provided and their qualifications. Hence, it is clear from the above
34

35. literature review that quality of primary as defined by WDE and Dakar Framework of
Action for EFA, in Pakistan is very poor and needs to be improved a lot. Though it has
made a lot of promises in the each and every education policy but failed to get to that
standard and level. Once again I repeat, that it needs utmost earnestness to reach to that
peak which is still possible in these conditions.
Though critics give emphasize to high Enrolment rate as an indicator for better
quality of primary education and vice versa but drop outs at this level is also a perilous
indicator for quality of primary education.
2.5
High drop outs rate at primary level in Pakistan
Pakistan has currently the highest drop outs rate in the region. Students enrolled
at the primary level leave the school before compeleting the necessary education. It has
become a headach for all the countries of the world, and every country is striving for
reducing the drop outs at this level and to enhance the quality of primary education to
increase rate of the graduate students. Though developed countries have made significant
attainments in the last decade or so but most of the developing countries are still
undertaking this problem to cope especially at this level.
―Early dropouts are a widespread phenomenon in developing countries. Whereas
in the OECD countries, almost 100% of students enroll in secondary education and
almost 80% of them finish, in Latin America, only 50% of students enroll and less than a
third of them complete the level‖. (Carlson, B. published 2002)
Similarly, Pakistan has now the highest rate of dropouts at primary and secondary
level as compared to other developed, even developing and underdeveloped countries
expect for a few very poor countries of Africa. Now it is very contemplative whether
how many students are still out the school, a recent survey states that 3 out of every 5
children are still away from the basic primary education.
Low Enrolment is another impediment Pakistan has to cross. Literacy rate at
present is estimated at 49 percent (male 61.3 and female 36.8 percent) whereas the
35

36. Primary School gross Enrolment rate increased from 52 percent in 1987 to 73 percent in
1990-91, it declined to 71 percent in 1998-99 mainly due to decline in Enrolment in
government schools.
The main reasons for the decline in the enrolment at government schools include
rising of poverty and decline in the quality of education. For the females, the enrolment
ratio has increased. The gender gap in urban areas is not very significant, enrolment
rates for boys 95 percent and girls 92 percent. However, significant gap in enrolment
rates between urban and rural areas still exist. These gaps are mainly due to inequality of
resource distribution, higher teacher absenteeism, lack of access and higher opportunity
cost for the parents in rural areas. These factors had an even stronger impact on middle
school enrolment.
TABLE 2. 5
(Statistical Profile for the year 2000-01)
Level
Institutions
Enrolment
Teachers
Primary
165,775
17,903,460
338,398
Middle
18,806
4,263,794
95,195
Secondary
12,852
1,771,382
162,006
Higher Secondary
661
42,334
20,190
Sec. Vocational
498
88,000
6,582
Colleges
1,083
956,468
35,325
Universities
28
100,000
9,280
It is evident from the table 2.5 that the number of institutions, enrolled students
and teachers was very low in the year 2000-01. At present, out of the total 18 million 5-9
age group children 12 millions are in schools and 6 millions are out of school. The
number of left out will gradually decrease with the increase of participation rate. It has
36

37. been planned to decrease the number of left out to 4 million by the year 2005, 1 million
(all girls) by 2010 and almost zero by 2015. Presently, half of the children who enroll in
grade 1 drop out before completing 5 year cycle of primary education (grade 1-v).
Female drop out rate is more i.e. 54% than male which is 45%. Due to retention of a
child in a class for more than one year, the completion rate at primary level has raised to
7-8 years instead of 5 years.
TABLE 2.6
Enrolment In Educational Institutions At Primary Level
Year
Male
Female
Total
1992-93
92516
38080
130596
1993-94
94063
39987
134050
1994-95
97667
41967
139634
1995-96
101696
43434
145130
1996-97
107619
42042
149661
1997-98
105324
51204
156528
1998-99
102815
56515
159330
1999-2000
103773
58748
162521
2000-01
104866
42870
147736
At the primary level, gross Enrolment rates have always been higher in urban
than rural areas until 2001 as illustrated in Table 2.6. Also, these rates display sharp
gender disparities within each area but due to higher levels of overall awareness,
improvements in the socio-cultural attitudes towards girls‘ education and certain policy
measures which focused on female education, especially in rural areas under the Social
Action Programme (SAP), the gender gap has somewhat narrowed during the 1990s.
Looking at the Table 2.6, one can feel that Enrolment rate was increasing in the
1990s and reached its peak in 1999-2000 but then declined again. Though it may be due
37

38. to the then condition in Pakistan (Militeray Intervention and 9/11 event) but it should not
be effected by the overall condition of the country except for the elastic policies that are
framed mostly in democrated era of government in Pakistan.
Although Enrolment of the students at this level is satisfactory, if not recognized
for the universalization of primary education, yet drop outs rate is tremendous. A major
area of concern is the high drop-out rate from primary school. ―In the developed and
newly industrialised countries there has been a substantial increase in investment in
education which has created a population with an increased level of cognitive and
problem solving skills. The developing countries, however, have been unable to enroll,
keep and teach comparable proportions of children in primary schools. Despite
increasing gross Enrolment rates, fewer than 60 percent of children enrolling in primary
schools in the low-income countries and not more than 70 percent in the middle-income
countries continue with their education to complete primary schooling. Moreover, these
completion rates have declined over the past decade, and most of the drop-outs occur in
the initial years of schooling. The problem appears to be more acute for girls.‖ (31)
These observations are also valid for Pakistan. Pakistan has also the same
problems, it has invested very few amount of its GDP and GNP as mentioned in the
Table No. 2.3 since its birth. That is why it is always facing a lot of problems in the
realm of education and educational system.
According to a national survey, although drop-out rates for boys have remained
unchanged over the decade but drop-out rates for girls are reported to have decreased.
Substantial decline was found in the percentage of girls (aged 10-18 years) who left
school before completing primary school, in both urban (from 12% to 8%) as well as in
rural areas (from 27% to 21%). (Lockheed; ―Improving Primary Education in Developing
Countries‖;1991)
38

39. 2.5.1 Comparison with other countries
In almost all the developing countries school drop-out rates or low completion
rates have been a subject of interest to academics, researchers, and policy makers for a
long time. Although the findings of various studies differ depending on the peculiar
country specific situations but rural-urban divide, gender bias, and distance to school
appear to be the most common elements in all the studies.
Hence it can be illustrated through the following table that the dropouts rates in
Pakistan is much higher than expected by the international UPE.
TABLE 2. 7
Percentage Of Boys And Girls Dropping Out Before Completing Primary School
YEAR
RURAL
TOTAL
14
17
16
Female
12
27
20
Both
13
20
17
Male
13
17
16
Female
8
21
15
Both
1998-99
URBAN
Male
1990-91
GENDER
11
18
15
The above table 2.7 showed that the drop out rate at primary level of schooling is
too high for Pakistan. If we compare our own condition with the newly administered
country Afghanistan, male drop outs rate is greater than female at primary level. ―When
the drop out rate per grades for boys and girls was considered, it was found that in all
grades, with exception in grades three and five, girls dropped out to a smaller extent than
boys did. This might be interpreted as a second stage of selection, i.e. among those girls
who are enrolled in schools, the ones who want to quit schools they do so in these
grades.‖ (Amir Mansory; p. 12)
39

40. The study by Chaurd and Mingat (1996) based on a sample of 8000 students in
the Punjab and the NWFP provinces is a very extensive study on the learning effects and
dropout rates at the primary level only. It covers three types of educational institutions —
private, public, and mosque schools over a thirteen months period in 100 schools (to give
it a longitudinal survey dimension) at two levels – grade I and grade IV. The main
findings of the study are that at level I dropouts are lowest for private schools, and
highest for mosque schools, however at level IV the drop-outs are lower and do not
differ significantly between the three categories of schools. Similarly, the study shows
that in both the single gender and mixed schools the magnitude of dropouts at grade level
I is not significantly different. However at grade level IV the dropouts are higher for
mixed schools, but at the same time dropout rates at this level were lowest for schools
that offered second shifts. In fact double shifts in schools fulfil a very important demand
of the poor parents. It allows them the flexibility of time to send children to school
without affecting their earnings, which in most cases are vital to the survival of the
family.
Overall, in single gender schools the dropout rate is higher in all female schools
compared to males. At the regional level, in the rural areas dropouts are not affected by
multigrade or single grade teaching, or even if the schools do not offer all levels of
primary schooling. Similarly low quality of building structure and poor ventilation were
also not a serious issue with regard to student retention, but highly qualified and aged
teachers appeared to facilitate the dropouts at both grade I and IV levels.
Kamal and Maqsood (2000) also analyze the primary dropouts using the same
data set. However in order to give a more equal representation to all the three types of
schools they revisited the areas covered and suitably modified the representation of
schools by type. Their findings are identical to the earlier study with reference to
classroom characteristics, teacher qualifications, and the age of the teachers. While they
also found lowest dropout rates for private schools both in the Punjab and the
40

41. NWFP(KPK), the dropouts in the mosque schools differed. They were lower in Punjab
and higher in the NWFP(KPK). However in both the provinces the performance of the
public schools was superior to that of the mosque schools. An interesting finding of this
study is that while in the rural areas harsh treatment of the students resulted in higher
retention rates, this was not acceptable in the urban areas.
The study by Holmes (2003) measures the determinants of school completion in
Pakistan at the primary, middle, and high school levels, using the Pakistan Integrated
Household Survey (PIHS) data of 1991. She also finds that overall, females receive less
education than males. They tend to dropout, or are withdrawn earlier for both economic
and socio-cultural reasons. Opportunity cost of sending female children to school in rural
areas, where girls are married quite early, is high because benefits of their schooling will
not accrue to their parental household. This finding is also supported by World Bank
(1989) which shows that escorting girls to middle and high schools raises the cost of
sending girls to school, therefore they tend to drop out after completing primary school.
Socio-cultural factors prevent girls from attending mixed school beyond the
primary level, as well as single gender schools at distance. Lack of single gender schools
has also been reported as a major deterrent to the girls‘ continuation into middle and high
schools by Alderman, et.al. (1996). They concluded that gender gap in illiteracy can be
reduced by 40 percent in rural Pakistan if gender gaps in primary education were
eliminated. Findings with regard to the impact of parents education differ widely.
Holmes shows that this impact differs by gender; the education of the father increases the
expected level of school retention by boys, and that of the mother‘s enhances the
educational attainment of girls. However earlier studies Behrman et.al (1999) and Swada
and Lokshin showed that parents education did not impact child schooling by gender.
Behrman et.al found no effect of mother‘s primary education on child schooling
while father‘s education had a significant impact on children‘s education. Similarly,
41

42. Swada and Lokshin reported a consistently positive and significant coefficient of father‘s
and mother‘s education at all levels of education except at the secondary school level.
However, King, et.al. (1986) found a clear positive effect of father‘s education on
both sexes; no significant effect of mother‘s education on boys schooling, and a
significant effect on the girls only in middle class urban sample. An interesting linkage
between property ownership/ land holdings and girls education is reported by Holmes.
For the richer households, it is argued that education of boys is considered a necessity,
while that of the girls is a luxury. Therefore girls education was positively associated
with the wealth of the household. Likewise the positive impact of higher male wages was
three times higher for girls than for boys in the urban areas. However the higher female
wages did not have any bearing on girls schooling while that of the boys declined. The
positive impact of higher wages is also reported by Alderman et.al (1995, 1996);
Behrman et.al (1997); Burney and Irfan (1991); and Sathar and Llyod (1994).
In Pakistan dropouts at the primary exit level are also associated with negative
income and health shocks. Swada and Lokshin point out that in general Pakistani
households face considerable income instabilities, particularly in the rural areas which
have a severe limitation on formal and/or informal insurance and credit availability. As a
result they are therefore more likely to adopt perverse informal selfinsurance devices by
using child labor income as parental income insurance, sacrificing the accumulation of
human capital.
The study by Swada and Lokshin puts forward an interesting finding on female
education. They point out that households do not discriminate against all daughters,
while the older daughters might have to bear the brunt of resource constraint the
domestic labour provided by elder girls and their early marrying infact releases
household resources for younger siblings including younger daughters. Swada and
Lokshin focus in detail on the sibling variable, and show that at the secondary school
exit, and post secondary levels, the older brothers tend to increase the schooling
42

43. probabilities. Once the family decides to invest in the schooling of the most brilliant
child, called the ―winner‖, the elder brothers farm or non-farm
contributions towards this investment make a more significant contribution than
the daughters non-market domestic labour contribution in the household. By-passing the
debate on birth order effects in investment in education they maintain that ―under credit
constraints, birth-order effects exist, and, more important, the effects are specific to
gender and educational levels‖. (Dr. Najam Us Saqib, ―Drop-Out Rates And Inter-School
Movements‖)
Having reviewed almost all the possible variables related to the school effect,
classroom effects, household related economic and socio-cultural factors, in the next
section we describe the date set available for our analysis of the dropout and inter school
movement phenomenon, as well as the methodology adopted for the analysis of these
two phenomenon. While dropout rate for rural males is lower than that of rural females,
the dropout rate of urban males is much higher than that of urban females.
One plausible explanation for high male dropouts could be the prevalence of
poverty. In the urban areas male children in general take up employment at early ages to
support families, while rural males start helping in farm and livestock activities outside
the house.
Most of the pupils in Pakistan are enrolled in either public or private schools. The
two types of schools differ widely in terms of the quality of education offered to the
students. The level of cognitive skills imparted by the private schools is generally much
higher than that of public schools.
If it‘s 1 out of 2 children that begin school, it‘s likely another 1 in 2 drop out
before they even complete it in Pakistan. The true scale of the problem is still unknown.
UNESCO states that only 70% of students beginning primary school actually complete it
and the bad news is, the dropout rate is increasing with no increase in Government
43

44. spending to arrest it. In secondary school, the likelihood of a child completing nine years
of basic education is laughable.
Financial reasons are often given as the main reason for dropping out, whether to
go to work or due to school costs such as tuition fees, text books and uniforms. It‘s an
issue of low quality at high price. Building more schools and lowering school fees is
certainly the first step, but it definitely isn‘t enough to keep children in school once there.
If quality education isn‘t present in school, children will continue to dropout.
Therefore regarding the above literature review, it is very evident that dropout
rate in Pakistan has become a startling one which needs proper attention and adequate
measures.
2.6
Causes and Effects of Dropouts
“There is no doubt that the future of our State will and must greatly
depend on the type of education we give to our children ……….”
(Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan)
At the moment Pakistan does not have the infrastructure to educate its population.
It‘s a case of too many children and too few schools. Shocking data from the recent
National Education Census (NEC) 2005, found that 1 in 5 villages had no school at all.
Between the plains and mountains, 10 - 20% of pupils must trek from 2-5 kms to reach
their class. This issue isn‘t helped by the growing threat of 'Ghost Schools.'
The ‗Ghost school‘ problem is common throughout South Asia, particularly in
rural areas. Teacher absenteeism, low attendance and non-existent funding mean that
many perfectly suitable schools have to close and many greedy fat cats continue to claim
school subsidies. The NEC places the number of empty schools at 12,737 or 5% of the
total number. In some situations, one man‘s taxes can mean another child's loss. What
this all boils down to is a severe lack of funding and quality in Pakistan‘s schooling
system. Parents wish to send their off-spring to school but the value of that taught is
44

45. often off-putting. Even if children make it to class, the quality of education they receive
is often poor and the statistics are staggering.
Over a third of all public schools have no boundary wall, no latrine or drinking
water facility on site. Almost 74,0000 public schools have no electricity and 9000 have
no building whatsoever. In school, students sit on mats, a blackboard can be a luxury and
teachers rarely have their own textbook. A teaching kit supplied in the mid-seventies sits
in most schools, but is hardly ever used by teachers for fear that they might damage it.
Working children 6.5 million children under 9 years old are out of school; 1 in 10
are working nationally. A boggling 35 percent of children never even finish Grade 5.
Average Class size is 37 pupils. Pakistan has one of lowest ten education budgets in the
world. On paper, Pakistan is the king of talk, passing sound judgments on the problems
of its people, economy and future development. The big test now lies in putting those
words into action something the Government has a poor record of doing. Pakistan‘s
Government estimates that it will cost $7 billion to achieve EFA by 2015, of which $4.3
billion will be petitioned from international donors. The World Bank‘s Development
Report for 2008 showed that total aid to Pakistan increased from $308 million to $2.2
billion in 2005. Annual GDP growth is the second highest in the world after China and
expenditure on education actually increased to almost 3 percent in 2006, though still far
off the 6 percent recommended to achieve a solid education reform. Of all the schools I
encountered in Pakistan, each one had a committed team of teachers and community
staff working tirelessly to give their children the best future they could. Hoping this is
the reality across Pakistan is a desperate dream, for the country faces a teacher
motivation crisis.
A 1997 survey estimated teacher absenteeism at up to 35% in Northern Pakistan,
and 22 percent in the Punjab. The situation is particularly bad among female teachers. As
the situation fails to improve, Pakistan‘s Government has announced that a year on year
increase of 3 percent in teacher numbers will be needed to acquire universal primary
45

46. Enrolment by 2015, (an extra 65,000 teachers per year), but as always needs exceed
capability.
Pakistan‘s teachers are ill-equipped, badly trained and unprepared in a school
system with no safety net. The World Bank reports that 58 percent of primary/secondary
teachers in country‘s Northern Areas lack proper credentials. Classes usually have
several grades in the same classroom; few have facilities such as blackboards and books;
and most have an average class size of 38 to deal with. There is no respect like selfrespect and the teaching industry lacks this in droves. Around 90% of local education
budgets are spent on Government teacher salaries, leaving little money to spend on
school infrastructure and extras like text books. Some public teachers take out second
jobs to supplement wages and with zero accountability, few inspections and a healthy
dose of corruption available, few lose their positions.
Attempting to fill this hole of despair won‘t be easy, yet a ray of light in Punjab
province may offer some hope. Under the watchful eye of the World Bank, the Punjab
Education Sector Reform Program (PESRP) has invested heavily in existing school
buildings, given 11 million students free text books, hired 50,000 additional teachers and
paid stipends based on attendance to the parents of 300,000 girls.
A well trained and devoted teacher is a greater asset to a rural community than a well
built school without one. Whilst it‘s highly unlikely that Pakistan will fill its teaching
void by 2015, schemes like the PESRP may hold some hope for restoring the pride in a
once proud profession. 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.
The United Nations ranks Pakistan, 105 out of 134 in its Human Development
Gender Index 2006; the second lowest in South Asia. Honour killings, rape and illegal
trafficking of women are prevalent across much of the country. Low literacy and poor
health care mean that 1 in 10 children die before the age of five.
46

47. The country may have applied macro reforms to the economy but it needs to
focus at the micro level now to move forwards. As 2015 looms, the country faces a huge
challenge to find the funds to meet its educational commitments, solve the MDGs and
answer the daily needs of it people, not withstanding another major disaster.
The U.N. Development Programme‘s 2004 Human Development Report assigns
Pakistan the lowest 'education index' of any country outside Africa. Pakistan can no
longer continue its ‗wait till tomorrow‘ education campaign if it‘s serious about meeting
its commitments. International donors rarely meet their obligations on time, and in a
country where political instability is a cultural necessity, the chances of meeting EFA in
full remain slim indeed.
Hence, it can be concluded from the above discussion and review that the main
causes of dropouts at primary level may be the following:
a) Low rate of Enrolment of children, especially at rural areas
b) Less number of primary schools
c) Bad condition of School buildings
d) Insufficient class rooms, Latrines, Water reservoirs, etc
e) Lack of basic facilities for the quality primary education
f) Shortage of A.V.Aids
g) A reduced amount of fund allocated for primary education
h) Apathy of government towards improvement of primary education
i) Poor structure of curriculum and evaluation
j) Corruption from low grade to any high grade in this sector
k) Trained teachers deficiency
l) Teacher‘s unnecessary absentees from the school
m) Laziness of teachers in learning activities
n) Teacher‘s own problems
o) Ineffective methodolgy of teachers creates boredom
47

48. p) Poor implementation of curriculum
q) Poverty of the educands and working children
r) Lack of parents‘ concern
s) Lack of students‘s own interest Peer groups
t) No connection of industry with curriculum
u) Corporal punishment
v) Unemployment in the country discourages parents
w) Unproductive and activity less curriculum
x) Contemptible thoeries towards female education
y) Lack of best Supervision and administration of all activities
z) Low investment of govt. educational sectors in primary education
These causes can be even more if completely analyzed the condition and
environment of primary schools everywhere in the country. But the most important and
severe of these causes are corporal punishment and poverty. Physical punishment can, as
educationists think, depress and demoralize the students at any level but generally at
primary level. It is the worst cause noticed by all the educationist and philosopher as a
threat to all kinds of education. Ibn-e-Khaldon thinks that corporal punishment may
discourage and dishearten children to complete their education. Hence, corporal
punishment should be avoided especially at primary level. Poverty may be also thought
as inevitable factor of dropouts in the country.
The dropouts at primary level can be very dangerous and perilous. Dropouts may
have very bad effects on the overall condition of the country. These effects can be
expected to turn out as a result of high dropouts at primary level:
a) Bad social effects on community and society, lead to terrorism
b) May stop good transference of culture heritage
c) May produce poverty in turn and bad economic condition
d) Declining industry and basic needs of life, e.g. electricity
48

49. e) Poor nutrition of babies by uneducated mothers
f) Ailing and unhealty children
g) Discouragment, disparity, tension, disloyalty among the people
h) Corporal punishment can make children stupid, thief, liar, irresponsible,
i) It may dispirit their hidden potentialities
j) Lack of good and productive industry
k) May lead to anarchy, misery and aristocracy instead of democracy.
These are some of its long and short term effects which can be expected even
worse in a country having a bundle of problems ahead. We are listening from the last 20
or more years that Pakistan is developing country but it is actually an underdeveloped
country. Developing countries like Malaysia and Singapore left it for too behind the race
of development. Pakistan is lagging behind in the pursuit of producing good economy
through exploring and utilizing resources and establishing high-quality industry. All
these problems are due to lack of basic and technical education. It is still very dangerous
for this country that its government is not taking any extraordinary step to allocate a
good chunk from its GNP for the improvement and development of basic primary
education and to make better technical education to provide professionally expert and
well-equipped manpower.
49

50. CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
This high dropout rate in Pakistan needs some analysis to be done through a
constructive method. It would be diffinitely difficult but not impossible because Pakistan
comprises of a large population having a blend of varied cultures and civilizations. The
following methodology is therefore adopt to help the different sectors to resolve this
problem.
3.1
Population of the Study
The population of the study was taken as:
This study was conducted in male primary schools in Takht Bhai city. Takht
Bhai is a town consisting of more than hundred thousand inhabitants. It is a tehsil of
district Mardan comprises of Takht Bhai city area, Gujar Garhi, Shergarh and lots of
villages in its outskirts. The estimated number of male students in Takht Bhai was
nearest 40, 000.
3.2
Sample of the Study
The group of male students taken for study was the students studying in the
primary classes (Nursery to Five). Only Government Primary Schools were under study.
3.3
Sample Size
The number of male students studying in the primary classes
(Nursery to Five) was found as 15, 000. The primary schools were about 20.
It was very difficult for the researcher to approach to each and every school of the
target population, a simple of 7, 000 male students and 10 govt. primary schools i.e. 50%
of the target population was taken as a sample.
50

51. 3.4
Delimitation
The study was delimited to the 10 different primary male schools in local Takht
Bhai because there the students were coming from all sides of Takht Bhai city.
3.5
Research Instruments/ Tools for Data Collection
3.5.1 Educational Research
―It is an organized study to find out the solution of an educational problem
through observation, analysis and inquiries‖
Educational Research has a broad scope and contains research studies, reviews of
research, discussion pieces, short reports and book reviews in all areas of the education
field. The wide coverage allows discussion of topical issues and policies affecting
education institutions worldwide.
The Systematic Process of Research comprises of the following steps:
1. Identify the problem (and relevant related knowledge)
2. Review the information (via literature search)
3. Collect data (in an organized and controlled manner)
4. Analyze data (in a manner appropriate to the problem)
5. Draw conclusions (make generalizations based on results of analysis)
3.5.2 Quantitative Research
“It is the type of research conducted for the purpose of understanding social
phenomena‖. We do measurement according to the problem in discussion and try to find
the solution in terms of accurately measured data and information. This research is based
on some validity given as following:
i) Internal Validity
ii) External Validity
3.5.3 Qualitative Research
―This type of research is conducted to determine relationships, effects, and
causes‖. It is based on: Credibility, Comparability, Translatability, etc.
51

52. 3.5.4 Survey
―An investigation of the opinions or experience of a group of people, based on a
series of questions is known as survey‖.
This study was a qualitative and quantitative analysis based on two kinds of
information:
i) Published or secondary information
ii) Primary data (original or first-hand account of events or experiences)
This study was structured in a way that first of all, the problem in hand was
described and then its role in education was also mentioned in an appropriate method.
The relationship of the problem was overviewed in order to be acquainted with its effects
on general education and especially at primary level. In next step it was briefly described
the purpose of education and review the findings of available studies on school dropouts.
In literature review, materials from different sources were compiled to help in correct
identification and knowledge of the problem. The necessary conditions or quality of
primary education was also given in this unit. In the last of unit 1, the problem ―Dropouts
at primary level in Pakistan‖ was discussed through accumulated data from the studies
done by different authors. The causes and effects of the problem were also argued based
on the published information.
The data was accumulated from different primary schools in Takht Bhai through
survey with the help of a social organization Youth Empowerment Society.
Questionnaires were prepared and filled in this survey through physical visits to these
schools and questions were asked from the students of the concerned schools and reasons
were investigated from the students who dropped out from their schools. The comparison
of the data was done with on-record statistics which was available from provincial and
federal government. The results obtained from questions asked through analysis of data
collected during visits of primary schools in Takht Bhai survey, their criticism and
statistics were reported in an organized way in unit 5, and finally the conclusions and
policy suggestions emerging from this study were reported in the last of this study.
52

53. CHAPTER 4
PRESENTATION, TABULATION AND ANALYSIS
OF DATA
Through physical survey of the given schools, the data is accomulated about
dropouts, Enrolments, reasons behind them, etc. in a tabular form or proforma. The
condition of primary education in these areas is same, encouraging in some urban areas
and disappointing in rural areas. This survey shows that students tend to drop out at
primary level quite regularly.
Though the Enrolment in all these schools are comparatively sufficient but it
takes too less time to continue. Students in large do take admission and enter the school
at Nursery and One (grade-1) but they all do not complete five years primary education.
They enter usually at the age of 5 and leave at the age of 9, if they continue their five
years primary education. Children of these school are mostly physically weak and unable
to meet the needs of basic education. They looks very depressed and unhealthy. They are
morally equipped and have good respect of their teacher. But this respect seems like has
some irrational fear behind it. They are not well-dressed and their clothes exhibit that
they come of poor families. Most of the students belong to a family who are
professionally farmer in rural area and a few in urban area schools. In urban schools, the
majority of the students‘ fathers work in government departments, having low income.
Father is considered the head of the family who affords all the expenditures of the
dwellers. Due to low income they often cannot come up with the money for the books
and other stationary as per their children‘s need.
These children therefore have a lot of needs and become deprived of them which
are necessary for the basic quality primary education. Therefore they are reluctant to
53

54. come to school at this level regularly. Hence they more often than not come late to
school and most of the time they are absent of their schools. Teachers in turn fine or
punish them as a culprit of being too absent of their schools. Students neither can pay
their fine nor can bear this physical sentence. So they turn out to be more and more
absent of their schools or mislay their confidence in and appetite for education.
Corollary, they abscond from the schools in dismay and misery. This escape of the
students is too much in last few years may be due to the prevailing poverty in the
country. The following chart shows the escalating rate of drop out in the last four years at
primary level in Takht Bhai.
Figure 4.1
Rate of drop outs in percentage
in Takht Bhai
2006
22%
2009
31%
2007
20%
2008
27%
The graph gives us an idea about the overall condition of primary education in
Khyber PakhtoonKhwa (NWFP) generally and in Takht Bhai specifically in the past 4
years. The drop out rate is increasing per annum and is very high in 2009. Though it
decreased marginally from 22% in 2006 to 20% in 2007 since that it increased upto its
high mark. It became worse in 2008 as 27% and even worst 31% in 2009.
The drop outs at this level are too much for making primary education
universalized in the country. In some school the drop out rate is quite severe which about
half of the admitted students. This reflects the inappropriate environment and learning
atmosphere in these areas for primary education.
54

55. For instance, Govt. Primary School No. 3 Takht Bhai showed a very bad
continuation of primary education for students and large number of students left the
school after taking admission in.
Comparison of the Students Admitted and Dropped Out In Govt. Primary School
No. 3, Takht Bhai
TABLE 4.1
Students
Students
Admitted
Dropped Out
1
66
2
S/No
%age
Year
30
45.45%
2000
79
33
41.77%
2001
3
70
30
42.86%
2002
4
40
21
52.50%
2003
5
78
37
47.44%
2004
6
59
27
45.76%
2005
7
59
21
35.59%
2006
8
67
27
40.30%
2007
9
57
15
26.32%
2008
10
42
14
33.33%
2009
Total
617
255
41.33%
The high drop out rate has reasons behind it which was found to be low
Enrolment, corporal punishment, poverty, family background, peer group, lack of
facilities for quality primary education, teachers‘ problems, high absentees for both
students and teachers, bad social environment, activity less curriculum, incorrect way of
evaluation, etc.
55

56. Drop outs and their Reasons
TABLE 4.2
S/No Name of the School
1
2
3
4
Govt. Primary School No.
1, Takht Bhai
Govt. Primary School No.
2, Takht Bhai
Govt. Primary School No.
3, Takht Bhai
Govt. Primary School No.
4, Takht Bhai
Govt.
5
Primary
Students
Students
enrolled
dropped out
Major reasons
1208
09
Regular Absentees,
894
15
980
29
625
15
Migration, Withdrawal
1271
119
Absentee, Changing Place
88
0
360
29
510
34
296
10
612
13
6844
273
Migration, Withdrawal,
Continuous Leaves
Migration, Continuous
Leaves
School
Mazdoor Abad , Takht
Bhai
6
Govt.
Primary
School
Naway Killi, Takht Bhai
Govt. Primary School Haji
7
Abbas Khan Killi, Takht
Bhai
8
9
Govt.
School
Jamra, Takht Bhai
Govt.
Primary
School
Sazodin Killi, Takht Bhai
Govt.
10
Primary
Primary
Nil
Withdrawal, Migration,
Absentee
Absentee, Migration
Migration, Continuous
Absentee, Careless Parents
School
No.1 Pump Killi, Takht
Continuous Absentee
Bhai
Total Students
The dropped out students are showed by table 4.2 in different primary schools in Takht
Bhai with reasons as considered to be more hazardous.
56

57. Few of these reasons can be discussed below:
4.1
Low Enrolment
It is discovered through survey of these schools that only 70% of the children be
able to take admission in primary schools. This is also very alarming that this ratio is
decreasing every now and then as illustrated in the above table No. 10. Parents are
hesitant to send their children to primary schools at this age due to many reasons.
4.2
Corporal Punishment
This is another very worrisome factor of high drop outs at primary level in Takht
Bhai. Physical punishment, rebukement, mental torture, scolding, set-stand, etc. are
different form of this corporal punishment. This demoralizes the students and impedes
their potentialities to grow. This makes them to unreliable and be short of selfconfidance which should be there in students. This also gives boost to crimes in students
as well.
4.3
Poverty and Family Background
The people of Pakistan are very poor living below the poverty line illustracted by
UNO through out the world. Most of the parents of this area work in government
departments having very low salary averaging 10, 000 rupees. Some parents possess a
small of piece of land where they work with their children and a very few work in abroad
mainly in Arabian countries. Therefore it is difficult for them to carry out the needs of
their children. Family background also affects a child‘s education, children belong to a
poor family usually have a lot of incomplete wishes.
4.4
Teacher’s Role (their own problems & absentees)
Teachers in primary school have low income and lots of problems. Teachers‘
own problems greatly affect the overall learning environment of the school.
57

58. Table of Teacher’s Salaries (in Pakistani Rupees) per months
TABLE 4.3
S/No
School
Minimum Salary
Maximum Salary
Average
1
G.P.S. No. 1, Takht Bhai
10865
17239
12500
2
G.P.S. No. 2, Takht Bhai
8925
14620
9580
3
G.P.S. No. 3, Takht Bhai
8310
16298
11920
4
G.P.S. No. 4, Takht Bhai
8000 approx.
16000 approx.
10550
10245
8225
9000
8200
10240
9560
11922
9520
11050
8695
12717
10245
9005
14498
12546
9500
14500
12080
9366.7
11616.67
10903.1
5
G.P.S. Naway Killi,
Takht Bhai
6
G.P.S. Haji Abbad Khan
Killi, Takht Bhai
7
G.P.S. Sazodin Killi,
Takht Bhai
8
G.P.S. Mazdoor Abad,
Takht Bhai
9
G.P.S. No. 1 Pump Killi,
Takht Bhai
10
G.P.S. Jamra Takht Bhai
Total Average
Teachers used to be absent regularly without any legal documentation. There is
no check over them make their existance sure in the school. Students‘ are also inclined to
be absent of their schools. These absentees leave the learning process inadequate,
ineffective and incomplete.
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