Course: Education in Pakistan (6405)                                Semester: Autumn,2021

Level:B.Ed (4 Years)

Assignment No.2

Q.1 Describe the role of Directorates of education in provision of Education at school level. Also highlight the issues of teacher education institutions by quoting examples.

ANS

Directorate of Basic Education This directorate is responsible for the formulation and designing of pre-primary education policies, effecting primary education, Alternative Provision of Basic Education and Training (APBET) and training of primary school teachers. The directorate is also mandated to implement education to people with special needs.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is responsible for national policies and programmes that ensure Kenyans access quality and affordable school education, post-school, higher education and academic research. The goals of education in Kenya is to provide, promote and coordinate the delivery of quality education, training and research and enhance integration of science, technology and innovation into national production systems for sustainable development. The structure of the ministry of education in Kenya is divided into two divisions: The State Department of Education and the State Department of Science and Technology. The two state departments are sub divided into eleven directories. Each directory has its own specific mandate enabling the ministry to carry out its functions.

The education sector serves several functions to make the life of each student comfortable in their quest for knowledge. These roles played include;

1. Administration and Planning The function of this directorate is to provide support services to technical directorates in delivering their mandate. The units include: Administration, Central Planning and Project Monitoring Unit (CPPMU), Gender and Guidance and Counselling, Human Resource Department, Information and Communication Technology, Accounts, Finance, Procurement and the HIV/AIDS Unit.
2. Directorate of Basic Education This directorate is responsible for the formulation and designing of pre-primary education policies, effecting primary education, Alternative Provision of Basic Education and Training (APBET) and training of primary school teachers. The directorate is also mandated to implement education to people with special needs.
3. Directorate of Secondary and Tertiary Education This directorate is delegated with the task of coordinating secondary education. It also harmonizes the pre-service training for diploma secondary school teachers.
4. Directorate of Quality Assurance and Standards The directorate is responsible for ensuring quality and standards are met in education and training facilities. This is done through periodic assessments in educational institutions. The Directorate works complementary with KICD in the re-evaluation and the development of curricula, and KNEC on curriculum assessment.
5. Directorate of Policy, Partnerships and East Africa Community Affairs This directorate is mandated with the coordination of the overall policy making and enhancing partnerships.

Issues and Problems of Teacher Education

Teacher education is an important programme to improve the quality of school education.

It is  concerned with providing teaching skills and proficiency to the prospective teachers. In the

view of ongoing changes in  the social,  cultural, economic and  political environment, the drastic

change is required in the teacher education so that teachers could raise their standard with the

changing needs of the society. Nowadays, the unprecedented growth in a large number of private

teacher training institutions has deteriorated the quality of the teaching programme. It is observed

that  Private  institutions  lack  adequate  physical  infrastructure  and  produce  a  large  number  of

incompetent teachers. Moreover, the gap in demand and supply of teachers also has created a major

problem. In the current scenario, various other problems also have emerged in the teacher education

field like the substandard methods of teaching, outdated curriculum, the problem of supervision,

inadequate  empirical  research,  profit  orientation of education, etc. Keeping in consideration all

these  issues  and  problems,  the  educationists,  policy  makers,  curriculum  planners,  and  other

stakeholders need to reconstruct and reform the teacher education programme for the growth and

development of the country

It is  concerned with providing teaching skills and proficiency to the prospective teachers. In the

view of ongoing changes in  the social,  cultural, economic and  political environment, the drastic

change is required in the teacher education so that teachers could raise their standard with the

changing needs of the society. Nowadays, the unprecedented growth in a large number of private

teacher training institutions has deteriorated the quality of the teaching programme. It is observed

that  Private  institutions  lack  adequate  physical  infrastructure  and  produce  a  large  number  of

incompetent teachers. Moreover, the gap in demand and supply of teachers also has created a major

problem. In the current scenario, various other problems also have emerged in the teacher education

field like the substandard methods of teaching, outdated curriculum, the problem of supervision,

inadequate  empirical  research,  profit  orientation of education, etc. Keeping in consideration all

these  issues  and  problems,  the  educationists,  policy  makers,  curriculum  planners,  and  other

stakeholders need to reconstruct and reform the teacher education programme for the growth and

development of the country.

Key  Words:  Teacher  Education,  Professional  Development,  Infrastructural  Constraints,  Quality

Concern and Teacher’s Proficiency.

Introduction

The development of any nation depends on the quality of its citizens. The quality citizens are

the products of its education system. However, the most significant factor of all is the quality of

teachers. The Secondary Education Commission (1952-1953) rightly stated, “we are convinced that

the  most  important  factor  in  the  contemplated  educational  reconstruction  is  the  teacher,  his

personal qualities, his educational qualifications, his professional training and the place that he

occupies  in  the  school  as well  as in  the community.” The  teacher  plays  a  pivotal  role in  the

development of an inclusive education system. It brings out the hidden capabilities of the children

and helps in  their all-round development of personality. In this  regard, the Kothari Commission

(1964-66) has rightly said, “the destiny of India is being shaped in her classrooms.” The mastery

over  subject knowledge,  good communication  skills,  professional commitment, dedication,  and

motivation are the required traits of quality teachers. To achieve such traits there is dire need of

quality teacher education. Teacher education is concerned with policies framework and procedures

and  provision  which  are  designed  to  provide  knowledge,  attitudes,  behaviour,  and  skills  to

prospective teachers to perform their task effectively in the school and society.

Q.2 Elaborate the procedure for curriculum development in Pakistan. Also highlights the characteristics of good curriculum.

ANS

An educational system depends upon a curriculum to systematize and execute the process of education. Curriculum is a channel that helps teachers and other agents to impart education to approaching generations. There is a lot of difference between theory and practice that is why only experts are not enough to develop a curriculum unless and until it involves practitioners who have relevant and sufficient experience of teaching and learning to develop curriculum at a grass root level. No doubt it is a very difficult and a hard nut to crack like task that the developers of curriculum has to face while fitting a curriculum into a specific context under certain conditions. Keywords: Educational system, curriculum development, Pakistan

In education, a curriculum is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process.^[1][2] The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student’s experiences in terms of the educator’s or school’s instructional goals. A curriculum may incorporate the planned interaction of pupils with instructional content, materials, resources, and processes for evaluating the attainment of educational objectives.^[3] Curricula are split into several categories: the explicit, the implicit (including the hidden), the excluded, and the extracurricular.^[4][5][6]

Curricula may be tightly standardized or may include a high level of instructor or learner autonomy.^[7] Many countries have national curricula in primary and secondary education, such as the United Kingdom’s National Curriculum.

UNESCO‘s International Bureau of Education has the primary mission of studying curricula and their implementation worldwide.

Under some definitions, curriculum is prescriptive, and is based on a more general syllabus which merely specifies what topics must be understood and to what level to achieve a particular grade or standard.

A curriculum may also refer to a defined and prescribed course of studies, which students must fulfill in order to pass a certain level of education. For example, an elementary school might discuss how its curricula is designed to improve national testing scores or help students learn fundamental skills. An individual teacher might also refer to his or her curriculum, meaning all the subjects that will be taught during a school year. The courses are arranged in a sequence to make learning a subject easier. In schools, a curriculum spans several grades.

On the other hand, a high school might refer to their curricula as the courses required in order to receive one’s diploma. They might also refer to it in exactly the same way as an elementary school and use it to mean both individual courses needed to pass as well as the overall offering of courses, which help prepare a student for life after high school.

A curriculum can be seen from different perspectives. What societies envisage as important teaching and learning constitutes the “intended” curriculum.^[16] Since it is usually presented in official documents, it may be also called the “written” or “official” curriculum.^[16] However, at a classroom level this intended curriculum may be altered through a range of complex classroom interactions, and what is actually delivered can be considered the “implemented” curriculum.^[16] What learners really learn (i.e. what can be assessed and can be demonstrated as learning outcomes or competencies) constitutes the “achieved” or “learned” curriculum.^[16] In addition, curriculum theory points to a “hidden” curriculum (i.e. the unintended development of personal values and beliefs of learners, teachers, and communities; the unexpected impact of a curriculum; or the unforeseen aspects of a learning process).^[16] Those who develop the intended curriculum should have all these different dimensions of the curriculum in view.^[16] While the “written” curriculum does not exhaust the meaning of curriculum, it is important because it represents the vision of the society.^[16] The “written” curriculum is usually expressed in comprehensive and user-friendly documents, such as curriculum frameworks or subject curricula/syllabi, and in relevant and helpful learning materials, such as textbooks, teacher guides, and assessment guides.^[16]

In some cases, people see the curriculum entirely in terms of the subjects that are taught, and as set out within the set of textbooks, and forget the wider goals of competencies and personal development.^[15] This is why a curriculum framework is important. It sets the subjects within this wider context, and shows how learning experiences within the subjects need to contribute to the attainment of the wider goals.^[15]

Curriculum is almost always defined with relation to schooling.^[14] According to some, it is the major division between formal and informal education.^[14] However, under some circumstances it may also be applied to informal education or free-choice learning settings. For instance, a science museum may have a “curriculum” of what topics or exhibits it wishes to cover. Many after-school programs in the US have tried to apply the concept; this typically has more success when not rigidly clinging to the definition of curriculum as a product or as a body of knowledge to be transferred. Rather, informal education and free-choice learning settings are more suited to the model of curriculum as practice or praxis.

^{Characteristics of a good curriculum}

1. What are the Characteristics of a Good Curriculum?
2. The Curriculum is continuously evolving. • It evolved from one period to another, to the present. …
3. The Curriculum is based on the needs of the people. • a good curriculum reflects the needs of the individual and the society as a whole. …
4. The Curriculum is democratically conceived. • A good curriculum is developed through the efforts of a group of individuals from different sectors in the society who are knowledgeable …
5. The Curriculum is the result of a long-term effort. • a good curriculum is a product of long and tedious process.

Q.3 Elaborate the scope and significance of examination in Pakistan. Also explain different types of examination with examples.

ANS

The Education Policy 1972-80 (Govt. of Pakistan, 1972) laid emphasis on the change in curriculum should be accompanied by necessary reforms examination system. The existing system of examination is one the root causes of the general malaise in our education system.

Examinations help the teacher or instructor to know the performance of his students. This is very important because it will tell the teacher how much more effort he or she needs to put to help the students. Another importance of examination is the fact that it allows for fairness during the grading of students. Why is this so?

Exams are the way to test our knowledge. Without conducting the exams and test students don’t concentrate in their studies and learn their lessons properly. Exams are necessary in schools and colleges to find out the real skills, talents and knowledge of the students.

All students are studying their lesson properly to get good marks in the test and exams, each and every student is interested in getting good marks in the exam and study hard to achieve it, without exam there is no chance to express about our knowledge, skills as well as our studying activity.

Exams are the way to test our knowledge. Without conducting the exams and test students don’t concentrate in their studies and learn their lessons properly. Exams are necessary in schools and colleges to find out the real skills, talents and knowledge of the students.

All students are studying their lesson properly to get good marks in the test and exams, each and every student is interested in getting good marks in the exam and study hard to achieve it, without exam there is no chance to express about our knowledge, skills as well as our studying activity.

Some people may thought that exams are not necessary for school and college students, but this kind of attitude is wrong. Without exams students will be tension free, they don’t concentrate in their studies and lessons. Some students don’t go to the school or college, if the examination system is cancelled from school/college.

Students will get motivation towards their studies to achieve in their examination.
In this ways exams are very important for the studies, every person wish to get highest mark in the class and study hard to achieve their dream. This kind of attitude gives competition among the students and they study hard for achieving a good result in exam.

Exam is the way to express our real knowledge and ability in the written form.

Exams teach us lot of things and give training to various things like punctuality, writing skills, timing sense, expressing our thoughts and opinions and so on. Without exam it is very hard to find out the real knowledge of an individual student as well as students will lost their motivation with their studies. With this examination method, students will get fear about their exams and study their lessons properly to increase their knowledge as well as getting highest marks in their class.

Different types of exams Exams are used at university to test how well you have understood key concepts, themes and topics covered in your course. Whether on campus, at an external venue or online, you may be required to do to one or a combination of the following exam types: Multiple choice Short answer Essay Seen/open question

So if you can’t beat them, you might as well join them, at least for as long as it takes you to get out of there with the degree you deserve. Academia, like most things in life, follows a set course of systems and procedures in order to derive an end result. Just like a driving instructor wants you to drive in a certain way, universities and lecturers want you to learn in a certain way, and it just so happens this involves spitting out all you can recall about a given subject in 1 hour and thirty minutes. So much for personalised learning!

So, we at Examtime, want to take the fear factor out of exams for you. Exams should not be difficult if you have a revision plan, have practiced exam questions and have made an attempt on the reading list.

While we are not going to tell you today how to study, it is useful to understand that the exam type you are revising today may require your to learn differently than the exam type you are studying for tomorrow. The main types of exams that you will have to complete are:

1. Essay exams
2. Multiple choice exams
3. Open-book and take-home exams
4. Problem or case-based exams
5. Oral exams

The various different methods of examination need somewhat contrasting revision methods. There are many online resources for third level students that exist now, that can really help with online study and exam revision. We have previously mentioned on Examtime using Mind Maps to help with exam revision, but there are literally hundreds of other methods out there that you can try.

So there are lots of options open to you but let’s now look now more specifically at how you can revise for the different types of exams we have listed above.

Essay Exam Tips

This type of exam is old school; your great granddad most likely had to do these exams, so they have been around for a while. The first thing to mention to anyone about to sit an exam like this in university is that you should have some idea of the structure and the content of the essay before you begin to write it.

You should also stop writing when you run out of things to say, and not just write to fill up another page. Trust us, an examiner will not happy if they have to read through pages of gobbledygook at the end of your essay. A shorter, more succinct, answer won’t lose you marks. It may in fact gain you ones!

Multiple Choice Exam Tips

Another common type of exam that you may have to complete comprises of multiple choice questions or MCQ’s as they are known. These exams really test your ability to recall and connect the correct information to the question. As you usually have to pick the correct answer from a series of statements it simulates a more real life situation where you would have a number of choices and need to choose the correct one.

The best advice for studying for these types of exams is to attend every lecture, and over the course of a year you automatically will begin to connect in your own mind the best answer to the MCQ’s you take in the summer. Also online tools such as study flash cards can help you create content that is easy to access.

Open Book and Take Home Exam Tips

Open book and take home exams are slightly more unusual as they don’t require you to revise in the same way as a more traditional exam. However, because you have access to your notes and to your text books the examiners are obviously going to expect much more detail and content than they would in a closed book exam. A good idea before you start an exam like this would be to have all your relevant notes and texts organised, all in one place before you begin the exam. As there is no point in having an open book exam if you can’t find the right book on the day of the exam!

Problem or Case Based Exam Tips

Problem or cased based exams are really designed to test your analytical skills, and how well you can evaluate, respond and deal with certain problem or situation. These types of exams are supposed to be simulations of a possible real life situation. The exams test the way in which your brain works rather than how much information you know. After all you could be an expert on the theory of brain surgery, but you might have no idea how to practically carry it out it.

In some regards this type of exam is really testing how well you can think on your feet, and how skilled you are at applying your knowledge to a specific set of circumstances. If you just write down everything you know in a list, you will fail this type of exam, as that is not what examiners in this type of exam are looking for.

Oral Exam Tips

Now, all you language students out there will be very familiar with the oral exam. Most of us still get sweaty palms thinking about our GCSE French oral exam. However the reason second level students find oral exams so difficult is that they lack the confidence to show the examiner what they know. A bit of revision will help here as well.

To be honest with you, the best way to revise for a language oral exam is to spend three or four months in the country of the language you will be tested on. After all, your friends and family may want to help you, but their level of Japanese is not going to cut the mustard when it comes to exam time. If you can’t afford the time or the money to go to the country in question, bring the country to you. Most major cities have many thriving foreign communities, go and seek them out, make some friends, and pass those exams!

So that’s it. We can lead a horse to water but we can’t make it drink and all that! We hope this post has been informative so please let us know if you think it has. And as always, remember your first point of contact for any questions you have about your exams should be your university or school.

To give yourself that extra edge for Exam preparation, why not try ExamTime, our custom built software that will help you plan, manage, understand and learn. Sign up here to get started, it’s free!

Q.4 Explain the concept; significance and system of continuing education also differentiate between continuing and adult education buy providing examples.

ANS

One of the biggest benefits of continuing education is that it can improve one’s skills in a current job or help gain new skills in preparation for a career change. There are also huge benefits for employers who promote continuing education in the workplace.

For nurses, there are typically two types of continuing education. The first is required for them to remain licensed in their states. The second type of continuing education allows them to get more advanced degrees and qualify for higher-level nursing positions.

In the fast-paced pharmacy field, continuing education is important for career growth and licensure. Pharmacists need continuing education to renew their state licenses. Continuing education focuses on subject areas in health care, including pharmacology, patient counseling, regulatory issues, and other topics that contribute to professional pharmacy practice.

Certified public accountants (CPAs) must meet continuing education requirements established by the State Board of Accountancy of the states where their CPA licenses are held. The requirements vary from state to state. The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) also requires certain continuing education for CPAs to maintain membership.

Today’s professionals must, therefore, commit to a ‘life-long learning’ philosophy that enhances effectiveness, diagnose and more quickly solves problems, while moving away from the traditional autocratic management styles.

Meanwhile, criminal justice professionals need to stay up-to-date on the new laws, procedures, and technologies to reinforce the knowledge they have already gained.

“Today, law enforcement, probation and parole, juvenile justice, and emergency management officers are asked to ‘prevent’ as well as confront,” says Dr. Melvin L. Howard, Ph.D., program director of Criminal Justice at South University, Columbia. “This requires critical thinking, addressing unique community or individual problems, enhancing quality of life, serving an ever-changing, multicultural society, and coordination of sensitive multi-agency operations.”

“It is therefore, critically important that professionals stay current and in compliance with changes in laws and regulations, as well as technological advancements; particularly, forensic science, intelligence gathering and analysis, surveillance, financial crime detection, and investigation techniques,” Howard continues.

Education requirements for criminal justice professionals are established mainly at the agency level. According to Howard, professionals working in the legal arena have education requirements established by the state, or in some cases the federal level.

Criminal justice and legal fields include a variety of jobs, such as probation and parole officers, summary court officials, emergency management personnel, and crime scene technicians. Many of these careers require an undergraduate degree for entry, and then professionals must complete continuing education courses as they progress in their careers.

Crime scene investigators and evidence technicians must maintain certifications specific to the collection, processing, and maintenance of evidence. Traffic crash reconstructionists must maintain accredited certifications. Emergency management professionals must complete and maintain certifications for their respective states and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“In many agencies, continuing education is essential in advancement above the first-line supervision levels,” Howard explains. “Criminal justice professionals must consider and debate thoughts that are sometimes immensely different from their own. Today’s professionals must, therefore, commit to a ‘life-long learning’ philosophy that enhances effectiveness, diagnose and more quickly solves problems, while moving away from the traditional autocratic management styles.”

Continuing Education Formats

Continuing education is offered in different formats, with many being flexible to accommodate work schedules. These programs can take place at colleges and universities, training centers, or at the workplace. Continuing education is often delivered as degree-completion programs, certificate programs, and diploma programs at colleges.

“Non-traditional higher and continuing education programs are available now to a greater degree than ever,” Howard says. “In addition to the formats mentioned, e-learning (Blackboard and WebEx) is becoming more widespread, along with other technology-based, interactive instruction, and electronic conferencing.”

Whether it is required or not, continuing education can be important for career satisfaction. Continuing education can boost confidence and lead to opportunities for career advancement.

Adult education and continuing education are opportunities for adults to learn more. Whether they have acquired college degrees or not, continuing education will definitely enable them to have the opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge. These skills will develop not only their professional careers but also improve their personal lives.

The term adult education refers to the field of educating adults and this is done in a certain office where the adults work in, an extension school, an institution for continuing studies, community colleges, libraries, training centers, and folk high schools. This type of field is different from vocational learning as they are more of a formal learning program which aims to provide an adult the necessities, desires and learning skills required of him. Those who avail of these programs do not necessarily have to be college graduates.

Adult education can be in the form of trainings and seminars and these help enhance their work performance. Trainings will educate them of how to conduct office work and activities while seminars and conference are designed to give further knowledge on a particular subject. This will improve the marketability of adults as they have acquired new skills which employers want from their workers. With added skills, better pay also awaits them. With more qualifications, promotions to mid-level or higher management positions are attainable.

There are also adult education programs that will help adults improve their family lives. Such programs include how to train a child, how to cure sicknesses with home remedies, how to communicate with a partner and how to establish a home business. These types of seminars will help in developing the kind of lives adults lead.

Education programs for adults will also help cultivate the personal lives of people. An employee for example can take post-graduate courses for promotion or teaching purposes. A foreigner working in the United States can take courses in the English language so that he or she would be able to understand and communicate with the people in his workplace and in his surroundings.

Continuing education is similar to education program for adults but the difference is the former deals with acquiring additional credits or certifications for both professional and personal enhancement and it is offered to college graduates. It also provides professionals the chance to deepen their knowledge and acquire new skills for their professional lives. There are many opportunities for continuing education and these can be found either online or in a classroom setup. It is usually provided by offices, organizations, businesses, and schools.

Workshops, seminars, trainings, conferences and online courses are also considered continuing education. Its duration depends on the organizers and this can take a day, weeks or months. It does not have a specific format and it has a registration process that must be met. It is not an open-to-the-public gathering as it usually offers limited slots.

Requirements for this depend on employers, licensing boards and social organizations. Employers may require their workers to undergo a certain number of hours for training before they get promoted. Licensing boards of states may require professionals to renew their certain licenses if they have additional units or credits. Membership in professional organizations may also be renewed if members can present additional units on certain subjects.

Q.5 Write notes on followings

1. Education for global understanding
2. Significance of environmental education

ANS

Education for global understanding

global education means providing students with the opportunity to explore the content and concepts that enable them to consider a variety of perspectives different from their own, communicate their ideas cross-culturally, and take action on meaningful global issues.

Global education isn’t a course you can register for. Instead, it is an overall approach to education that focuses on developing students’ understanding of other cultures, the history and geography of different countries and people and the current events faced in various parts of the world. In particular, it focuses on helping students understand these things and how each culture is interconnected to the next.

Global education is a mental development program that seeks to improve global human development based on the understanding of global dynamics, through the various sectors of human development delivery. In formal education, as a mode of human development delivery, it is integrated into formal educational programs, as an advanced program where global dimensions to local problems are appreciated through interconnectivity. Its first phase began as an undertaking to restructure education and society in the 1960s and 1970s, through the initiatives of educationalists, NGOs and intergovernmental organizations. The program evolves with the internet, and is in its virtual interconnectivity phase, through social media and other global public spheres. This global approach to mental development, seeks to fix the failing curriculum-based global education program that is: stuck in limited subject knowledge, based on theories that have failed the world (ref. Climate change);hinged on memorization without visual exposure to knowledge development resources and global culture, limited by access to human development resources. Instead, the program seeks to improve the global mental resources pool through the appreciation of global dynamics and local perspectives on issues. This is through alternative motivations for global human development, and alternative global futures hinged on interconnectivity.^[

Significance of environmental education

Environmental education is a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving, and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions.

Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating disciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, earth science, atmospheric science, mathematics, and geography. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) states that EE is vital in imparting an inherent respect for nature among society and in enhancing public environmental awareness. UNESCO emphasises the role of EE in safeguarding future global developments of societal quality of life (QOL), through the protection of the environment, eradication of poverty, minimization of inequalities and insurance of sustainable development (UNESCO, 2014a). The term often implies education within the school system, from primary to post-secondary. However, it sometimes includes all efforts to educate the public and other audiences, including print materials, websites, media campaigns, etc.. There are also ways that environmental education is taught outside the traditional classroom. Aquariums, zoos, parks, and nature centers all have ways of teaching the public about the environment.