Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Education – Pakistan ; Language and education – Pakistan'

This multidimensional study comprehensively explores the English language textbook situation in Pakistan in five stages utilizing mixed methods approach. Two preliminary stages were small scale – a survey of the English language requirements and interviews of the officials involved in sanctioning and publishing textbooks. The main stages were the critical examination of the English curricula and syllabi, the survey of the views of the textbook users, and the detailed coursebook evaluation. The evaluation criteria checklists and questionnaires employed during these stages were mainly based on the materials development, ‘needs analysis’ and curriculum design literature. The research highlighted shortcomings in the overall educational arena and these weaknesses are assumed to be indirectly responsible for the poor standard of English prevailing in the country. The curriculum and textbook policies were found to be inadequate. Generally the teachers/administrators lacked critical, in-depth and practical understanding of language learning objectives, teaching techniques, syllabus design, and materials. By and large, the coursebooks overwhelmingly relied on controlled and artificial activities to teach English. In conclusion, suggested improvements in the curriculum development process, teachers and textbook writers training programmes and, importantly, the prescribed coursebooks can in the long run aid in facilitating English language acquisition in the Pakistani learners.

In this thesis, I will be investigating educational policies with a focus on English as a medium of instruction. The medium of instruction in Pakistan varies with respect to each province and the social status of the school. Consequently, English is not taught only as a foreign language but is a medium for upward mobility. I will be investigating the chronicles of English as a medium of instruction in Pakistan both before and after the partition (1947) of British India. I have selected three phases: the mid-eighteenth century, the 1970s and the present decade. I will be tracing the similarities and differences in the language policies of these eras, and identifying any patterns which transcend these eras. I shall deal with each phase separately with a brief introduction and the rationale for their selection. The Colonial period which I have marked as an important phase is before 1857; the First War of Independence (also called the War of Mutiny). This is a period of the British East India Company Rule, and indirect involvement of the British Crown. My thesis revolves around the principle that language policy of an alien origin has played an important role in South Asian history which segregated between the colonized and the colonizer, which later turned to the segregation of the masses on the basis of Anglicised and non-Anglicised. I will also be looking at this segregation, in the LPP documents of the present decade as well. The language policy of the 1970s will be analyzed for the patterns in contrast with the present decade. The 1970s in Pakistan are a period of extraordinary chaos, beginning with a language-based separatist movement in East Pakistan gaining independence in 1971, the execution of a deposed elected prime minister and a nationalist language policy. Here, I would like to shed light on the reason of my label “nationalist” for this policy , as this was the only policy which determined, and made some concrete steps towards the establishment of Urdu as a medium of instruction, and Zia’s reinforcement of Urdu as a symbol of nationalism and Islam. But ironically this could not be implemented, in its true spirit either. This policy will not be dealt in detail, but the effect of its annulations on the present decade, if any. This decade will also be analyzed for patterns linked to the past colonial trajectories and the continuity of policies in favour of the English language as a medium of instruction. I will also be investigating the link between the present decade in relation to the interplay between colonial and Post- colonial influences. I would also like to bring forth the research carried on Pakistan’s language policy. The research carried on colonial India is vast, with researchers like Robert Philipson, and his influential book Linguistic Imperialism (1992). Pennycook (2001) also sheds light on the introduction of English language in colonial context and its implications. My contribution in this field is the comparison between the colonial and post-colonial policies with, Discourse Analysis. The selection of the policies of 2008 is also an advancement in this paper, which has helped in looking at the current policies in Pakistan.

Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) of any country could be a source of providing professionals to the country in many fields. By doing so, HEIs could play a pivotal role in the economic growth of the country. In Pakistan, it seems that, in the wake of this realization, steps have been taken to reform Higher Education. Drawing on the Triple I model of educational change covering Initiation, Implementation and Institutionalization (Fullan, 2007) this study focuses on the planning and implementation of reforms in the Education system of Pakistan at higher education level that have been introduced by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) since its inception in 2002. Kennedy’s model of hierarchical subsystems affecting innovation and Chin and Benne’s (1985) description of strategies for implementing change also provided guidelines for analyzing the changes in education in the country to highlight the role that the authorities expect the language teacher to play in the process of implementing these changes. A qualitative method is followed in this study to gather data from English language teachers at three universities of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. A questionnaire was developed to look into the perceptions of English language teachers regarding the impact of these reforms. This was followed up by interviews. Responses from 28 teachers were received through questionnaire out of which 9 teachers were interviewed for detailed analysis of their perceptions. Thematic Content analysis was used to analyze and interpret the data. Some of the most significant changes that the respondents reported knowledge of included the introduction of Semester System, extending the Bachelors degree to four years from two years, promotion of research culture, and increased teachers’ autonomy in classroom practices. Implications of these reforms for English teachers’ professional development were also explored. The data indicate that the teachers generally have a positive attitude towards the changes. However, the data also show concerns that teachers have about the practical effectiveness of these changes in improving English language teaching and learning in Pakistani Universities. Some of the areas of concern are worries regarding resources, the assessment system, the number of qualified teachers, and instability in the educational policy. They are concerned about the training facilities and quality of the professional training available to them. Moreover, they report that training opportunities for their professional development are not available to all the teachers equally. Despite the HEC claims of providing regular training opportunities, the majority of the teachers did not receive any formal training in the last three years, while some teachers were able to access these opportunities multiple times. Through the recent reforms HEC has empowered the teachers in conducting the learning/teacher processes but this extra power has reduced their accountability and they can exercise these powers without any check on them. This empowerment is limited to the classroom and there appears to be no or minimal involvement in decision making at the top level of policy making. Such lack of involvement in the policy decisions seems to be generating a lack of sense of ownership among the teachers (Fullan 2003a:6). Although Quality Enhancement Cells have been developed in the universities to assure the desired quality of education, they might need a more active role to contribute in achieving the level of enhancement in education expected from them. Based on the perceptions of the respondents of this study and the review of the relevant literature, it is argued that it is unlikely for the reforms to be institutionalized if teachers are not given the right kind of awareness at the initiation stage and are not prepared at the implementation stage to cope with the challenge of a complex process. The teachers participating in this study, in general, have positive and enthusiastic attitudes towards most of the changes, in spite of some reservations. It could also be interesting to see if the power centers of the Pakistani Higher Education appreciate this enthusiasm and channel it for a strong Higher Education system in the country.

Thesis (M.Phil (R)) -- University of Glasgow, 2008.
M.Phil(R) submitted to the Department of Curriculum Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Glasgow, 2008. Includes bibliographical references. Print version also available.

This thesis describes a collaborative Action Research project that works to improve the quality of English language teaching (ELT) and learning in a public sector university in Pakistan. It demonstrates how teachers and students can take responsibility for engaging in active learning and teaching by developing their roles beyond traditional models of teaching and learning. The findings of the study are validated through critical thinking, the active critique of colleagues and students who participated in the study, reflection on critical aspects of data collection and by contextualising findings within existing literature. The thesis comprises eight chapters. Chapter one provides an introduction. It presents the overall organization of the thesis. This includes the aims of the study, rationale of the research, brief overview of methodology and the structure of the thesis. In chapter two, the literature review focuses on the defining factors of large class teaching and learning. Much of the research on large classes is written in the context of the West and has limited application to the problems of developing countries. Existing literature suggests a need for further work on large class teaching and learning in the developing world. In chapter three I present the Context of the Study. I provide an historical overview of language policies in Pakistan which have influenced the educational structure and the development of the country. The status and importance of the English language in Pakistan is highlighted. I outline the classification of various English language teaching institutes in Pakistan. The chapter concludes with an account of teaching and learning and the sociopolitical conditions that affect the educational process at University of Sindh, Jamshoro Pakistan (UoSJP), the site of the project. Chapter four discusses the methodology of the study. It is divided into two sections. In section one I outline the rationale behind the choice of Action Research as a methodological framework for an intervention strategy. In the second section, I discuss the research design, and various data collection tools used for the study. In chapter five, I discuss the first reconnaissance phase of data collection. This has several foci: the teaching methods currently used in large classes at UoSJP; the students and teachers perceptions of ELT and the socio-political conditions that affect teaching and learning. Overall this chapter exposes the complexities involved in teaching at UoSJP and provides the basis for developing an intervention strategy. Chapter six presents the intervention phase of the action research strategy aimed at introducing cooperative practices. It contains the narrative of how a new teaching strategy was planned and collaboratively conducted in two different classes. Chapter seven focuses on the findings of the research and the analysis of data. I also reflect on the key emerging themes of both phases of the project. Evaluation criteria in action research are also discussed along with the monitoring strategy. The final chapter looks at the future implications of the study and offers practical guidelines on the management of large classes. There is a concluding reflection on critical issues that might affect future research. The thesis promotes ‘learner-focused' teaching through critical reflection on professional practice. The study also suggests how students can be empowered to take control of their own learning, by giving them autonomy and, by creating a socially just and democratic atmosphere in class. It also shows how large classes, exceeding a hundred students, can be managed by changing teaching methods and by increasing students' participation through group learning and the deployment of group leaders.

This thesis describes an exploratory study designed to investigate the beliefs and perceptions of eight English language lecturers about, and their classroom practices in implementing the curriculum change that was enacted in 2010 at the undergraduate level in the public sector colleges in Pakistan. Research indicates that curriculum change is a highly complex and a multifaceted process (Carl, 2009), and its success depends on a number of features. In this respect, it is acknowledged that teachers and their multiple roles contribute significantly to the success or failure of any educational reform or change. Therefore, this exploration focussed on investigating teachers’ implementation of the curriculum change through an analysis of their beliefs about teaching and learning, their perceptions about the curriculum change, and the issues involved in implementation. My approach is interpretive, and thus qualitative research methodology was employed to obtain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. Semi structured interviews and classroom observations were used as data collection instruments. The analysis of the data revealed that, in spite of the lecturers’ generally positive attitude towards the concept of change and their belief in the importance of English for both individual and national progress, there was a limited uptake of the new communicative curriculum. The study indicated that teachers’ beliefs combined with a number of external factors including the student level, educational culture, examination washback, lack of resources and support, and absence of teacher training could be an explanation for contradictions between the intended and the implemented curriculum change. The study concluded that the needs of the teachers must be acknowledged, and measures should be taken to create compatibility between the teachers’ beliefs, contextual factors and the reform policies. Although the study does not provide any explicit solutions to the problem of change and reform implementation, the insights revealed significant implications, clarified some critical issues, and offered some recommendations which might prove beneficial not only for curriculum planning and implementation in the future, but could also be useful in guiding those involved in the present curriculum change. Important areas were also suggested for further research in the field.

The recent emphasis on the importance of English language teaching and learning in public universities in Pakistan has resulted in the introduction of a new English as Second Language (ESL) programme including revised teaching approaches, content and assessment. However, to date, no rigorous and independent evaluation of this new programme has been undertaken particularly with respect to students' learning and experiences. This thesis seeks to address this gap by examining the effects of the new ESL programme on students' learning experiences, as well as teachers' perspectives and the broader institutional context. The study uses a qualitative case study approach basing its findings on the responses of purposively sampled students (n=17) and teachers (n=7) from the Institution of English Literature and Linguistics (IELL), University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan (UoSJP). Semistructured interviews, observations and document review were used as the main tools to collect a wide variety of data. The analysis of the data was informed by different theories including Symbolic Interactionism, Community of Practice, and Bourdieusian notions of habitus, field and capital. These theories offered an approach which bridges the structure and agency divide in understanding students' learning experiences. The study employed the concepts of institutional influences to examine the impact of UoSJP's policies and practices on the teaching and learning of the ESL programme. The concept of community, which is understood as the community of the ESL classroom, is used to examine the interactions of students-students and students-teachers. The notion of identity was used to examine the interaction of students' gender, rurality, ethnicity and previous learning experiences with different aspects of the ESL programme. In relation to institutional influences, the study found that UoSJP's institutional policies and practices are shaped by its position in the field of higher education, and in turn, these influences shape teaching and learning in the ESL programme. Specifically, UoSJP defines its capital as higher education for all, which in practice translates as admitting students who have been rejected by other universities and/or cannot afford private universities' high fees. In order to meet the language needs of disadvantaged students from non-elite English and vernacular medium schools, UoSJP offers the ESL programme. This initiative aims to improve students' English language skills in their first two years, and to fulfil requirements set by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). However, the university's treatment of the ESL programme significantly impacts on teaching and learning in terms of its policies and practices, in relation to faculty hiring, teacher training, relationship between the administration and ESL teachers, number of students in ESL classrooms, assessment criteria, ESL quality assurance, and learning support resources like up-to-date libraries. In relation to the community of ESL classroom, the study found that participation plays an important part in defining students' roles and their relationship with teachers and peers in the classroom. Teachers' pedagogic strategies and large classes were found to be influential factors affecting students' participation in the classroom. It was found that teachers use different pedagogic strategies, which define them as facilitators or knowledge transmitters accordingly. The facilitators allow students' full participation in the classroom by listening to their opinions, respecting their arguments, appreciating their feedback, acknowledging their contributions to the class, and demonstrating empathy to their problems. When in class with these teachers, students feel encouraged, confident and motivated to participate in the classroom. By contrast, the knowledge transmitters prefer monologue lectures when teaching ESL, and strongly discourage students' participation. Students are usually not allowed to ask questions or express their concerns to these teachers. In their presence, students revealed that they lacked confidence, and felt discouraged and demotivated from participating in the classroom. Moreover, in the context of large classes only students sitting on the front-benches are given opportunities of participation, while those at the back of the classroom are considered to be educationally weak, inactive, therefore ignored in interactive activities. The treatment of these students by teachers and students at the front of the class alike limits their participation in the classroom. In relation to identities, the study found that students frequently foreground their gender identities, rural-ethnic identities and identities as medical or engineering students in interaction with different aspects of the ESL programme. Some aspects of ESL textbooks including units which depict stereotypical gender roles conflict with female students' gender identities; units which are based on exclusively Western, urban contexts conflict with students' rural-ethnic identities, and units that are based on graph-comprehension conflict with students' identities as medical students. While others aspects of ESL textbooks particularly those units that are constructed on experiences and activities which are exclusively associated with men in Pakistan such as driving complement female students' gender identities; and those units which are set in a village, and focus on the culture and life of villages complement students rural-ethnic identities. Moreover, it was found that female students struggled in maintaining their role as ESL learners in comparison with their gender roles as sister and daughter. This thesis provides new insights into students' learning experiences and ESL in higher education. It also contributes to and enhances the literature on higher education in Pakistan. Furthermore, it enables policy-makers to reflect upon their policies, as well as provides suggestions to the UoSJP and its teachers.

This dissertation explores why, even after nine years of studying the English language, graduates in the Punjab emerge with very deficient English. An examination of the currently prescribed syllabuses for the Secondary, Intermediate and Degree stages reveals that they are based on out-dated concepts of language teaching. They not only provide impoverished language content but fail to take into consideration the learners' actual needs. They are exclusively based on translation and 'dead language' techniques. Moreover, the examinations allow memorized answers to set questions which are repeated year after year. This dissertation examines the theoretical bases for a specification of a new syllabus. It considers the background of psychology, psycholinguistics, ELT theories and methodologies, and syllabus design, and attempts to develop a pragmatic approach toward the teaching of English in the Punjab. New syllabuses need to be proposed for all three stages of English language study. In this dissertation a proposed specification for the Intermediate stage is outlined, which, if adopted would function as a model for other stages. The specification is for a multi-dimensional syllabus, combining the benefits of both communicative and structuralist approaches, and taking full account of the needs of the particular learners involved and of the local context of education.

In this study I challenge the uncritical use of the long held dictum of the development discourse that education empowers women. From a post-structuralist feminist position I show that in its current state the educational discourse in Pakistan actually disempowers women. This discourse constitutes gendered identities and positions them in a way that exacerbates and intensifies inequalities between men and women. Gendered constitution and positioning of subjects also regulates the relationship between the subjects and the state in such a way that women and minorities are excluded from the citizenship realm.
Educational discourse in Pakistan is the premier site where meanings of signs such as woman, man, mother, father, patriot, nationalist, etc., are gendered and fixed. It also provides the techniques of discipline and surveillance for naturalization of meaning and normalization of subjects. Urdu and social studies curricula and textbooks for classes 1-8 and 3-8 respectively constitute subjects and subjectivities and relations among them by means such as inclusion and exclusion from the text, hierarchization of the meanings ascribed to the subjects, normalization of the ascribed meanings (so that subjects stop questioning the meaning fixation), totalization (where all theoretical and explanatory differences are obfuscated), and classification of subjects in terms of binary opposites where one is superior to the other.
As a result of such gendered subjectivity constitution and subject positioning, women in Pakistan have been subjected to the worst kind of social, political, economic and juridical discrimination. However, Pakistani women have refused to be passive victims. They have used their agency to put up a spirited resistance against the unequal citizenship status and rights resulting from the gendered subjectivity constitution and subject positioning. In order to make education more meaningful and empowering for the women of Pakistan it is imperative that both women's groups as well as the educational policy makers understand the working and dynamics of the educational discourse in conjunction with the judicial and economic discourses and those of the state and the media. It is only from within the discourses that a change can be brought about.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, the US government has become increasingly concerned with madrassas, Islamic schools of religious education in Central and South Asia. U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell denounced these religious seminaries as radical institutions which produce Islamic jihadists capable of threatening U.S. national security and interests. This thesis examines the history and current evidence available on madrassas. Specifically, it analyzes their historical evolution and reaction to domestic, regional and international developments. It finds that there is little evidence to connect madrassas to transnational terrorism, and that they are not a direct threat to the United States. However, Pakistani madrassas do have ties to domestic and regional violence, particularly Sunni-Shia sectarian violence in Pakistan and the Pakistani-Indian conflict in Kashmir, making them a regional security concern. This thesis argues that the best path for combating religious militancy in madrassas is by helping to create better alternatives to madrassa education, including state run and private schools, and not by targeting madrassas directly.

This thesis reports a classroom-based action-research study conducted in the University of Sindh, Jamshoro Pakistan, where the researcher teaches English as a Second Language in large compulsory language support classes. The study aims to find an accessible solution to the problem that the majority of students do not actively engage with the learning process in these classes, and therefore fail to make satisfactory progress with their language learning. The problem was investigated through a cyclical process of planning, action, observation and reflection in the researcher’s own class. An initial literature review led to the hypothesis that a highly structured approach to group work, using permanent groups and regular cooperative learning strategies, could effectively improve participation without introducing the classroom management problems sometimes associated with group work in large classes. These strategies were introduced and regularly reviewed using the researcher’s own reflections, as well as feedback from the students and from other teachers who observed the classes. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and the findings from the two types of data were cross-referenced to check their validity. The results indicate that the strategies enhanced students’ participation, confidence, motivation, cognitive skills, and willingness to take responsibility for their own and others’ learning; the intervention also increased student-student and student-teacher interaction. Although there were initially some problems related to students’ unresponsiveness or reluctance to participate, these were largely brought under control by adjusting group membership and constantly explaining to the shyer students the benefits of learning in groups. The study shows that a highly structured approach to group work, using permanent groups and carefully selected cooperative learning activities, can serve to increase student engagement in English language support classes at the University of Sindh, without requiring significant extra resources or creating classroom management issues. It is therefore suggested that wider adoption of this form of communicative learning across the institution, and in similar situations elsewhere, is feasible and could be beneficial for both students and university teachers.

This study explores the normative frameworks through which selected parents, students, teachers, and education activists in three villages in rural Pakistan understand and articulate the value of girls' schooling. It argues that within the dominant analytical paradigms of human capital theory and neoliberalism, researchers and policymakers have tended to conceptualise 'demand' for schooling in terms that are narrowly focused upon measuring and boosting enrolment, and thus have failed to capture whether and how shifting enrolments correspond to shifting norms and to the broader imaginative regimes through which differently located actors experience and produce the gendered value of schooling. Typical analyses of 'demand' for girls' schooling have mostly focused upon what factors of schooling provision are most likely to increase parents' willingness to send their daughters to school, and thus inadvertently conflate 'demand' with 'supply' and reveal very little about whether or how such factors influence normative evaluations of girls' schooling by parents, children, teachers, and others across various contexts where enrolment is on the rise. This oversight hinders efforts at comparison that are critical for planning and interpreting transnational initiatives for achieving gender equality in and through schooling. To improve upon this trend, this study illustrates a) the normative evaluations that underpin selected instances of 'demand' for girls' schooling in three villages in rural Pakistan, and b) how these normative evaluations have changed over time and in relation to particular interventions. Using data from seventeen weeks of fieldwork spanning two villages in the southern Punjab and one in Gilgit-Baltistan, the study explores perspectives about the value of girls' schooling in relation to the key themes of marriage, employment, and purdah. By bringing this data into comparison with mainstream discouses about 'demand,' the study highlights the limitations of those discourses and charts a path for further comparative inquiry. Findings illustrate how normative perspectives about girls' schooling are differentially contested and transformed over time even as enrolment trends converge across contexts, and suggest that researchers and practitioners concerned with promoting gender equality in and through schooling should lend greater attention to the social interactions through which 'norm-making' occurs. This sort of attention to 'norm-making' can reveal new opportunities for intervention, but also, and perhaps more importantly, it inspires humility by demonstrating that all normative evaluations of schooling - whether emerging from education 'experts' or from farmers in rural villages - reflect socially and historically situated notions of personhood, none of which is more 'natural' than any other.

Foreign language anxiety is a phenomenon specific to language learning contexts that can have seriously detrimental consequences on the ability of students to acquire, retain, and speak the language they are learning. To the best of my knowledge, this study is the first to be carried out on foreign language classroom speaking anxiety (SA) specifically in the Pakistani context. The overall purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions of Pakistani postgraduate (MA/MSc) non-major EFL (English as a foreign language) students about SA. It attempts to achieve the following four objectives: to explore whether speaking creates more anxiety than reading, writing, and listening; to identify the factors that may contribute to SA; to investigate the type of teacher behaviour and classroom activities that may alleviate SA; and to explore Pakistani EFL university teachers’ perceptions of their students’ SA along with the strategies used by teachers to reduce it. This study has been conducted using an interpretive approach. It employed a mixed-methods approach, combining both quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (open-ended questions in the questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and semi-structured classroom observations) to collect data from five universities in Pakistan. The questionnaire was completed by 170 Pakistani EFL students. In order to achieve a deep understanding of their SA, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 students. 14 Pakistani EFL teachers were also interviewed and 12 classes taught by three teachers were observed. Quantitative data were analysed to obtain descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analysed using exploratory content analysis. The study suggests that of the four skills, speaking produces the most anxiety. Findings also highlight a number of sources of SA which have been classified into five main categories: individual learner-related sources, classroom-related sources, linguistic-related sources, teacher-student interaction, and socio-cultural-related sources. The study highlights some possible sources of SA such as: lack of student voice; teacher bias; fear of saying anything socially unacceptable or against religion; cultural alienation; and mixed-gender classrooms, all of which do not appear to have been reported earlier in the field of language anxiety. Moreover, only a few studies have reported socio-cultural factors as contributors to students’ SA; as such, this study reinforces the idea that certain socio-cultural factors may also influence students’ SA. Further, the students suggest that a variety of teacher behaviours could both reduce their SA and encourage their spoken English in class. These include: having a friendly, supportive, and relaxed attitude towards students; providing them with a sociable classroom environment; using positive reinforcement; involving them in the learning process, and correcting their mistakes gently. In addition, the data reveal a number of classroom activities which may reduce SA. These include allowing students: to prepare oral tasks in advance; to work in groups; to use some Urdu when they cannot express themselves in English; voluntary participation in oral tasks, and providing students with adequate wait-time. Finally, the findings indicate that most of the teachers were not fully aware of SA and its potentially debilitating effects on language learning. As a consequence, they did not take students’ SA into account when they were teaching. In addition, a model of identifying factors, initiatives and behaviours required to address the sources of Pakistani EFL learners’ speaking anxiety has been proposed. The theoretical implications of the study are offered. Implications and suggestions for teachers and educational/language policy-makers are discussed. Finally, suggestions for further research are provided.

The system of supervising government primary schools in Pakistan is a matter of continuing debate. The performance of supervisors is frequently criticised, and their ability to improve the quality of education in primary schools is questioned. Periodically it is suggested that improvement requires a completely new supervisory cadre. The aim of this research is to clarify the purpose of primary school supervision, and to present evidence of both the practice of individual supervisors and their potential for achieving improvement in primary schools, in order to suggest ways in which the impact of supervision can be enhanced. Models of the supervisor as guardian, guide and innovator are distinguished and used to explain some of the conflicting demands made of supervisory personnel. The potential and limitations of work within each model are explored. Central to the research is a study which took place within the Sindh Primary Education Development Programme 1992-96, an internationally sponsored programme which included extensive training opportunities for supervisors. Questionnaire responses were collected during this training programme from ninety-one supervisors covering one rural and one urban district. Analysis focuses on the supervisors' perceptions of patterns of influence and achievement within their own work, using data from the questionnaires, interviews and seven individual life stories. The findings of this research challenge some influential assumptions about the centrality of primary teaching experience and specific training to ensure effective supervision. Instead,sincerity and respect emerge as key concepts of particular importance for sustaining professional endeavour. The results suggest that reforms of the selection and training of supervisory personnel are unlikely to influence practice permanently in Pakistan, unless accompanied by greater clarity about the precise role required, together with a revisioning of the relationships between the people within the education system as a whole founded on mutual respect for each others' work.

Balochistan is one of the federating units (provinces) of Pakistan; it constitutes 44 % of Pakistan’s total territory and has been in a state of confrontation with the state since 1948. This is because the majority of the Baloch consider that the Pakistani state annexed their land forcibly, against the will and desire of the people. The Baloch nationalists have never accepted this annexation, and as a result the state has been facing serious crises precipitated by various factors. Ever since Pakistan’s annexation of Balochistan, there has been an on-going conflict between the Baloch (i.e., the Baloch people) and the state of Pakistan. The fact is that the conflict in Balochistan is multidimensional, including political, social and economic factors, the avarice of the Pakistani state and the grievances of the Baloch people. In order to aid an understanding of the various backgrounds to the conflict, this thesis contributes to debates on the politics of education and conflict in Pakistan’s Balochistan. I have used statistics and analysed data gathered during my fieldwork in Balochistan and Pakistan to investigate the politics of education and examine various policy frameworks, rationales and perspectives on the role of education. In order to do so, this study adopts a qualitative method and employs multiple data sources: documentary data, semi-structured interviews with twenty-eight stakeholders (in the province and country), visual data, and observations. Drawing on functionalist and conflict perspectives on the role of education, this thesis examines whether education in Balochistan is designed to empower the people or is simply used as a tool to control them. I have found that the state is not willing to educate the Baloch people; rather, it wishes to control them. There are two ways in which education in Balochistan is being used to serve the purpose of control. Firstly, the state of education in terms of its type, quality, quantity and infrastructure is considered by the majority of Baloch to be a failure of government’s strategic policy. For instance, education in Balochistan has lagged behind in various areas of government policy and decision-making. Major problems in Balochistan’s educational system include a deeply inadequate supply of textbooks, insufficient monitoring of schools, shortages of teachers and schools for both boys and girls, and insufficient funding. Secondly, many Baloch decry Pakistan’s unjust efforts to impose its culture, language and radical religious ideologies on the Baloch people. Indeed, the politics of (mis)representation of the Baloch and their history, culture and language are implemented through the state’s official textbooks. Education in Balochistan, particularly in government-run schools, is highly biased against the Baloch culture, history and social set-up, and it is thus a contributory factor in the generation of retaliatory behaviour among Baloch students. Formal education in Balochistan is structured in ways that indoctrinate children with a different language, culture and history. To many scholars, controlling education negates Baloch national aspirations and thus contributes to the conflict in Balochistan.

Few studies deal with the Pakistan labour market and most of them have paid little attention to wage structures and differentials. This study is concerned with the existence and determinants of wage differentials in Pakistan. Therefore, the aim of this study is to fill a research gap and contribute to the empirical work on the Pakistan economy. Previous empirical studies have revealed that there are several theories and approaches, which have been used to explain wage determinants and wage differentials. This study involves identification of some of these theories and approaches, which are believed to be helpful in explaining the determinants of wage differentials in the developing economy. These include i) efficiency wage theory; ii) human capital theory; iii) the segmented labour market and iv) other factors that are theoretically relevant to the determinants of wage differentials. These theories are explained and tested by using different econometric techniques. To do so, this study investigates the wage differential at three different points; the wage differential within the industries, the wage differentials between the public and private sectors, and the role of education in explaining the wage differential. In light of these theories and approaches, the aim of this study is to provide theoretical and empirical analysis, focusing on the role of observable characteristics, which directly and indirectly influence wage determination and wage differentials in the study area. In order to accomplish the objective models are selected based on the above theories and evidence provided by previous empirical studies. The main estimations are based on the calculation of the wage equation with individual, household and job characteristics. To do this the study has employed nine different cross-sectional Labour Force Surveys for the time period between 1990-91 and 2006-07. Estimation suggests the existence of wage differentials across Pakistan, and these wage differentials have grown significantly over time. Results on inter-industry wage differentials shows that even after controlling for individual, household and job characteristics, substantial wage differentials do exist and none of these wage differentials are explained by employer or industry effects. The results on public and private wage differentials found that overall the public sector tends to pay higher wages compared to the private sector and these differentials have widened over the time. On average in 2006-07, private sector employees earned 35 percent less wages compared to their public sector counterparts. The analysis of sector selection models reveal that much of the educated population wish to get employment in the public sector. The same is true for most occupations and industries. Over time, the rate of return to education has increased but there is hardly any change in the return at low levels of education. In other words, a person having completed the primary or middle level of education earns only 3 to 5 percent more compared to the person having little or no education. An assessment of wage inequality based on the level of education also shows that wage inequality spread between people who have acquired higher levels of education are larger compared to the lower level of education across the wage distribution. Decomposition of the wage differential over time shows that much of the wage differentials are explained by observable characteristics. It explains almost 50 percent of the total wage inequality increase between 1990-91 and 2006-07 but when split in two time periods, the observable characteristics have actually helped to narrow down the wage inequality between 1999-00 and 2006-07. It also reveals that in the beginning years, 1990-91 to 1999-00, education has helped to narrow that gap. But still half of the wage differentials are due to unobserved abilities and characteristics. The results provided by the study should prove valuable in explaining the existing system of employment and wage differentials in Pakistan. In addition, it should be of considerable assistance in rationalising the labour market‟s wage policies and narrowing the wage gap across industries and public-private sector. The rate of return to education and wage inequality estimates should help in designing the education policy as much of the population of Pakistan still have little or no education. Overall, the results should prove of major importance to the Pakistan government, in assisting their Education Sector Reforms programme.

My study aimed to explore the secondary school choice of the internally migrant Ismailisi from Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in Karachi, Pakistanii. I became interested in the topic for several reasons. Firstly, there was a scarcity of research on the topic. An initial review of the literature indicated that though the education of migratory groups had been discussed in relation to refugee or diaspora education, there was scope to examine school choice in internally migrant populations. Secondly, the school choice process in the developing world had been paid inadequate attention (Srivastava, 2005, p. 70). Thirdly, my previous field studies in GB provided me with much food for thought.

In this thesis, I use mixed methods to present four interdisciplinary essays on education, caste and collective action in rural Pakistan. In the first essay, I undertake a conceptual analysis of the nature of the Pakistani kinship group, locally referred to sometimes as biraderi (brotherhood), quom (tribe, sect, nation) or zaat (ancestry, caste). By systematically comparing the features of the kinship group with modern interpretations of caste, I argue that the Pakistani kinship group is much closer to a caste than is commonly acknowledged in a lot of the research. In the second essay, I document the extent of educational inequalities based on this kinship group, henceforth also referred to as caste. Using a unique dataset that I collected for approximately 2500 individuals from rural Pakistan, I show that low caste individuals on average are 7% less likely to be literate and 5% less likely to attend school than their high caste counterparts. Strikingly, these differences rise to over 20% for certain low caste groups. Even though caste-based inequalities are not statistically significant for the youngest cohort in my sample, my qualitative analysis of over 65 in-depth interviews with key informants confirms that caste remains not only a critical marker of identity, but also an important source of fragmentation in the country. In the third essay, I focus on the fragmentary nature of the kinship group and develop a theoretical framework in which caste fractionalization, land inequality and the imbalance in power between various castes – or what I refer to as caste power heterogeneity – jointly influence the level of collective activity for rural education provision. I test this framework using a blend of quantitative analysis of original data for over 2500 individuals, and qualitative comparative case studies of a total of eight rural communities in Pakistan. The analysis I present both confirms the interdependence of my three proposed dimensions of social heterogeneity, as well as highlights the salience of caste power heterogeneity in predicting the level of collective activity for education provision. In the final essay, I turn to studying the role of social capital in enhancing educational outcomes. I perform statistical analysis of data from over 350 households and combine it with a micro-level comparative case study of social capital and collective action surrounding education in two rural communities from Pakistan. My results in this final paper indicate that there are weak associations between my two parameters of interest. They also highlight the importance of understanding the downside of social capital, and of recognizing that rather than being driven by social capital alone, collective action is often embedded in a wider system of village politics and patronage.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There is no dearth of evidence of the importance of facilitation for the effectiveness of small-group teaching. However, there is hardly any local literature on the knowledge of untrained facilitators and how they apply this knowledge to develop generic skills in students. Needs identified through this study have provided an insight into the areas requiring formal training that could be useful for developing nursing-faculty development programmes.

Thesis (Ed.D.) -- Teachers College, Columbia University, 1991.
Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Craig Richards. Dissertation Committee: Thurston Atkins. Includes bibliographical references: (leaves 208-215).

The main purpose of this study was to explore, analyze and reflect on the meaning, nature, causes and associated dynamics of change in higher education within a Pakistani cultural context. Resistance was a major component of understanding this change. I focused on multiple factors that induced individual/group tendencies to resist or avoid making changes and to devalue change generally. This study employed a multiple case study approach. Semi-structured interviews with designated stakeholders of the planned change initiative were the primary data-collection method. Document analysis, members check and observations were used to triangulate the interview data. The data were analyzed on an ongoing basis. The findings revealed the complex dimensions of participants’ compliance and/or resistance with respect to change at the beginning of the twenty-first century when the Pakistani higher education system was shifting dramatically from a local to global perspective. Despite serious issues and weaknesses, change was gradual over time and the most strongly contested reforms were those that did not align with existing practices. In sum, the findings support the notion that change is complicated, and that the reasons for this complexity stem from factors that are structural, emotional, political and personal. The results of this study will be of interest to administrators and educators as they prepare for future challenges within the Pakistani context. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, and directions for future research are identified.

The purpose of this empirical study is to examine the usage of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPS) in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). Recently, rapid growth in information technology services compels developing countries to emerge as an information-based society. This emergence corresponds with the calls of researchers to address ERPS (Abbas, 2011). However, there is a scarcity of efforts by researchers to identify the factors contributing to the usage of ERPS at the organisational, departmental and end-user layer in HEIs. To fill this gap, this research develops a Multi-Layer Usage Model (MLUM) to determine the factors of ERPS usage across the organisational, departmental and individual levels of HEIs. The theoretical foundation of this study is adapted from unified theory of acceptance and use of technology developed by Venkatesh et al (2003). The study is unique in many respects. Firstly, it offers a newly developed multi-level conceptual model that is tested empirically using three distinct questionnaires; one for each layer. A large primary dataset, 1317 responses, is collected through three questionnaire from 18 higher education institutions in Pakistan; 86 responses from the organisational layer, 143 from the departmental layer and 1088 from the end-user layer. Structural equation modelling is used to analyse the effect of factors at three layers contributing to the usage of ERPS. Furthermore, the models are refined by applying extensions of structural equation modelling. Results suggest that at the organisational layer human resource availability, tolerance for risks and conflicts, collegial support and collaboration and decision making and control are significant and contributed towards ERPS usage while at the end-user layer behavioural intentions and motivation were insignificant and were therefore, removed from the model. This study contributes to theory development regarding usage of innovations in the under-researched context of HEIs. It also provides indigenous manifestations of ERPS usage that may be used by policy-makers.

To develop reading skills of students, teachers have been advised to provide metacognitive reading strategy instruction by researchers. However, previous research has provided limited understanding of how teachers could foster metacognition of reading strategies in a ‘real’ classroom setting. Moreover, previous research tended to focus on the impact of metacognitive reading strategy instruction on students’ reading ability and has offered only a partial view of the students’ experience of such instruction. Studies facilitating metacognitive reading strategy instruction in an ESL setting are also rare. This action research study provides a detailed data-led understanding of how metacognition of reading strategies could be promoted in university level ESL students in Pakistan. It also explores qualitatively the impact of the instruction on students’ awareness, use and regulation of the reading strategies introduced. Data was collected through interviews, learner diaries, think aloud protocols, end of class feedback, researcher journal, note-taking, questionnaire and reading test in two action research cycles over the 2013 academic year. The findings revealed that providing explicit instruction and opportunities for collaborative discussion about strategy use as well as promoting students’ interest in reading helped raise students’ metacognition of reading strategies. The findings also suggest that metacognition and motivation worked together to interact with each other during the lessons, paving the way for raised student interest, awareness, use and regulation of the reading strategies introduced. The study supports, reinforces and extends findings in metacognitive reading strategy instruction research. It also makes a theoretical contribution through highlighting that the metacognitive knowledge of self and the metacognitive experiences of task performance could be affectively charged. The study outcomes are useful for understanding the process of metacognitive reading strategy instruction in an ESL setting and offer practical insights of value to professional involved in teaching reading skills to university level students.

This study explored the extent to which initial teacher education and training programmes provide an adequate preparation for the needs of the primary school teachers in England and Pakistan. An integral part of this exploration was the identification of particular aspects of ITE programmes which had a significant impact in enhancing the professional development of teachers, the effectiveness of the ITE programmes and then overall quality. The second notable feature is that this study is a comparative one. The researcher chose two countries where initial teacher training programmes were being implemented, albeit in different ways. England and Pakistan are two contrasting countries from different global regions and having different cultural and social contexts. This is not a problem for comparison because the issue is whether they provide an adequate and enriching professional preparation for beginning teachers in their respective contexts. The study also aims to explore how far the English experience has potential for development and improvement in the Pakistani initial primary teacher education programme. The issue was examined in detail in different teacher education institutions located in England and Pakistan. For this purpose the researcher used Bereday�s comparative methodology to investigate the juxtaposition of these two initial teacher education programmes. The researcher hopes thereby to add to the stock of theory through the use of a cross-national study. The study indicated to what extent the beginning teachers were adequately prepared for the demands of work and the responsibilities expected of them as perceived by the profession and other stakeholders. A number of factors were found to contribute to the perceived adequacy of the professional preparation of student teachers. An enriching curriculum together with availability and quality of physical facilities and educational resources contributed to this situation. At the same time, the support from the principal stakeholders in terms of funding and staff professional development was also cited as impacting upon the quality of pre-service teacher education provided to the beginning teachers in England and Pakistan. The aim of this research was to investigate initial teacher education in Pakistan and England to gain insights into two initial teacher education systems with a view to improving initial teacher education in Pakistan. To achieve this aim, a cross-cultural study using a multi-method approach was adopted. This research revealed how questionable it can be to merely state what the similarities and differences really are between two initial teacher education systems. Nonetheless, it did identify some important differences as between the two initial teacher education systems, namely in terms of: - cultural differences affecting initial teacher�s attitude and values; - differences in governmental vision, political will, and government policies and institutional provision; - teacher education curricula, policies and delivery; - traditional and economic disparities; and theoretical underpinning. Having conducting this research, it is the view of the writer that it is possible for Pakistan to gain from certain aspects of the experience in England, especially in administration and quality control.

The importance of technology in education cannot be underestimated. There are compelling reasons for developing nations like Pakistan to introduce technology in their educational systems. Nevertheless the approach and methods used in introducing technology in schools are premised on an economic ideology and based on a techno-centric curriculum that leads to new forms of dependency by keeping individuals from controlling the decisions that significantly shape their lives.
Introduction of technology does not automatically guarantee enhanced learning or effective teaching. Technology in education should be used as a tool to increase communication, create awareness, break down existing hierarchies, develop new styles of creating knowledge, and make schooling and education more inclusive. Mere technical use of computers in education does nothing to empower students.
The techno-centric introduction of technology in Pakistani public schools is likely to produce inequality. A number of practices in Pakistan's educational and social structure will have to change for the potential of technology to be fully achieved. A shift is needed from 'learning about the computers' to 'using computers in learning', from 'acquisition of limited skills' to 'construction of knowledge', from 'teacher-dependency' to 'independent inquiry' and from 'teacher-centered' to 'student-centered' teaching methods.
However, such a change can only take place within a critical framework of education. The critical model based on integrated curriculum treats the computer not as an isolated subject but as a tool that helps learners enhance their critical thinking skills and seek various alternatives to solve problems.
Thus, it is important for educational policy-makers to realize that any effort at introducing technology in the educational realm requires theoretical discussion and a societal dialogue to arrive at a framework for technology's place in socio-educational contexts. Pakistan needs to develop and introduce educational technology to seek solutions for its unique economic, social, cultural and human and social development requirements based on its present level of development and evolution.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background - The College of Phycians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) was established in 1962 and its role is to oversee the postgraduate medical education within Pakistan. At present, various specialties belonging to the CPSP carry out quality assurance visits including evaluation of the learning environment of the teaching hospitals by asking the supervisors and doctors in training about the qualification and experience of supervisors, equipment, library, infrastructure and type of work load. The CPSP do not make use of a valid and reliable method when performing these assessments and therefore there is a need for the CPSP to develop a standardized method of assessing the learning environments of the teaching hospitals in Pakistan. This method needs not only to be valid and reliable but also reproducible and transferable so that it can be used to measure the learning environments in various departments and teaching hospitals .It can further be used to compare the learning environments across different teaching hospitals and specialties with in Pakistan. The learning environment of teaching hospitals of Pakistan have not been studied before therefore the purpose of this study was to measure the postgraduate learning environment of private and public sector teaching hospitals of twin cities in Pakistan Islamabad and Rawalpindi .Public sector hospitals are fully funded by the government of Pakistan and patients receive free treatment, while private hospitals are commercial hospitals where everything is paid by patients. Following the postgraduate educational environment measurement results between house officers and residents working in the above mentioned environments was then compared. These results can inform supervisors and institutions about short comings as well as strong points with regards to the learning environment. Materials and Methods After approval from the Shifa International Hospital`s Ethical committee and Health Research Ethical committee of the University of Stellenbosch, and informed consent were obtained from research participants. The Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measurement questionnaire (PHEEM) was administered to the house officers and residents of six public and one private sector teaching hospital of twin cities (Islamabad and Rawalpindi) in Pakistan with the help of the supervisors of CPSP based at these hospitals. The PHEEM was completed during their respective teaching sessions at the various hospitals .The supervisors was asked to encourage students to complete the PHEEM questionnaire .Supervisors were instructed to collect the completed questionnaires the from doctors in training at their individual hospitals and then send it back using the enclosed envelope The PHEEM contains of 40 items covering a range of issues directly related to the clinical learning environment of house officers and residents1. These statements make up 3 subscales of the clinical learning environment namely autonomy, social support and teaching. Autonomy (such as the quality of supervision) is represented by 14 statements teaching (the qualities of teachers by 15 statements and social support (such as facilities and atmosphere) by 11statements. Each of the 40 statements can be rated from 0-4 .The respondents are asked to indicate their agreement using a 5 point Likert scale .These range from strongly agree(4) ,agree(3), unsure(2), disagree(1) to strongly disagree (0). Agreement with the items indicates a positive learning environment and will result in high scores. The maximum possible scores are 56 for autonomy, 60 for teaching, 44 for social support and an overall score of 160.It is essential that each junior doctor applies the items to their own current learning place1. - Statistical analysis - The statistical analysis was conducted by using SPSS 16.0 and the four negative items were scored in reverse (question 7, 8, 11, 13). The scores for the total as well as the sub-scales were described by using means and standard deviations (SD). Comparisons of the perception of the educational environments between house officers and residents were expressed as a mean and ± SD and its statistical significance was determined by student t- tests. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The results from the three construct of the PHEEM survey were compared among the house officers and residents from surgery, medicine, pediatrics and Obstetrics’ and Gynecology by ANNOVA and post hoc sidak test. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. - Results - The internal reliability of the questionnaire was good with a total Cronbach`s Alpha value of 0.92 (a Cronbach`s alpha of more than 0.7 or 0.8 is accepted as being good). The questionnaire further revealed Crobach`s alpha value of 0.78, 0.89 and 0.70 for the various subscales of autonomy, teaching and social supports .When this was analyzed to exclude each question in turn, using the alpha if deleted there was no significant improvement in the score, thus confirming all questions were relevant and should be included. A total of 286 out of 300 (95.33% response rates) house officers and residents belonging to the seven different teaching hospitals of twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan participated in the study. The PHEEM questionnaire was completed by all the participating doctors composing of 51% house officers and 49 % residents .Both genders were almost equally represented in the two groups comprising of 52% male and 48% female doctors. The distribution of male and female gender is different among respondents from various specialties. There was 23.60% male and 15.03% females in surgery, 22.20% males and 18.30% females in medicines, 6.20% males and 4.32% females in Pediatrics and 10.33% females in obstetrics. House officers and residents belonging to all major specialties took part in the study with the distribution looking as follows, Medicine 44.8%, Surgery 33.6% Obstetrics and Gynecology11.2% and Pedriatics10.50%. The mean score (M) and the standard deviation (SD) for each of the subscale namely the perceptions of autonomy, teaching and social support of house officers and residents are shown Table number 1 (Autonomy), Table number 2 (Teaching) and Table number 3 (Social support) respectively. These tables also show the mean of the total scores of each subscale. The lowest recorded score was 1.37 for question number 4.Question number 1, 4,5,9,11,17 and 32 with in the autonomy section were found to have a relatively low rating as shown in table number 1. Teaching quality questions 3, 21 and 33 showed a low rating as demonstrated in table number 2. Social support showed a low rating for question number 19, 20, 25, 26, 36 and 38 again shown in table number 3. The results from the three subscales of the PHEEM survey were compared between residents and house officers from the teaching hospitals of the twin cities are shown in Table number 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The perception of autonomy was higher amongst residents with a mean of 28.74 compared to house officers 28.27. The difference, however, was not statistically significant between the two groups but there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in question number 32, where the residents perceived that work load for them was better than house officers. It seems as the residents have better opportunities to access and participate in educational events and programs compared to the house officers seeing that there was a statistically significant difference in question numbers 12 and 21 respectively as shown in table number 1. The perceived level of quality of teaching was higher for residents with mean of 32.02 as compared to the house officers with a mean of 31.12. However this difference was not statistically significant as shown in table 2. The perception of social support was high amongst house officers with a mean of 19.66 compared to residents with a mean of 19.06. There was statistically no difference between the two groups regarding the social support provided at these teaching hospitals; however the house officers felt physically more save compared to residents as shown in table 3 Regarding the difference between private and public sector hospitals, the mean score of the three subscales of the PHEEM, namely the mean score for the perception of autonomy (28.71 vs. 27.14, p=0.24) teaching (33.08 vs. 32.37, p=0.25) and social support (21.94 vs. 21.22, p=0.24) were not statistically significant. The results from the three subscales of the PHEEM survey were compared amongst the junior doctors from Surgery, Medicine, Pediatrics and Obstetrics’ and Gynecology by ANNOVA and post hoc sidak test. There was no statistically significant difference among these junior doctors in the majority of the PHEEM questions. For question number 4, I had an informative induction programme, there was statistically significant difference between the junior doctors of medicine and obstetrics & gynecology .Regarding the question number 5, I had appropriate level of responsibility in this post, and there was statistically significant difference between junior doctors of surgery & pediatrics and surgery and obstetrics & gynecology. There was significant difference between the junior doctors of medicine and Obstetrics and gynecology for question number 29, I feel part of the team working here. Regarding perception of question number 30, I have opportunity to acquire the appropriate practical procedures for my grade; there was significant difference between the junior doctors of obstetrics & gynecology and surgery. For perception of teaching, there was a significant difference between the junior doctors of medicine and obstetrics & gynecology in the following questions. Question number 10: my clinical teachers have good communication skills; Question number 23: my clinical teachers are well organized; and question number 27: I have enough clinical learning opportunity of my needs. In the subscale of social support there was a significant difference for item number 13 which states that there is sex discrimination in this post between the junior doctors of surgery and pediatrics .The junior doctors from medicine perceive that there was more calibration among the doctors of medicine as compared to pediatrics. - Discussion and conclusion - This study shows that the PHEEM questionnaire consists of a practical, reliable and simple set of questions to measure the learning environment of doctors in training at teaching hospitals of Pakistan; a country which is socially, culturally and economically different from the country where this questionnaire was originally constructed. This could imply that the perceptions of doctors in training are similar regardless of geographical boundaries and economic conditions of the country where they live. . Other studies that employed PHEEM in different parts of the world show similar scores. This study does not show a statistically significant difference between house officers and residents in terms of teaching, role of autonomy and social support. The reasons for this may be that house officers and residents share the same infrastructure for accommodation, catering and social support. Furthermore, there is no practically organized structured training programme with a specified job description for doctors at different levels of training. This study therefore does not confirm results of the studies performed in United Kingdom and Australia, where house officers experienced a better learning environment than residents in many respects. This study was completed by house officers and residents from private as well as public sector teaching hospitals. We did not find a statistical difference in the level of perceptions between doctors in training working in these two different set up of hospitals. This goes against the common notion present amongst junior doctors that training at public sector hospitals have a higher level of satisfaction due to better and more learning opportunities than at private sector hospitals because in these hospitals independent work is not allowed. The result off this study indicates that the perception level of house officers and residents in training in various specialties was different regarding the learning environment. This difference was even more marked for the specialty of Gynecology and obstetrics where the PHEEM items were scored lessened compared to the other specialties. The reason for this could be due to better training opportunities, more structured and availability of mentors in Surgery, Medicine and Pediatrics compared to the female dominated specialty of Gynecology and obstetrics. The female work and learn in different way because they score three items directly related to perception of teaching lower compare to male dominated specialities. The PHEEM questionnaire results have been taken from seven teaching hospitals of the twin cities, and therefore provide a good overall picture of the learning environments of teaching hospitals in Pakistan seeing that the teaching hospitals of Pakistan almost have similar infrastructure and faculties with few individual variations. This sample represents all major specialties thus provide a good picture of the learning environment for all doctors in training. It is clear that in order to ensure high standards in education and training of junior doctors, the importance of the learning environment cannot be ignored. The following are recommendations for the CPSP so that they take steps in collaboration with administrative and medical staff to improve the learning environments where needed. 1. A meeting between the CPSP and administrative staff should held every year to overcome the weakness pointed out in this study 2. Teaching hospitals should publish an informative junior doctors hand book , with a job description, responsibilities, expectation and information about working hours 3. The junior doctors should have protected time for educational activities 4. The attendance at educational sessions must be supported by the Supervisors of CPSP 5. Career advice and counseling opportunities should be avaible at each regional center of CPSP 6. Accommodation should meet the appropriate standards 7. Good quality hygienic catering facilities should be present around the clock for junior doctors. 8. Each teaching hospital should administer the PHEEM ever year to measure their quality and potentially improve their standards. In conclusion this study shows a great need for the creation of a supportive environment as well as designing and implementing interventions to remedy unsatisfactory elements of the educational environment if effective and successful learning is to be realized by the CPSP.

Students' and teachers' attitudes towards an English language teaching approach play an important role for its implementation success or failure. This study measured Pakistani government school students' and teachers' attitudes towards Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Grammar Translation (GT). Two separate survey instruments were used to assess students' and teachers' attitudes. Data were collected from students and teachers at two government secondary schools located in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. A total of 204 students (102 females and 102 males) and 13 teachers (five females and eight males) participated in this present study. Overall, both students and teachers showed favorable attitudes towards CLT. In contrast, both the teachers and students showed either less favorable attitudes or a neutral stance towards GT. Finally, this study suggests that policy makers consider adopting or adapting CLT to teach English in the aforementioned schools. Recommendations for future research are also suggested.

The report is organized into five chapters, as follows: * In Chapter I, I propose to research problems that women face in Pakistan resulting from gender inequalities. A review of the literature provides a framework for development that calls for a constant balancing of social, economic and environmental conditions in a local, regional and national context. Sustainable development requires conducive conditions for women in development, which relies on their education. Sustainable development policies and programs must concentrate on educating women to increase equity for sustainable development. Research objectives and methods of analysis are provided in which to evaluate the SAP's success in meeting goals to increase attainment of education for girls in Pakistan. * Chapter II provides a profile of Pakistan and its struggle with gender inequality, illustrated with tables of statistics and literacy rates prior to 1992, representing Pakistan's need and desire for sustainable development. Obstacles for women in development, such as living in rural locations or having a poor family, and limitations that some women face as a result of living within cultural and historical barriers, are also discussed. * Chapter III provides a discussion on the government's approach to increasingly high growth rates through the Social Action Program, implemented in 1993. International donors included the World Bank, United Nations, and Asian Development Bank, as well and others. * Chapter IV is a simple comparison of education in Pakistan before and after the SAP. Literacy and enrollment rates for boys and girls are compared to analyze changes. The Social Action Program is an umbrella program in Pakistan that targets women and children in development through health, education, and sanitation. The Government of Pakistan is responsible for implementation, evaluation and monitoring of all projects that lie within the parameters of the four program goals. One of these goals is education. It is considered by the government and donors to be of primary importance to the mission of the program. This section provides an evaluation of activity resulting from the SAP using indicators of women's literacy and girls' primary and secondary school enrollment since the program's implementation in 1993. Comparisons between indicators for girls and boys also illustrates the accomplishment of the program's mission to alleviate gender inequality in Pakistan. Indicators are presented in a manner that cuts across the dimensions of urban and regional differences, as well as differences between socio-economic categories.
Master of Urban and Regional Planning

In recent years, madrassahs and their education systems in many developing countries - and specifically in Pakistan - have attracted much attention from researchers and policymakers at the local and international level. The main focus has been on the reform of madrassahs, their political activism and, more specifically, studies which attempted to investigate their alleged links with militancy. Moreover, madrassah education has been questioned for its relevance to the contemporary needs of individuals and societies. However, despite focusing on many dimensions of madrassahs, few studies have tried to understand madrassah education within the economic, socio-religious and cultural context of Pakistan. A number of publications have reached generalised conclusions about the madrassah education system in Pakistan. Inspired by this, and by adopting qualitative research methods, this study focused on two main research questions:(a) Why do people prefer a madrassah education and what type of factors shape their preference? (b) What are the socio-economic impacts of a madrassah education on individuals and at community level? Researcher conducted a field study of more than six months in the Chach (Attock) region of Pakistan. Different students, parents, madrassah teachers and key informants were interviewed to collect required informations. The findings of the study revealed that different economic backgrounds, parental religious interests, individuals' personal religious interests, and social norms and cultural values shape preferences for a madrassah education. Moreover, this study also revealed that there exist various socio-economic impacts of a madrassah education on individuals and at community level. However, a madrassah education has often caused conflict in communities. The study shows that while a madrassah education creates barriers to achieving modern skills and incomes, its social benefits are valuable for those living within socio-cultural constraints in rural areas. Specifically, it enhances the social status and agency of women. The study also shows that madrassah education is an opportunity for those who otherwise would have no other option to study. This study concludes that there is a need to re-think madrassah education within the economic, social, cultural and religious context of Pakistan. This study has practical implications for practitioners, madrassahs and researchers, and it also suggests further research related to madrassah education.

This study provides a baseline analysis of the extent to which the primary education system in Pakistan is capable of enhancing or inhibiting children’s creativity. It involved 1008 primary schools who participated in a survey, 154 children who took the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, and classroom observation in 16 schools as well as documentary analysis of the education policy documents, curriculum and the official science textbook. The research presents the findings related to the definition of ‘creativity’, and the means used to identify, assess and enhance it as well as the importance and the obstacles faced in doing so. The study finds that while policy documents mention the introduction of creativity in education, and the curriculum lays emphasis on the concept in a comprehensive manner, the designated textbooks and teaching practices do little more than encourage rote memorization and regurgitation of information. The measurement of children’s creativity in this study has shown that children have the ability to produce ideas which are at times also original. But they appear to be weaker in other areas such as being able to produce abstract titles, and remaining open to going beyond the ‘ordinary’ in their thinking. This is due to the fact that much of the teaching is only geared towards knowledge acquisition. This research has reinforced the need for a systems view of creativity, in order to provide a more holistic and less distorted view of the phenomenon.

Two- thirds of Pakistan's primary aged children are enrolled in school and less than one-third complete fifth grade. Decades after the inception of the goal of primary education for all of its children, the state is unable to fulfill its promise of providing access to universal primary education. The failure of the government to provide for a system that ensures equitable opportunities for all of its children has resulted in individuals, for-profit organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) intervening to fill the void. In particular, international donor agencies (IDAs) have come forward to provide financial aid and personnel support for primary education. There is currently a dearth of research on the work of NGO schools in Pakistan, which leaves many unanswered questions about the role of NGO schools. Therefore, in this study, I examine the efficacy of not-for-profit, private schools managed by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in providing quality education to primary school children in Pakistan. This study examined schools formed and supported by two NGOs in Pakistan and their impact on providing primary education. A dual case study approach involving a concentrated enquiry into two cases (a rural and an urban school) was used. The study focused on the following research question: How does an NGO school provide education to primary aged school children? Results corroborate previous key-findings that the NGO is the parent body which oversees management, provides training, mobilizes the community and generates the primary funds to run the schools. The study goes further to suggest that NGO leaders provide leverage and establish connections that are important for fund raising and creating opportunities for the schools to expand and work cost-efficiently. The rural NGO had created its own methodology for literacy instruction, which produced adult literate women who were then hired as primary teachers. In addition, it showed that the two schools use: (1) an eclectic approach to teaching which ranged from using public school's curriculum to local, contextually based materials to foreign British-based curriculum; (2) the shift in instructional strategies suggested movement from a behaviorist approach toward integrating constructivist methods of teaching; and (3) the flexibility in curriculum choices poses challenges as well as opportunities for growth for the teachers. These results help to frame future research by linking NGO school's instructional practices to those used in private and public school systems in Pakistan.

This case study assesses the educational needs of the teachers, students and women of a remote, isolated school community in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It also addresses the cultural, social and religious obstacles that girls, women and teachers face, while identifying appropriate recommendations for girls, women and teachers to improve their level of, and access to, educational opportunities. The methodology and data collection included formal and informal interviews, surveys and field notes gathered over a two-year period. The results of this study are shared in a narrative analysis of the experiences of teachers, young women and girls in the Seri Valley School community. Barriers to female education have great consequences for family and community health, potential home and community income, and the following generation's educational opportunities. As this study shows, even when girls are allowed to attend primary school, there are still many barriers that keep them from continuing on to higher education. Those barriers are: a shortage of well-educated female teachers, a supportive community that is open to girls continuing their education, and the significantly important approval of the influential male in the family allowing the girl or woman to continue her education. A result of these barriers is that female students in rural, isolated regions of Pakistan rarely go on to middle or high school for their education, therefore not improving the level of education for the population of female teachers and the future generation of girls. Breaking this cycle of depriving girls an education equal to boys needs to start with the community supporting access to schools, educating families about the benefits and importance of educating the female population, and providing opportunities for female teachers to continue their education and professional development.

This feminist oral history project records, interprets, and analyzes the educational experiences of seven Ismaili college women in Chitral, Pakistan. Chitral is a part of the world where educating girls and women is not a priority. Yet in the scarce literature available one can observe an increase in the literacy rates, especially amongst the Ismaili Muslims in the North of Chitral District. This thesis introduces students' accounts of their personal educational journeys. I argue that the students' accounts exemplify third space feminism. They negotiate contradictions and social invisibility in their daily lives in quiet activism that shadows but changes the status quo of the society. Through their narratives the narrators see themselves as devout Muslim women who are receiving Western-style education through which they have learned to be women's rights advocates. The narrators now wish to pay forward their knowledge and help their families financially. Analysis of the oral histories revealed six themes: (1) distance from educational institutions, (2) sacrifices by the family, (3) support from family, (4) narrators as the first generation of women to attend school, (5) early memories of school including severe winters and corporal punishment, and (6) feminist touchstones. While honoring their families and communities, the narrators plan to become educators and advocates to empower girls and women in their own villages. In response to these oral histories, I recommend that the government of Pakistan, non-government organizations working in Pakistan, men and women, and teachers in schools work together to improve the educational journeys of future Chitrali women. Education for women needs to be introduced as a universal human right in Chitral so women, too, can get financial and psychosocial support from their families as well as communities to achieve their educational goals.

This study reviews the attempt to decentralise the administration of primary education in Balochistan, Pakistan in the period from 1992 to 1997. It critically examines the institutions that managed public, primary education at provincial and district levels and analyses their functions to determine where the locus of control existed for categories of public service delivery. Government officers placed in twenty-six administrative units (districts) were entrusted with the responsibility for government schools and were expected to foster partnerships with NGOs and communities to develop community schools. The thesis assesses the extent to which the process was, in fact, carried through. It investigates the constraints that the Province faced in adopting donor led objectives. The study design involved interviews at the regional level, textual analyses of government and NGO documents, and two detailed case studies in very different rural districts. The data suggest that no clear education policy framework existed in Balochistan prior to 1997. The lack of policy direction for primary education was found to be a contributing factor to the Province's weak institutional capacity for providing it. Concurrently, decentralisation plans were found to be incongruent with central and district power and political structures. Delegated authority and budgetary control needed for local management did not exist at the district level. Rare local initiatives taken by district managers showed promising signs of decentralised management but they could not be sustained without appropriate local administrative capacity. The thesis ends by discussing, in light of local experience, the elusive nature of decentralisation and its shortcomings in guiding practical policy. Why do major donors favour decentralisation in primary education administration when capacity is so weak. This contrast provides an important rationale for revisiting the centralisation-decentralisation debate and analysing whether the concept of decentralisation should be considered as the definitive model for primary education management reform in centralist developing countries.