Real Peacemakers

There is a serious debate in some circles of our society that teacher is a real peacemaker rather than a soldier. The discussion refers to the importance of teachers’ role in resolving conflicts and paving the way towards permanent peace process.

Teaching is a challenging job and its effectiveness is purely based on creativity and commitment. It is a multi-dimensional profession as well. A teacher has to perform different roles inside the class-room to motivate his students for effective learning. A teacher has to update himself professionally with the new trends and ideas according to the needs of his own students and society. Effective teachers are always prepared to reinvent themselves and thus, being able to change constantly, assimilate new ideas to persuade emerging needs of their societies. Teachers are the real change makers if they are dedicated and committed to their profession. It is obviously true for teaching that ‘it is a job that takes a lot of heart’.

The law and order situation in the aftermath of conflict and militancy in KPK, FATA and PATA demands drastic changes in all fronts, including teaching profession as well. Teachers have the capability to address the issue by introducing peace education initiatives. Peace education is basically a process of humanizing education by integrating meaningful learning activities and experiences to make the world a better place. It promotes a unified view of the world and equips students with certain skills in resolving conflicts and managing problems they come across in their daily life. Besides all our political differences, we can’t ignore the quotation of Mahatma Gandhi ‘if we are to reach real peace in this world we shall have to begin with the children”. Real and consistent peace largely depends on educating future generations in all its relevant competencies and behavioral patterns.

Teaching peace will become more effective when it is correlated to the social and cultural values of local society and people’s needs. It requires profound understanding on the part of educators and course designers to pursue a particular conflict resolution. Many of the children and young students attending schools may have confronted with minor conflicts in their daily life. It is now the job of a teacher to enable his students to manage such conflicts constructively. This process usually involves distributive or integrative negotiations where adversaries reach to resolution. It means that working together cooperatively and taking part in meaningful discussions pave the way towards reconciliation, forgiveness and interpersonal relations. Further analysis of the existing curricula will enable teachers to identify relevant contents dealing with concepts of freedom, tolerance, cooperation, respect for others, negotiation, unity, social consciousness, and civic sense etc.

A teacher must be aware of the fact that success of any approach and program mainly depends on the relevant basic knowledge and techniques of its dissemination. Peace is a unified human value and its restoration and enhancement require inner will-power to change him or herself first. Our feelings and instinct must be guided in the light of all available knowledge resources. Only then we will be able to act wisely and smartly. In short, a teacher must be clear in all respect and sincerely free of all types of prejudices. 

  

Multi-dimensional approach is however, highly desirable to address factors contributing towards violent behaviour. Opportunities need to be created that promote culture of tolerance and non-violent values. We need to equip our students with certain skills enabling them to deal with inequalities and injustices. Teaching is one of the important vehicles through which effective changes can be brought about, particularly at the transitional phase of society from war to peace. Teaching can provide innovative ways and means where we can contribute towards a meaningful and consistent future. The approach obviously demands a lot of work on the part of teachers and other stakeholders. Professional behaviour change would be the cornerstone to deal with the situation of our own region. In this regard, it would be an important responsibility of all the stakeholders including policy influencing organizations, to incorporate concepts pertaining peace education in the curriculum of professional colleges and institutions of teacher education.

Above all, the concerned authorities have to keep in mind that dedicated and committed teachers can only be brought on merit-based recruitment policies. The repercussions of nepotism and merit violation now surfaced in our society in the shape of split opinion and violent conflicts even on the issues of national interests. There must be no compromise on the basic qualities, pre-requisites and professional approach of a good teacher. Otherwise, national harmony, cohesion and unity etc will remain distant prospects. 

Decisions taken back

Rules and regulations are made to regularize the people. But it is generally perceived in Pakistan that after winning election, every political party pursues its own political interests rather than national interests. Politically motivated decisions are not followed by the next governments because of internal differences and thus, preferably take start from zero in every term. Therefore, developmental approaches are not only contracted and limited but the whole setup is based on short term policy making.

Political interference is the major cause of inefficiency and incompetence in the social service delivery system of Pakistan and education is at worst. It is clear that education as a system is not a single activity. It involves a series of inter-linked activities and mechanisms constituting a coherent whole. Teaching, supervision, planning and management, examination and certification, curriculum development and implementation are parts of the mechanism seriously spoiled by political interference in one way or the other.

In order to cope with the situation, we need to prioritize the most crucial areas of our education system. In my opinion, teaching and teachers related aspects are crucial, particularly the way they are recruited, getting trained and utilized. Proper utilization of manpower is an important feature of achieving preferred objectives. I think, if we give due attention to teachers related aspects of education, we’ll be able to resolve more than 50% of our education problems.

I am sure that the present provincial government is cognizant of the fact as evident from the decisions taken recently. But unfortunately they failed to implement such important decisions. Introduction of cluster system may be an example. Presently, there is a huge set up for supervising primary schools at district level. In case of Swat district, for example, 10 Assistant Education Officers (ADOs), two Drawing & Disbursing Officers (DDOs) and more than 50 supporting and technical staff for supervising about 1300 primary schools. Each ADO has to look after above hundred primary schools. Cluster system means that instead of such huge set up, each principal of a high school will be entrusted the responsibility to supervise his own feeding primary schools located in its own jurisdiction. It was a nice decision and highly commended in the education circles. But primary teachers and district supervisors influenced the government politically and the decision overturned. It means that no teacher is willing to work under close observation. It obviously, indicates a number of problems prevailing in our education system.

There is another interesting example of the same approach. It is called separation of teaching and management cadre. As per previous practice, experienced and qualified teachers were being adjusted against management posts in the district on seniority basis. When political interference deteriorated the situation, such decent people preferred to stay in isolation, restricted to classroom environment and refused to join management posts in order to avoid confrontation with politicians and make their future secured from wrongdoing. Interestingly the gape filled by some politically resourceful employees of education and thus, the situation led our education to evil days. It was a total misconception of the situation when decided to separate management from teaching cadre. The posts were advertized and filled in by the Public Service Commission but the problem remained the same. Some of the new comers adjusted themselves in the status quo, but some refused to work according to the will and wish of politicians. Resultantly, the government reversed the decision and replaced those who refused to work by the teaching force.

Decision making is a scientific process and need comprehensive understanding of the ground realities. Our  main problem is political interference. We need to strengthen our institutions. Involvement of politicians in the construction of a school even from the acquisition of land till the appointment of a watchman/Chowkidar is now an open secret. De-politicization of education is now intensely required. Depravation and corruption has reached to the instant that there is no way out but to take proper research oriented and merit-based decisions in the best public interests.            

Parents Teachers Councils (PTCs)

                   

 In our country, significant services responsibilities were entrusted to elected local governments because of a devolution plan. It is important to know that there are significant differences between what is written in laws or regulations and what actually occurs on the ground (de jure & de facto). The devolution of public education is not totally accurate response to widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of education in the country. The existing education devolution is a direct result of the President’s August, 2001 initiative for assigning a number of responsibilities from provincial governments to nearly six thousand elected district and sub-district local governments in the country.

As per design of the NRB, local governments were given revenues for primary and secondary education along with administrative responsibilities of transfer and postings up to BPS 16. Each province designed its own laws for the creation of popularly elected School Management Councils (SMCs) and in KPK, previously known Parents Teachers Associations (PTA) and afterwards, revised as Parents Teachers Councils (PTCs). PTCs have the authority to demand and receive government funding for functioning a specific school in public sector and to decide on the allocated funds each year. It is eight members elected body for three years with representation of elected Nazim/member of the concerned UC, parents, teachers and notables. The council can demand and utilize up to Rs. 250000/- keeping in view the condition of concerned school.

Decentralization is not necessarily the answer towards achieving good results on all the issues of education like school-based community control. The concept is still unclear among the surrounding school communities in general and female folk of society in particular. All the international organizations have identified problems of interpersonal and caste-based differences in the social development sectors. Our differences are almost different and encompass personal interests rather than public interest. The misuse of such funds is now-a-days a big challenge for the district and provincial education management.  

Before initiating a move at gross root level, proper accountability measures along with a progress yardstick must be established. Otherwise, there will be a large portion of desired goals and needs un-satisfied. Sound use of scarce resources is as much important as its provision in itself. There is a large gap between what is planned for promotion of education under the philosophy of Parents Teachers Councils and what is actually happening on the ground.     

Girls Education in Swat, Pakistan

 Women are considered the true architects of future. Their role has become increasingly complex and demanding in the present modern societies. A variety of competencies and skills are required for the women to carry out responsibilities of an enlightened mother and house-wife. Such capabilities can only be ensured through meaningful education delivery.

The learning opportunities initiatives in the war hit Swat were primarily taken by the enlightened rulers of State (1917-1969). Besides some cultural reluctance, Badsha Sahib (pioneer of the State) made it possible to set up first girls' formal school in 1940 and expanded the scope of facilities gradually. The crown prince, Wali Sahib further strengthened overall education process on the basis of his vision and broad mindedness. After state merger in 1969, the overall system could not maintained with the same spirit and style due to rapid population growth, frequent migration from the remote surrounding districts, politicized educational set up and management in-competencies of the stakeholders.

Before insurgency, we see that learning opportunities provided for girls were inadequate and even 80% less than boys. There were 80 and 24 high and higher secondary schools for boys and girls respectively. Same was the case of primary and middle schools in Swat District as per details given below:

 Government Schools in Swat (2008)

Level	Male	Female	Total
Primary Schools	841 (63%)	489 (37%)	1330 (85%)
Middle Schools	83 (65%)	45 (35%)	128 (8%)
High Schools	66 (77%)	20 (23%)	86 (6%)
Higher Secondary Schools	13 (76%)	04 (24%)	17 (1%)
Total	1003 (64%)	558 (36%)	1561 (100%)

Religiously women have not only been allowed to get education but their cultural training also emphasized largely. Women used to take lessons in morality and day-to-day life activities in the early age of Islam with certain special arrangements. Islam does not allow any distinction between men and women in the acquisition of knowledge and provides equal opportunities. Even if a woman possesses extra ordinary potentialities and wants to get expertise in a specific branch of knowledge, Islam does not stand in her way if she observes the ethics and values prescribed. Hazrat Ayesha (R.A) was a great scholar of her time who disseminated knowledge even to men. She was not only authority in Quran and Sunnah but guided people of her time in history, jurisprudence and medicine as well. Umme Durda, Fatima Binte-Qais, Rabia Basria and daughter of Imam Malik were the great scholars of their age who made remarkable contribution in educating people of their times.

Ignorance always brings miseries. Women were an easy target of extremist forces to gain their sympathies at the early stage of Swat conflict. Huge financial support to extremists by illiterate mothers and sisters is evident from reports appeared largely in the press. At later stage, infrastructure received serious damages due to bomb blasts in girls' schools. Psychological damages and threats to female students and teachers cannot be neglected as a sense of insecurity still prevails in the area. Parents have to think twice before sending their daughters to schools. Infrastructural damages of girls’ schools are evident from the details given below:

          Damaged Schools (SWAT)

S.No	Category	Fully damaged		Partially damaged		Grand total
		M	F	M	F
1	Primary	29	84	80	75	268
2	Middle	10	21	18	15	64
3	High	13	12	26	2	53
4	Higher Secondary	03	03	05	01	12
5	Circle offices	00	00	02	01	03
6	Darul-Uloom	00	00	01	00	01
Total		55	120	132	94	401

The situation is now normal in the scenic valley of Swat. Various organizations, including government, NGOs and INGOs are working for the rehabilitation and reconstruction. The progress made during last three years, is significant in case of partially damaged schools, especially by security forces. However, a lot of work is still required in case of reconstruction of schools. The input of UAE government in this regard is highly commendable. Forty one big and historical institutions fully damaged in the conflict are being constructed under their support. A second phase of their support is also expected. But it is clear, keeping in view the ground realities, that we have not reached to the pre-conflict stage, particularly in case of girls’ education even after three years of the conflict. A lot of work is still essential to provide learning opportunities to the female folk of local society.

Swat is the third largest district, after provincial capital Peshawar and Mardan, in KPK province. According to the estimates of field staff of “Media Dimensions” a local research organization mandated for education through media, more than half million girls (age group 5-14) are out of schools, mostly belong to remote and hard-to-reach areas of the district. The situation of learning opportunities for girls beyond matriculation is also scarce even in the city of Mingora. There are five high girls’ schools within the limits of Mingora municipality. The average of students qualifying matriculation each year is approximately above four hundred. It is not possible to accommodate such students in one degree college of the city. The rest have no option but to sit inside their homes or join higher secondary school Odigram, six km away from the city.   

Before militancy, Swat remained constantly an experimental district in various projects of education. Kalam Integrated Development Project (KIDP) was a Swiss funded (1992-1998) project. It was a big project in the history of Swat. Beside other components of the project, they encouraged girls to seek education. Their efforts for the promotion of girls’ education in remote areas of Swat will be remembered for a long time. ADB assisted Girls Education Project was another big initiative in the valley for promoting girls education. Malakand Rural Development Project (MRDP) also focused on girls’ education and provided incentives to female students in the shape of scholarships and stipend. Small grants projects implemented by local organizations also supported the cause of female education in the valley. The common factor of all such initiatives was to attract culturally reluctant parents to send their daughters to schools. A controversy was created on this point during militancy and all the previous efforts were seriously shattered.

Status of women can be raised only through education and training. If we are committed to all round development of our society, its women folk are to be well educated. Women create next generations. They do so physically, mentally and spiritually. They are the true architects of our future. They can develop intelligent, healthy and de-radicalized society. It is now the duty of all those responsible for promotion of girls education, including civil society, to meet the challenges efficiently and leave no stone unturned to put girls education on the right track in the valley.