Allama Iqbal Open University

Course: Comparative Education

Course Code: 6466

Assignment no: 2
Submitted by:
Anam Ashraf
Roll no:
BU619648
B.Ed. (2.5 years)
Assignment no 2
Q no.1

What is “bologna process in higher education”? Also write down different

types of U.S higher education system.

Answer:
The paper approach a very topical issue from the perspective of applying the Bologna process in
higher education, the development of cognitive competence at the students of Romanian
universities. The paper is like an x-ray, which aims to shape the facto state in which the higher
education is found, bringing in foreground the attempts to reform it, the objectives of this reform
and the degree in which this public policy touched their objectives. The paper is facing various
methodological limits, particularly in what concerns the existence of a participative assessment,
which to include the observations of the first actors aimed by the reform policies of the higher
education – teachers, respective the students. The paper has as importance the education and
contribution analysis which should the higher education have in transforming the permanent
learning (long-life learning) into a reality. For this the higher education must extend the
possibilities of continuous training including through the recognition of previous diplomas and to
provide more flexible training routes.

The Bologna process is a framework through which the European states have proposed to create,
by 2010, a Unique European Space of the Higher Education. The paper has as objective an
analysis of the concrete measures that were taken in Romania to achieve the established goals
through the Bologna proves, and in what extent they were adequate to achieve these objectives.
Moreover, the paper seeks to determine the quality of the obtained results, in terms of efficiency
and adequacy of these initial policy goals.

The paper has as importance the education analysis and contribution that the higher education
must have in transforming the permanent learning (long-life learning) into a reality. In terms of
methodology, the paper is based on technical, descriptive and appreciative evaluation. The
challenge is found the correct implementation of reforms that involve both structural changes, as
well as and profound transformations, at the level of the attitudes and behaviors of teachers and
students.

The Bologna Process reforms offer several tools of change that will, if implemented properly,
will produce the positive effects that we expected long. This paper presents results of research
conducted on a total of 15 universities from Romania and proposes some solutions for a correct
implementation of the Bologna process. Finally it will be analyzed within a national debate the
implementation of the Bologna Process.

Methodology:

In terms of methodology, the paper is based on technical, descriptive and appreciative

evaluation, rather than one to propose innovative solutions for the Romanian higher education
reform. Also, the analysis part of the documents it is important. The used data are from official
sources currently available.Thus, there were used reports of the Ministry of Educations and
Research on implementing the Bologna process, the legislative texts and available public
information about the activity of different institutions in implementing the Bologna process.

Results

The Bologna Process is a framework through which the European states have proposed to create
by 2010, a unique European Higher Education Area. Achieving this goal is to develop in Europe
a competitive economy, based on knowledge, which would have the potential to provide better
jobs and create a greater social cohesion.
We considered particularly interesting an approach of this issue in terms of major changes made
concerning the Reform made in the Romanian higher education. The paper aims at analysis of
the concrete measures that were taken in Romania to achieve the goals set by the Bologna
process, and in what extent they were adequate to achieve these goals. On other side, the paper
seeks to determine and the quality of the obtained results, in terms of efficiency and adequacy of
those to their initial goals of the policy.

The study of the higher education reform from Romania in the contest of the Bologna process
will present the following results:

Statistical assessment of the satisfaction degree of the employees concerni9ng the quality of the
higher education’s graduates. Identification the solutions concerning the increase of the degree of
satisfaction of the employees concerning the preparation level of the graduates;

The assessment of the absorption degree of the graduates of higher education by the Romanian
economy in recent years

Proposes concerning the assimilation of the practical activity of the students to meet the demand
of the employers in the labor market in Romania

Worldwide is found a systematic concern of founding the directions, forms, and the educational
devices most appropriate in the view of the modernization of the teaching-learning process in the
university environment. A good example in this regard is the annual congresses of the
International Association of University Education, which organized this year the XXIII Congress
on the issue of university pedagogy, and Romania started to be present only in 2005. At the
University from Louvain runs an Institute of University Education and Multimedia with interests
concerning the modernization university education in harmony with the Bologna Process.

Changing a education system, his innovation, but especially the replacement of the old one with
a new one claiming a clear conception (which to crystallize the orientation), then the option for
an appropriate structure and strategy to which to ensure the more productive use of the types of
reform. The experience shows that the reform gets through strictly defined stages, one being the
perquisite for the beginning of the next. In general lines, these steps should include the
following:

Elaboration Projecting Innovation of the components of

Of educational new structures education process

Conant Methods Organization

(Curriculum) forms

Figure 1 Stages of education reform

At us the reform process hasn’t adapted to the validated model, lacking the articulation between
the new paradigm of education and the practice approach. Innovation in this area has preserved
the traditional models, which became operational from early 50s or even earlier, were totally
inadequate for an approach at the macro-structure level:

Conclusions:

The process takes into account the orientation of higher education systems from Europe towards
a more transparent place, which to place the national diversified systems within a common
framework, relying on three cycles: Bachelor, Master and PhD. Romania signed the Bologna
Declaration in 1999, committing it to include the established objectives in the priorities of the
Romanian higher education. The challenge is in the correct implementation of reforms that
involve both structural changes, and profound changes at the level of attitudes and behaviors of
the professors and students.

Creating the European Higher Education Area in which the education systems and the diplomas
are harmonized – this is the main goal of the Reform from Bologna which was signed in 19999
by the European minister who dealt with education. The reform will be concretized in 2010, in
Switzerland. Thus, the major European schools will have to by 2010 to fold at the new European
systems of education, for the primary purpose of the declaration to be completed. The reform
from Bologna is a first step towards a methodology f inter-culture because it has established in
the education system principles which led to its standardization and which gave to each youth,
regardless of its origin country, the possibility to know and exploit the potential of the EU
countries.

All these principle that were established at the higher education level it could be a basis and a
starting point for all the other domains, ensuring thus the success of a true united Europe. We
noticed that throughout the paper that is desired some standardization of the European education
system. This uniformity is based on a union between the European countries for a better
understanding and development on all levels. It is an important step for the whole Europe to be a
whole and can talk about a evolution and a growth both economically and socially. The problem
that we studied is that the Bologna Process is vague and sometimes wrong perceived in the
Romanian academic environment, motive because it doesn’t have support. The reforms of
Bologna Process provide several tools of changing, which if they will be implemented correctly,
will produce positive effects that we long expected.

Q no.2

Discuss teacher education system of India and Pakistan.

Answer:

Teacher education in Pakistan:

The teaching profession, by and large, does not attract the best talent in Pakistan. Those
considered bright either join the professions such as medicine and engineering and try to migrate
to the West or are attracted by higher-level civil service positions, which open avenues for
enormous graft and corruption. A few exceptions would be some highly respected university
faculty and those scientists working at the highest levels of the country's research establishment,
especially those involved in missile and nuclear technology.

Among the reasons for the reluctance to join the teaching profession at the primary and
secondary levels are relatively low salaries, unattractive working conditions, and the high
teacher-student ratio, which is around 1:40 at the primary and 1:36 at the secondary level. In the
early 1990s there were 87 elementary teacher-training institutions offering a one-year program
leading to the Primary Teaching Certificate (PTC) for teachers in grades one to five or the
Certificate of Teaching (CT) for teachers in grades six to eight. While the PTC course needs 10
years of education for admission to it, the CT course requires 12 years and an FA/FSC
certificate. The Allama Iqbal Open University also offers distance education courses for its PTC
and CT programs.

There are three types of programs for training of teachers in Pakistan. The first is the one-year
primary school teacher-training program in basic subjects and methods of teaching, including
child psychology. The secondary school teachers are required to join one of the numerous
teachers' training colleges or a university department of education either for a one-year program
leading to the Bachelor of Education diploma or a three-year program leading to a Bachelor of
Education degree. The admission to either program requires a bachelor's or master's degree in
any discipline from any university. The higher-level work leading to degrees in education at the
master's or the doctorate level is done in the departments of education in the universities, which
produce specialists as well as academic administrators. There are also several in-service training
programs for "untrained" teachers or for upgrading the curriculum. Teachers sent to such
programs are nominated by the school principals and approved by the district officer and
generally receive full salary during the in-service training.

Science and technical teaching has been given special emphasis by the federal government.
Thus, Islamabad's Institute for the Promotion of Science Education and Training (IPSET) and
National Technical Teachers Training College (NTTTC) have been doing excellent work in
upgrading the knowledge base of secondary school and junior college science teachers as well as
instructors in technology colleges and polytechnics. For educational administrators there is the
Academy of Educational Planning and Management (AEPAM) at Islamabad, providing courses
and in-service training for school and college principals, district education officers, and regional
directors.

There are few facilities in Pakistan for special education. The first to start courses leading to a
master's degree in special education were the University of Karachi, the National Institute for the
Handicapped at the University of Islamabad (NIHUS), and the Allama Iqbal Open University.
With the establishment of the office of Director-General of Special Education within the
Ministry of Health, Social Welfare, and Special Education in 1985, special education attracted a
national focus. In 1989 NIHUS received a major boost with the opening of 45 centers for special
education with a combined enrollment of 3,500. Additionally, a National Training Center for the
Disabled and a national Mobility and Independence Training Center for producing teachers in
special education were established in Islamabad. Most of these projects were made possible with
funds, overseas training, and technical guidance from WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, and UNDP.
Programs were instituted for training fellowships abroad as well as for visits by experts from
Europe and the United States.

Teacher education in India:

Imagine a situation where a teacher graduates from a District Institute of Education and Training
(DIET) center, earns her B.Ed. or M.Ed. degree and enters the classroom. Let’s assume she’s
teaching at a low-cost government school. She’s excited and genuinely believes that she has the
tools to help her students learn.

However, on entering the classroom, the teacher realizes that the students in her class are at
completely different academic levels and she has no idea how to teach in such a situation. Many
of them are first-generation learners who may not get any academic support at home.
Absenteeism is quite high and socio-economic circumstances like low income levels and a lack
of proper nutrition affect the performance of many able students. To help her cope with these
issues, she attends different types of training but there is no professional development
Programme which helps to better her knowledge and skills. The lack of proper training affects
her teaching and consequently, her student’s ability to learn and perform well.

While this may be an extreme example, many teachers in India, especially those in low-income
schools, have to cope with such issues every single day.
A study on ‘Primary education in India,’ states that a teacher’s ability, knowledge and her
pedagogy, (i.e. her method of delivery) is one of the most critical factors that affect the learning
outcomes of children. The education system in India, while having made significant progress in
many aspects (like access and reach), has left a lot to be desired. Unless there is significant
improvement in governance and teachers are properly trained, things are unlikely to change.1

Teacher education in India can be divided into two broad areas - pre-service education which is
focused on preparing students for a career in teaching and in-service teacher-training that is
provided by the government through the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) or NGOs and social
enterprises. Both these models have fundamental problems in the way that they are implemented.

Pre-service teacher education:

Pre-service teacher education in India hasn’t been given the importance it deserves. As pointed
out by the NCERT, degree programmers for aspiring teachers do not spend enough time
preparing them for the realities of the classroom. The short duration of the Programme also limits
a candidate’s ability to learn through self-reflection, understanding social realities, engaging in
shared learning and gaining practical experience.2

Curriculum: The Verma Commission (2012) and the NCERT have criticized the curriculum and
Programme structure, saying that it only provides teachers with basic skills and assumes that
they will be able to apply their learning to any context. The curriculum also fails to address how
children learn, i.e. the psychological aspects that contribute to better comprehension.

Field experience and mentorships: There is a pressing need to restructure the ‘field experience’
component and expose teachers to the ground realities of teaching. The short duration of the
course does not provide a space for trainee-teachers to contextualize their learning and the field
experience is not always adequate.3 For example, there is no mentorship Programme for student-
teachers which could be critical to help guide them on how to prepare lessons, manage a class
and deal with common problems in the classroom. It also provides a much-needed network of
support to trainee-teachers.

Such shortfalls in pre-service training ultimately affect the learning outcomes of students. A
study conducted in Andhra Pradesh highlighted the fact that there was very little difference in the
performance of students taught by teachers with a professional teaching degree vis-à-vis those
taught by teachers with any other undergraduate degree. 4 If a course designed to train teachers
isn’t improving teaching methods, then what value does it add?

DIETs also lack the human resources to train the vast number of teachers that are required,
begging the question - ‘Who will train the teachers?’5

In-service teacher education:

In-service teacher education on the other hand, suffers from other issues. Contrary to popular
perception, teachers undergo training throughout the academic year. The SSA has a provision for
20 days of in-service teacher training a year. 6 However, it appears that little thought goes into the
outcomes that these trainings are expected to achieve and given the variety of training, there is
also very limited standardisation.7 Variation may be required to address diverse contexts but
there is a need to set at least some parameters in order to compare success and failure in different
situations and locations.

The lack of attention given to training is also reflected in both government and private
investment in these areas. The 2012 Verma Commission report8 pointed out that 90 percent of
teacher education bodies were in fact private, arguably reflecting the priorities of the government
– at least with respect to pre-service education. Despite the SSA allocating the highest proportion
of funds (64 percent) to funding teachers in 2013-2014, 9 teacher performance has not
significantly improved – stressing the need for greater investment in and the redesigning of in-
service teacher training programmers.

CSR spending in education also reflects this trend. A 2014 CSR in Education report by Samhita
clearly shows a significant skew in the priorities of the 100 companies with the largest CSR
budgets in India. Only 15 percent of these companies had a Programme for the capacity building
of providers. This could have happened for three reasons. Firstly, companies seem to be
prioritizing areas of intervention emphasized by the government through the Right to Education
Act (RTE), which has been criticized for focusing heavily on infrastructure and not enough on
learning outcomes and pedagogy.10 Samhita’s research also shows that companies are responding
to a demand for infrastructure-based support made by the schools themselves as they believe that
this will increase enrolment numbers and help them become RTE compliant. Thirdly, training
teachers is a medium-to- long-term investment which companies may be reluctant to support as it
is perceived as being more expensive.

But effective models that companies can invest in do exist.

One such example is Muktangan which follows an ‘integrated teacher education’ approach. It
runs a three-year (pre-service) Programme aligned to NCTE norms which are similar to the first
year of a Diploma in Education (D.Ed.) programme11. The Programme ensures that teachers are
prepared for the classroom through theoretical and practical training12, as well as regular in-
service teacher training. The Programme focuses on skills such as school leadership, IT skills,
English proficiency and also covers pedagogy requirements for each subject.13

Investing in a teacher’s capabilities is probably the most sustainable way of bringing about a
much-needed improvement in student learning and needs active support from the private sector.
According to Samhita’s CSR in Education report, 75 percent of companies with the largest CSR
budgets invested in creating infrastructure and scholarships in the education space. While this is
critical, it is equally important to support other aspects of education, like teacher training, and
work to fill in these gaps. Implementing programmers that tackle multiple issues within the
sector will enhance the value of a company’s CSR programmers and significantly improve the
current state of education in India.

Q no.3

Explain the history of development of special education in Pakistan.

Answer:
Introduction:
Pakistan, with a population of 130.58 million, stands seventh among the world’s most populous
countries but ranks 160th with regards to literacy, placing them at the 55 percentile for literacy
around the world (Pakistan Ministry of Finance, 2003). The country spends only 2.5% of its
annual Gross National Product (GNP) on education and training; a low figure compared to other
countries in the region such as Malaysia, Thailand and India, which allocate between 3.5% and
7% of their GNP to education (Khan, 1998).

It was estimated that 2.49% of the population is disabled (National Policy for Persons
with Disabilities, 2002). Of this disabled population, 7.40% are deaf. According to the World
Health Organization (WHO) the general prevalence of disability is 10% which makes Pakistan
seem as if they have relatively fewer people with disability. Many parents tend to conceal the
fact that they a disabled child or deny the presence of disability in their children (Khatoon,
2003).

The history of Special Education is not very old in Pakistan. At the time of independence
only three schools were working with children with special needs. The first school was
established in 1906 to cater to the educational needs of children with visual impairment. In 1920
the second school was opened for deaf children in Karachi. The parents of deaf children have
formed a society called the Deaf and Dumb Welfare Society which also established a school
named Gung Mahal (Palace of Deaf). At that time some non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) started playing an active role in the education and rehabilitation of the persons with
disabilities (Hameed, 2003).Following independence, in 1959, for the first time The National
Commission presented the education of special people to the government agenda. Progress was
seen between 1983-1992 when the United Nations Organization (UN) declared this time the
decade of disabled persons. The Pakistan National Policy for the Education and Rehabilitation
of the Disabled was formulated in 1985 and improved in1988. The government of Pakistan
approved this policy in October, 2002. In 1985, at the federal level a separate directorate was
established to run model special education schools throughout the country. In addition the
National Institute of Special Education was established to provide in-service training to teachers
of special schools (Khan, 1998).
 Today, the Directorate General of Special Education runs 56 institutions focused on the
educational and rehabilitation of children with special needs. At the provincial level, the
Government of Punjab recently established a separate Department of Special Education under
the direct supervision of the Chief Minister and runs 48 special schools. The provincial
government also recently opened 90 special schools at the district level (Bashir, 2005).

In Pakistan 66% of children are enrolled in school at the primary level, leaving 34%
without education. Children with disabilities constitute a major part of this marginalized group.
It is estimated that six million children have been left out from schools (Pakistan Ministry of
Finance, 2003). Hameed (2003) reported;

The reason for such marginalization include distance from home to school; value of
education perceived by the family; gender discrimination in which the son is preferred
over the daughter in going to school; poverty; disability and lack of the knowledge of
parents about disability and how to handle it properly.

Education of Deaf Individuals:

Deaf children have been educated in separate special schools since the beginning in
Pakistan. They are placed in a segregated system that keeps them apart from their non-disabled
peers. Physical segregation has reduced all possibilities of social interaction and therefore
isolates them from the day-to-day educational and social emotional experiences of hearing
children. However due to changes across the world, the idea of “education for all” in Pakistan is
taking steps towards a more inclusive education.

The lack of policy initiative is one of the major barriers to inclusive education in
Pakistan (Bashir, 2005). Further parents and teachers feel that the educational performance as
well as the behavior of hearing children will be negatively affected because children with special
needs will dilute their non-disabled children’s education. In general both teachers and parents
think that deaf children have low abilities for learning (Bashir, 2005). This belief is the reason
that the majority of regular schools hesitate to admit deaf children. The teachers and staff at
these traditional schools lack the training and resources to manage deaf children in regular
classrooms; thus believing that it is the responsibility of special school to provide education to
deaf children (Bashir, 2005).

Curriculum:

The special education program for deaf children focuses on communication and language
skills to allow them to access to the regular curriculum (Khatoon, 2003). Their curriculum for
deaf children similar to those in general education programs but adds auditory training and
speech development programs. Some subjects, such as science, are eliminated from the
curriculum for this group of children. Khatoon reported that only 2% of the deaf children and
5% of their parents are satisfied with this curriculum. These concerns mirror the concerns of
hearing families because there are challenges in the curriculum for hearing children as well.
Kazimi (2007) states:

It is largely, traditional, rigid and divorced from the realities of schools. The emphasis is
more on theory than on practical work. There is a need for a shift in emphasis from
theory to application of theory in actual classroom practices. (p.13)

Therefore, education in general and education for deaf children specially is not felt to be
effective at this time in Pakistan.

Instructional Approaches for deaf children:

In Pakistan an Aural/Oral approach is the choice for classroom instruction but in

conjunction with sign language. Pakistani Sign Language (PSL) varies from place to place as
signs have not been standardized at the national level. According to Khatoon (2003) found the
majority of deaf persons (72% of the sample) and the majority of parents of deaf children (57%)
revealed that the teachers in the schools are not capable of handling teaching of all subjects
through the use of PSL. She also mentioned that 88% of the teachers never used finger spelling
and 90% of the teachers never used cued speech in the class rooms. These teachers are teaching
in Special Schools for deaf children. They revealed that they never received any training for
using these approaches.
Husain (2008) reports:

The schools of deaf children are very backward in their teaching methods and educational
system. The schools are just unable to groom our deaf citizens into confident and capable
individuals as well as these schools have failed in the efforts to stimulate the deaf students to
develop their fullest potential to meet the challenges of hearing world.

Other Special Services for Deaf Children:

The provision of services regarding assessment and other medical and assistive technologies
such as hearing aids are not sufficient. Only a few schools have multi-professional teams that
include psychologists, special education teachers, speech therapists and physiotherapists. There
is a critical and serious shortage of doctors, audiologists, speech therapists and qualified
educators (Husain, 2003). Majeed and Saeed (1998) examined the audiological services
available in the schools. They selected 13 schools in the major cities of Pakistan. The
questionnaires were distributed to the principles, audiologists and the parents of deaf children.
They concluded that none of the schools met the minimum standards of audiological services.
According to Khatoon (2003), 53% of teachers reported that less than 10% of the children use
hearing aids in the class room in spite of repeated instructions on how to use their aids. She
further mentioned that the hearing aids are expensive and therefore the cost is one of the reasons
for not wearing the hearing aids. Majeed and Saeed (1998) also found that most of the principals
and audiologists do not have enough education and experience in the related field. Moreover
they also concluded that majority of the parents are illiterate and this lack parent education has
not been investigated in regards to the educational outcomes of deaf Pakistani children.

Perception within the Pakistani Society about Deaf Individuals:

In general there is lack of awareness about the nature of disability among the Pakistani
people. Individuals with disabilities are regarded as unfortunate ones who cannot perform their
roles correctly or effectively. Usually the parents and relatives viewed their children with
disabilities as an economic burden and the result of family sins (Miles & Hossain, 1999).
Similarly, Batool and Shahbaz (2008) stated that our society has a common perception that deaf
individuals have limited capabilities and they are cognitively deficient. (p.57)
 Husain (2008), herself a deaf woman, criticized the way deaf people are labeled as deaf
and dumb in Pakistan. She mentioned that hearing people interpret the phrase “deaf and dumb”
as “Not being able to hear and being stupid”. Therefore Husain believes that people need to stop
using the phrase deaf and dumb. Historically, this phrase meant “not able to hear and not able to
speak” but the misinterpretation of the phrase increase negative stereotypes about deaf people.
This phrase is frequently use as many schools for deaf children deaf in Pakistan are also referred
to schools for the “deaf and dumb”. Husain (2008) also criticizes how deaf citizens in general
are treated by the Pakistani society which reinforces her statement that the phrase “deaf and
dumb” has a strong negative impact on deaf Pakistani.

Husain (2008) also reported that the people of Pakistan in general think of deaf people
as being hearing impaired, placing a focus on disease and deformity. They believe that it can be
“cured” by medicines or surgery showing their belief in a medical model to understand deaf
people.

As stated earlier, most parents and relatives view their children with disabilities as an
economic burden and the result of their sin (Miles & Hossain, 1999) and this perception is held
by most of the people of Pakistan. Iftikhar and Yasmeen (2009) looked at the stress experienced
by parents of deaf children and found that 74% of the parents saw their deaf children as an
economical stressor. In addition 66% of the parents reported that they felt that their deaf children
were a social burden .Parents reported that their social lives have been restricted by society’s
negative view of their children with 84% stating that their deaf children increased their worries
and 44% reporting that the disability caused them anxiety. In addition the majority of these
parents are illiterate with a monthly income between Rs. 1000 to Rs. 10000 only. Parental
monthly income is associated with the provision of better assessment, educational and other
special services to their deaf children, creating a situation where this low income parents do not
have the financial resources or the education necessary to be strong advocated for their deaf
children (Iftekhar &Yasmeen, 2009).Finally and importantly most of these parents are hearing
themselves.

Iftekhar and Yasmeen’s (2009) concluded that their results of the study reflected on the
stress level of fathers. They reported that fathers were not as close to their deaf children as
mothers. They recommended that the parents should be educated and that the government must
support them in the process of education and provision of the special services to their deaf
children.

Akram and Parveen (2009) selected 50 parents for their study and found that majority of
the parents pay more for the education of their hearing children than they do for their deaf
children. However Arshad and Mustafa (2008) found that deaf children have warm interpersonal
relationships with their normal siblings. Similarly, Aziz and Madani (2007) conducted structured
interview with the parents of disabled children and found that the parents of mentally retarded
children appeared to be involved in their children’s welfare more than the parents of deaf
children. They further revealed that majority of the parents neither attend the parents-teachers
meetings nor follow the guidance and suggestions of teachers given in meetings. However they
mentioned that some parents of children deaf help them in doing their school work. Aziz and
Madani again concluded that parents themselves do not have the required education and
training in order to understand their children with special needs and therefore the majority of
them are not actively involved in their children’s education. Importantly Aziz and Madani also
found that often schools do not want to involve parents in the learning process. In conclusion,
the authors strongly recommend the development of a positive relationship between parents and
teachers of the children with disabilities.

Aziz and Iqbal (2008) conducted a study of 80 teachers of hearing children in Lahore city to
understand their perception about deaf children. The study showed that the majority of the
teachers believed that deaf children cannot be taught in the regular classrooms because they
cannot develop reading, writing and arithmetic skills like their hearing counterparts.
Furthermore, 40% of the teachers reported that deaf children cannot understand and respect the
feelings and emotion of others. However, the teachers also expressed the importance of training,
appointment of multiprofessionals teams and other equipment necessary to educate deaf children
in regular classrooms. Similarly according to Batool and Shahbaz (2008) the teachers of deaf
children mentioned that these children have a shorter memory span therefore this issue causes
them to have difficulty in learning. Moreover they also believe that children deaf cannot study
science. The researchers found that 60% of these teachers have not had relevant training to teach
children deaf.
 With regard to obtaining work, Sajjad (2007) found that persons with disabilities were
given employment mainly due to the quota fixed for them. Pakistan established a 2%
employment quota for disabled individuals but this level is not fully implemented. The jobs
provided to people with disabilities have been characterized as low paying with low status and
fewer privileges. Mostly people with disabilities were hired as low-grade employees like an
office assistant, a person to run errands or be a messenger a computer operator, typist, and a
vocational teacher in schools for deaf persons or to work in advertising agencies. Other jobs
include working in the laundry of five star hotels, as a cook in five star hotels, and also as a
tailor doing embroidery, handicrafts or dress designing. The employees with disabilities had the
same duty hours as other non-disabled employees with no special provisions to provide them
barrier free environment at their jobs. The deaf employees faced a problem communication.
They also need environment, free of sound pollution, which was not provided in these
organizations.

The Social Emotional Adjustment of the Deaf Individuals in

Pakistan:

Waheed (2007) explored the effect of being deaf on a child’s personality and found that
the majority of deaf participants were resentful. However they did not show any signs of an
inferiority complex but the majority of them did not trust others. Waheed concluded that being
deaf in itself is not a cause of poor social adjustment and other psychological problems. Rather,
these problems are the outcomes of the communication gap that make a deaf child more at- risk
for having psychological problems like aggression, poor self-concept and low self-esteem than
the others in general population.

Husain (2003) reported poor self-image as well as poor social emotional adjustment of
individuals who are deaf. She collected data through interviews, anecdotal records and
questionnaire from 25 adolescents and 25 deaf adults. She explained that the cultural and social
factors like communication barriers, lack of understanding the nature and etiology of deafness,
illiteracy and poor policy implementations are the main causes of deaf people’s social isolation.
Husain also found a lack of confidence, increased anxiety and aggression, inferiority complexes,
a fear of failure and state of helplessness among individuals who are deaf. She stressed the
importance of sign language because she found that all of the participants preferred to use sign
language. Therefore Husain suggested that parents as well as teachers should be trained to sign.
She also indicated that her participants who reported that they were restless and stressed, related
these issues to the expectations of people that they should hear and speak.

Similarly, Umar and Muhammad (2007) concluded that adolescent deaf boys are suffering from
emotional problems such as anxiety, social immaturity, aggression and poor understanding of
their own as well as others emotions due to the inability to communicate and the unacceptable
attitudes of the society. Their study reveals that the dominating style of the parents may cause
confusion and poor decision in these boys. Here dominating style refers that parents take all
decisions related to their education, entertainment and social interaction themselves. Usually
they do not share the information in this regard with their deaf boys and do not give importance
to their opinion and wishes. Therefore, these adolescent boys were unsatisfied with their present
educational and job opportunities. On the other hand Saeed and Aslam (1996) found that over-
protective behavior of the parents may lead to anxiety, lack of confidence and social immaturity
in the deaf girls. Umar and Muhammad found that emotional education was missing in the
schools. Therefore they recommended the development of an emotional education program for
the deaf adolescent as according to Qaisar (1993) there is no special education program for
emotionally disturbed individuals in Pakistan.

Current Status of Special Education in Pakistan:

Pakistan is a signatory of the World Conference of Education for all (UNESCO, 1990),
Salamanca Declaration (UNESCO, 1994) and the Dakar Framework for Action of Education for
All (UNICEF, 2004). Therefore, presently Pakistan is actively pursuing this target of education
for all. This target cannot be achieved without including the children with disabilities in schools.
The Pakistan National Policy for Persons with Disabilities (2002) clearly indicates a shift from
segregated to an inclusive system of education that can improve the literacy rate as well as the
quality of education. Three Special Education Departments in the major universities (Punjab
University, Karachi University and Allama Iqbal Open University) of the country are conducting
researches to indicate the nature and possible solutions of the problems in the field of special
needs. These universities have become an important source of information about deaf education.
This research will also increase the awareness of the stakeholders. Much of this research has
been completed at the Master’s level but recently the studies are being conducted at Master of
Philosophy and Doctoral levels. This work is emerging and most is not published because they
are mater’s level work and the students have not had the support to publish. The most recent
studies showed that the schools are considering seriously offering science education to deaf
students (Mahboob & Ijaz, 2011). Further the parents, siblings and teachers of deaf children
have started to realize the importance of sign language that will minimize the communication
gap. In the result the social emotional adjustment of deaf children will be better and the concept
about deafness as a disorder will be reduced (Qurat-ul-Ain & Yaqub, 2011). The Important
issues like curriculum, the standardization of Pakistan Sign Language (PSL), teacher’s training,
awareness of stakeholders, provision of advanced assessment facilities and other assistive
technologies are under considerations by the Special Education Department of the Punjab
Government.

Pakistani Perspectives on Deafness:

Special educational affairs have been under the authority of Ministry of Health for many
years. Therefore the model of services provided has a medical orientation rather than an
educational one. Qaisar (1993) reported:

“People in the Ministry of Health are not educators and the administration of educational
programs suffer from their lack of expertise and experience” (p. 4).

In Pakistan the majority of people have traditional view of about deaf people
which is based on a pathological perspective or the medical model of the disability. This view is
far different from a cultural perspective which understands deaf people as having culture with a
unique language and not a disability (McLeod & Bently, 1996).

Moving from Medical Model of Disability to Cultural Model:

In 2004, the Department of Special Education of Pakistan was separated from the
Ministry of Health, Social Welfare & Special Education. Now it is known as the Ministry of
Social Welfare & Special Education. Keeping in view the current scenario of special education it
can be said that soon the Pakistani people will be able to understand that being disabled is not
being defective but rather a different way of being. In Pakistan the members of the deaf
community form a cultural minority. The Deaf community offers many deaf Pakistanis what
they could not find at home, easy communication and a positive identity. The Deaf community
is like a family for deaf persons (Husain, 2003). They use Pakistani Sign Language (PSL). They
share sorrows and joys with one another and marry each other (Husain, 2003). In Pakistan the
deaf community also transfers its knowledge, language and values to other deaf individuals
(Husain, 2003). However there is a lack of awareness among people (especially hearing people)
about the Deaf community as a culture. Hearing parents of students who are deaf stress that their
children need to learn to speak and ask their teachers not to use sign language with them.
However the Deaf community is becoming active in Pakistan and its members are helping to
change the traditional view of deaf people. Therefore, people are moving from the medical
perspective to the cultural model of disability (Husain, 2008). Moving from Hearing Impaired
to Deaf

Not only the view of the Pakistani people is being changing from a traditional perspective of
disability to a cultural perspective but they are also moving away from using the phrase “hearing
impaired” to deaf. The use of the phrase hearing impaired is criticized and rejected within the
Deaf culture movement, where the terms Deaf and hard of hearing are preferred.

Conclusions and Future Implications:

In short the perception of the people of Pakistan about deaf individuals is changing. This change
leads to the dire need for trained special education teachers, multi-professionals teams and
technological aids in the schools of deaf children. To facilitate this educational change, experts
should revise the curriculum for deaf children. Moreover, parents and teachers should be skilled
in sign language. At the government level parents, teachers and other community members
should be educated about deaf people’s strengths and their need for visual language, preferably a
natural sign language. The government should promote the inclusion of deaf adults in the
education of deaf children and make these role models available to hearing parents of deaf
children. The government could also engage in an advertising campaign designed to change
attitudes toward deaf education and deaf people. Furthermore, the Deaf community should be
given a voice in the development of deaf education and the promotion of sign language at the
national level.
 Q no.4

Define curriculum development in your own words. Also discuss the

curriculum development process in Pakistan.

Answer:

What is curriculum?
In simple words

A curriculum refers to a defined and prescribed course of studies, which students must fulfill in
order to pass a certain level of education.

Some influential definitions combining various elements to describe curriculum are as follows

  John Kerr: - According to John Kerr, a curriculum is planned and guided by the school,
whether it is carried on in groups, individually inside or outside the school.
 The curriculum is a total learning experience provided by the school. It includes the
content of courses (the syllabus), the method employed (strategies) and other aspects like norms
and values, which relate to the way schools are organized.
 Thus a curriculum is neither development nor a sequence of experiences. It is a plan for
facilitating learning for students.
 This plan starts with where the child is. It enumerates all the aspects and dimensions of
learning that are considered necessary. It gives a reason why such learning is considered
necessary and what educational aims it would serve.

Curriculum development:
Curriculum development in its word meaning stands for the development of the curriculum.

Rogers and Taylor:-

Curriculum development describes all the ways in which teaching or training organization plans
and guides learning. This learning can take place in groups or with individual learners. It can
take place inside or outside the classroom. It can take place in an institutional setting like school,
college, training center, or in a village or a field. It is central to the teaching-learning process.

Curriculum development is a process involving activities like

 Conceptualizing the curriculum,

 Selecting and organizing the content, material and learning experiences
 Suggesting the method and ways of providing these experiences
 Evaluating the learning outcomes in terms of attainment of desired educational
objectives.


PROCESS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN:

Before 1972, there was no permanent institution responsible for curriculum development in

Pakistan. Saeed (1977) noted that before this time, curriculum development was not visualized
as distinct, separate and specialized function. The entire curricular activity was carried out
through committees which were created for a specific purpose at a specific time and were
dissolved as soon as U1e task was over. To fulfill the gigantic task of curriculum revision and
further development, the National Bureau of Curriculum in Islamabad was reorganized and
strengthened in 1972. A primary feature which distinguished the education system in general
and curriculum in particular, however, in all four provinces of Pakistan, parallel Bureau of
Curriculum and Extension Wings were established in 1972 independently aimed at revising the
school curriculum in close collaboration with the Central Bureau of, Curriculum and Textbooks,
Islamabad, but the role of the Provincial Bureau of Curriculum and Extension Centre was
somewhat limited (Memnon 1989). The present processes of curriculum development are based
on the center-periphery approach which emphasizes achieving the desired objectives with the
formulation of aims and goals by the bureaucrats at the central level under the directives of the
education policy. The goals provide a platform for the development of curriculum and
textbooks. The provincial curriculum committees consist of concerned teachers, heads of
schools, teacher educators, subject experts and curriculum experts who work on the proposals.
After prolonged deliberation, the provincial committees formulate and tryout the draft and
arrange the test edition of the textbooks and training of teachers. After necessary amendment,
the modified provincial draft is placed before the national curriculum committee under the
control of central government for formulating a uniform draft for the whole country. It may be
noted that the central government is the only guiding and controlling authority in this matter,
and final approval is therefore, only sought from the central government. Therefore, the
textbooks and relevant instructional material are published in collaboration with the Provincial
Bureau of Curriculum and Extension Wings. In reality, the renewal of the curricula is either
based on 'arm chair research' or 'intuitive knowledge' of the so called experts of curriculum in
general or imported innovation from western countries in particular. In some cases, donor driven
innovations are also introduced and their impact on the improvement of education as a whole
has to be examined.

Under the current situation, the schools are effectively discouraged from devising and using
their own curriculum. Teachers are legally bound to use the printed books which are approved
by the relevant provincial Textbook Boards which acts as 'gatekeepers' to make sure that
prescribed books are in use in the schools. One of the Textbook Boards in its circular mentioned
that all the heads of schools, teachers, parents and students are requested to see that the
textbooks prepared and published under the 'authority of the Sindh Textbook Board alone are
purchased. And no book other than these is used in the classroom. This indicates that the
teachers' authority is restricted to use of the prescribed books in order to avoid running any risk
that students will not be specially prepared for the relevant examination which is all based on the
official syllabus. Public prestige and status of secondary schools is primarily based on the
relevant success of their students in the examination.

Q no.5

Discuss the check list by HEC for distance education institutions in Pakistan.

Answer:

ISLAMABAD:
Admissions for distance learning MPhil and PhD programmers have been suspended by the
Higher Education Commission (HEC) over a failure by 13 universities to meet HEC quality
standards.

HEC experts said that listed universities did not have the required faculties to teach MPhil and
PhD programmers. The experts had physically visited the universities and had evaluated relevant
documents in detail. Over 4,000 students are expected to be affected by this decision.

“Further admissions in any of the distance education programmers being offered by universities
are stopped immediately till finalization of recommendation by the committee,” read a letter
written to the universities by HEC Quality Assurance Division Consultant Muhammad Ismail.
Amongst complaints received by the HEC was that the student-attendance marking was not
transparent and that the universities did not provide a proper Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) course load.

“In some cases, [the] universities have not even got approval of their own statutory bodies,” and
that “weak HEC policies about distance learning” were being exploited.

Students currently enrolled in said programmers should be shifted to other disciplines in order
prevent losses, HEC has directed.

The list comprises the following universities:

 International Islamic University, Islamabad

 Virtual Campus of Comsats Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad

 University of Peshawar, Peshawar

 Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan

 Government College University, Faisalabad

 University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

 University of Faisalabad

 Islamia University, Bahawalpur

 Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan

 Sukkur IBA University

 Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur

 University of Sindh, Jamshoro

 University of Baluchistan, Quetta