Allama Iqbal open university, Islamabad.

Name: Rehana Kousar

Program/Level: MA Special Education
Adult Education in Comparative Perspective (847)
Title/Course :
Semester : Autumn 2022

Assignment -01
Q.1 Critically examine history of adult education in Pakistan.
Ans-
It is mandated in the Constitution of Pakistan to provide free and compulsory
education to all children between the ages of 5-16 years and enhance adult
literacy. With the 18th constitutional amendment the concurrent list which
comprised of 47 subjects was abolished and these subjects, including education,
were transferred to federating units as a move towards provincial autonomy.

The year 2015 is important in the context that it marks the deadline for the
participants of Dakar declaration (Education For All [EFA] commitment) including
Pakistan. Education related statistics coupled with Pakistan’s progress regarding
education targets set in Vision 2030 and Pakistan’s lagging behind in achieving
EFA targets and its Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) for education call for
an analysis of the education system of Pakistan and to look into the issues and
problems it is facing so that workable solutions could be recommended.

What is Education System?

The system of education includes all institutions that are involved in delivering
formal education (public and private, for-profit and nonprofit, onsite or virtual
instruction) and their faculties, students, physical infrastructure, resources and
rules. In a broader definition the system also includes the institutions that are
directly involved in financing, managing, operating or regulating such institutions
(like government ministries and regulatory bodies, central testing organizations,
textbook boards and accreditation boards). The rules and regulations that guide
the individual and institutional interactions within the set up are also part of the
education system.

Education system of Pakistan:

The education system of Pakistan is comprised of 260,903 institutions and is
facilitating 41,018,384 students with the help of 1,535,461 teachers. The system
includes 180,846 public institutions and 80,057 private institutions. Hence 31%
educational institutes are run by private sector while 69% are public institutes.

Analysis of education system in Pakistan

Pakistan has expressed its commitment to promote education and literacy in the
country by education policies at domestic level and getting involved into
international commitments on education. In this regard national education
policies are the visions which suggest strategies to increase literacy rate, capacity
building, and enhance facilities in the schools and educational institutes. MDGs
and EFA programmes are global commitments of Pakistan for the promotion of
literacy.

A review of the education system of Pakistan suggests that there has been little
change in Pakistan’s schools since 2010, when the 18th Amendment enshrined
education as a fundamental human right in the constitution. Problems of access,
quality, infrastructure and inequality of opportunity, remain endemic.

Issues
A) MDGs and Pakistan
Due to the problems in education system of Pakistan, the country is lagging
behind in achieving its MDGs of education. The MDGs have laid down two goals
for education sector:
Goal 2: The goal 2 of MDGs is to achieve Universal Primary Education (UPE) and
by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full
course of primary schooling. By the year 2014 the enrolment statistics show an
increase in the enrolment of students of the age of 3-16 year while dropout rate
decreased. But the need for increasing enrolment of students remains high to
achieve MDGs target. Punjab is leading province wise in net primary enrolment
rate with 62% enrolment. The enrolment rate in Sindh province is 52%, in Khyber
Pakhtunkhawa (KPK) 54% and primary enrolment rate in Balochistan is 45%.

Goal 3: The goal 3 of MDGs is Promoting Gender Equality and Women

Empowerment. It is aimed at eliminating gender disparity in primary and
secondary education by 2005 and in all levels of education not later than 2015.
There is a stark disparity between male and female literacy rates. The national
literacy rate of male was 71% while that of female was 48% in 2012-13. Provinces
reported the same gender disparity. Punjab literacy rate in male was 71% and for
females it was 54%. In Sindh literacy rate in male was 72% and female 47%, in KPK
male 70% and females 35%, while in Balochistan male 62% and female 23%.

B) Education for All (EFA) Commitment

The EFA goals focus on early childhood care and education including pre-
schooling, universal primary education and secondary education to youth, adult
literacy with gender parity and quality of education as crosscutting thematic and
programme priorities.

EFA Review Report October 2014 outlines that despite repeated policy
commitments, primary education in Pakistan is lagging behind in achieving its
target of universal primary education. Currently the primary gross enrolment rate
stands at 85.9% while Pakistan requires increasing it up to 100% by 2015-16 to
fulfil EFA goals. Of the estimated total primary school going 21.4 million children
of ages 5-9 years, 68.5% are enrolled in schools, of which 8.2 million or 56% are
boys and 6.5 million or 44% are girls. Economic Survey of Pakistan confirms that
during the year 2013-14 literacy remained much higher in urban areas than in
rural areas and higher among males.
Q.2 Discuss the role of adult education in national development.
Ans-

When we think of education, we usually associate it with the formal education of

children, adolescents, and young people. Although they are the primary
beneficiaries of education under international human rights law, adults are also
recognised rights-holders. The right to education is, like all other human rights,
universal and applies to everyone, irrespective of age.

According to international law, the aims of education include the ‘full

development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity’ and to ‘enable
all persons to participate effectively in a free society’. These aims (and the
other aims of education under international law) cannot be met through
education delivered exclusively to children. The right to education, therefore,
recognises the importance of education as a lifelong process. The early years are
considered foundational for lifelong learning, where each level of education lays
the building blocks for further education throughout a person’s life.

Adult education and learning is an integral part of the right to education and
lifelong learning, and comprises ‘all forms of education and learning that aim to
ensure that all adults participate in their societies and the world of work. It
denotes the entire body of learning processes, formal, non-formal and informal,
whereby those regarded as adults by the society in which they live, develop and
enrich their capabilities for living and working, both in their own interests and
those of their communities, organisations and societies’
(UNESCO Recommendation on Adult Learning and Education [2015]: Para. 1).

Adults may (re)enter education for a number of reasons, including to:

 replace missed or neglected primary and/or secondary education

 develop basic education skills, such as literacy and numeracy

 develop new vocational skills and expertise to adapt to changing labour

market conditions or to change career, or for continued professional
development

 continue learning for personal development and leisure

 participate fully in social life and in democratic processes

As well as the benefits accrued from the above, adult education benefits the
individual, by:

 being instrumental in the enjoyment of other human rights, for instance,

the rights to work, health, and to take part in cultural life and in the
conduct of public affairs

 empowering economically and socially marginalised adults to understand,

question and transform, through critical awareness, the sources of their
marginalisation, including lifting themselves out of poverty

 building the skills and knowledge necessary to participate in society

 facilitating active citizenship

Further, adult education and learning has wider economic, social, political, and
cultural benefits, most notably recognised in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development (2015) which has numerous targets on adult education, and to
which all states have committed.

Yet, despite states’ commitments to adult education, efforts to implement and

realise the right to education for adolescents, young people, and adults have been
neglected. This failure to fully implement adult education compounds historical
marginalisation because those most likely to benefit from adult education are
those who did not receive primary and/or secondary education in the first place.

At present, adult education, particularly non-formal education, including literacy

programmes, is generally the most underfunded level of education with few
countries spending the recommended 3% of their national education budget on
adult literacy and education programmes (UNESCO [2016] Reading the Past:
Writing the Future). As a consequence, adult education and learning is not
generally provided for free, the cost of which must be borne by the individual,
which acts as a prohibitive barrier in accessing adult education or is a financial
burden on already marginalised adults who have to pay to access an education
that was previously denied to them.

A fundamental element of the right to education is that it is accessible to all which

is why primary and lower secondary education is generally provided for free by
most states. The same principle applies to adult education and learning. However,
for adults it is different in that in addition to the state, there are market providers
(everything from yoga classes and cooking, to computer programming will be
offered by private providers), companies train and develop their staff, community
organisations create learning opportunities for their members, and the web offers
a range of free (MOOCs) and charged for learning programmes. A key
responsibility of states is to establish a legal and regulatory framework that
secures access to adult education and learning opportunities, particularly for
those from marginalised groups. Further, states have obligations under
international human rights law in relation to certain forms of adult education and
learning.

This page explores the various forms of adult education and lifelong learning for
which the state has specific legal obligations under international human rights
law, including: fundamental education, basic education, adult literacy
programmes, technical and vocational education and training, and higher
education. It also explores the right to education of older persons and adult
education as articulated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Q.3 Write comprehensive notes on the role of following in promotion of adult

education:
1. Allam aIqbal Open Univesity
2. Mosque schools
3. Village workshops

1. Allam aIqbal Open Univesity

The study was designed to investigate the role of Allama Iqbal Open
University (AIOU) in promoting education among rural women. The
study was conducted in Southern Punjab. The objective of the study
was;1) to identify the role of AIOU in promoting education among rural
women 2) To evaluate the role of tutors in promoting education among
rural women. It was descriptive research in nature and used survey
method for data collection. The Population of the study was consisted of
8387 female students and 422 tutors in Bahawalpur and Vehari region.
The researcher collected data through simple random sampling technique
from 308 female students and 177 tutors. Two separate questionnaires
were developed for students and tutors. The collected data was analyzed
with frequently used statistical techniques of frequency score, percentage
score and mean score. It was found that AIOU is playing an active role in
promoting education among rural female students, in facilitates in
different academic activities and through different administrative
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measures. Another finding of the study informed us that tutorial meetings

provide opportunities to the female student to interact with their fellow,
so that female rural students enhance their education. The study
concluded that tutors are playing an active role in tutorial meetings in
promoting female education through interaction among female rural
students.
Rural women
Education provides sound foundation for the progress of a
nation. Education is a source of transmitting culture from one generation
to next coming generations. The first revelation of the Holy Quran
begins with the verse, “Read with the name of Allah Who created man
out of a clot of congealed blood, Read and the Lord is the most
bountiful. He, who taught (use of) the pen, taught man which he knew
not (Al-Quran, 96: 1- 5). Ambica (2003) education is the knowledge of
putting ones’ abilities to make utilize it for the welfare of self and the
society. An educated person may use his/her abilities for the prosperity
of a nation at large. Din (1999) asserted that nobody can deny the
importance of education as education is tool for the development and
success of a country.
According to Yasunaga (2014) the categories of non-formal
education are: Vocational education, skill oriented education and
correspondence education. In correspondence education, the learning
material is sent to the learners through post. The course work and
assignments are sent to the students; they cover their course work and
solve their assignments at their free time. They send their assignments to
their tutors. The tutors mark these assignments and return them with
comments. Allama Iqbal Open University is providing distance and non-
formal education to the people of Pakistan within the country as well as
in the foreign countries.
Rashid (1998) describes that the future of Pakistan is its youth.
Rural youth especially rural women can play an important role in the
economic progress of the country. Rural women work for more than 14
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hours without any rest. No nation can develop without the development
of its home. The education of women has great significance. The
involvement of women is an effective mean for rural development. The
provision of education and training to female helps in rural
development.
Women empowerment is vital for gender equality. A woman is
said to be empowered if she is provided free access to material
resources, decent employment, political decision making, free choices
and legal rights, health facilities and quality education (Saigol, 2011)
Despite the increase in Pakistan’s literacy rate the educational
status of Pakistani women is still at the lowest in the world. Education
has been central significance in the development of human society.
Education is human right. It means no girl is to be excluded from school
irrespective of her country’s situation. The education of rural people is a
difficult task for the government, which is fulfilled through open and
distance institutions in Pakistan. Mahmood (2011) found that Pakistan is
facing a main challenge of majority of out of school children. A large
number of illiterates are from rural areas. He concluded that limited
availability of girls’ public schools in rural areas was the major barrier
towards poor female literacy rate. Old teaching methods and schooling
facilities were also the common reasons for low literacy rate in rural
areas of Pakistan.
Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is the first Open
University in Asia. It was established in 1974 and now has earned the
status of Mega University. AIOU is a Distance Education institution,
which provides multi-disciplinary education from basic education to
doctoral level programs. The university employs non-formal method of
correspondence, radio and television broadcasts, special textbooks and
reading materials prepared on self-learning basis, part-time tutors
available nearest to the student's residences. The university has more
than 43 regional campuses and centers in various parts of the country to
manage and assist decentralized system of education of the university.
The regional directors keep a roster of qualified teachers and experts in
each field of study in their area and enroll them as the university's part-
time tutors. The number of registered tutors with AIOU is more than
International Journal of Distance Education and E- Learning (IJDEEL) Volume

30,000. Each group of students is entrusted to a tutor for guidance.

Assignments written by the students are evaluated by the tutors and
returned to them, with remarks. The regional campuses also arrange
practical training, teaching practice, workshops and seminars and
facilitate holding of examinations in their own areas. (Vice Chancellor’s
report (2010-11).
AIOU is playing fundamental role in women empowerment and
the national development. More female students are being enrolled in
AIOU as compared to male. In 2011 total number of students enrolled in
Punjab was 849400. The ratio of female students was 59%, larger than
male students i.e. 41%. However, there are many problems regarding
female access to higher education i.e. restricted culture, poverty,
insecurity, marriage, unimportance of education, negative attitude of
parents and unawareness about distance education system. Therefore, an
incentive package for female students may be launched countrywide
especially for culturally restricted female learners of remote areas.
Jumani, Safdar, Bhatti and Ghazi (2013) stated that role of AIOU
in empowering women is notable and distance education seems to be a
blessing especially for females of rural areas, married and job holders.
Distance system of education has paved a way for getting higher
education for culturally constrained females.
Distance education is the process of teaching outside the
traditional classroom setting or teaching students from a
distance. Greenberg (1998) defines distance learning as a planned
teaching/learning experience that uses a wide range of technologies to
access learners at a distance and is devised to encourage learner
interaction and certification of learning. Teaster and Blieszner (1999)
say that the term distance education is applied to many instructional
methods: however, its primary distinction is this ration of teacher and
the learner with respect to space and time.
2. Mosque schools

The Qur’an, re-currently, urges the faithful to acquire knowledge that would bring
them closer to God and to His creation. Many verses command this act as
follows:

Say [unto them, O Muhammad]: Are those who know not? But only men of
understanding will pay heed (39: 9)

And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in the heavens and on earth:
behold, in that are signs indeed for those who reflect (45: 13)

The Qur’an uses repetition in order to imbed certain key concepts in the
consciousness of itlisteners.[1] Allah (God) and Rab (the Sustainer) are repeated
2,800 and 950 times respectively in the sacred text; Ilm comes third with 750
mentions.

The Prophet (Pbuh) commanded knowledge upon all Muslims, to seek it at all
times:

Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.”

“Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim male and female.”

“Whoso pursues the road of knowledge, God will direct him to the road of
Paradise. Verily, the superiority of a learned man over a mere worshipper is like
that of the full moon over all the stars!”

Again, leading by example, the Prophet made the first institution of Islam, the first
mosque he built in Madinah, into an institution of learning.

According to Al-Ghazali:

The Prophet regarded any day as lost in which he did not increase in that
knowledge that would draw him closer to his Lord.”

The Prophet of Islam, in the words of Scott, said:

Teach science; whoever teaches it fears God; whoever desires it adores God;
whoever speaks of it praises God; whoever diffuses it distributes alms; whoever
possesses it becomes an object of veneration and respect. Science preserves us
from error and from sin; it illuminates the road to Paradise; it is our protector in
travel, our confidant in the Desert, our companion in solitude. It guides us
through the pleasures and the sorrows of life; it serves us alike as an ornament
among our friends and as a buckler against our enemies; it is through its
instrumentality that the Almighty raises up those whom he has appointed to
determine the good and the true. The memories of such men are the only ones,
which shall survive, for their noble deeds will serve as models for the imitation of
the great minds that shall come after them.”[5]

Following these commands and traditions, Muslim rulers insisted that every
Muslim child acquired learning, and they gave considerable support to institutions
and learning in general.

It was this great liberality [says Wilds] which they [the Muslims] displayed in
educating their people in the schools which was one of the most potent factors in
the brilliant and rapid growth of their civilisation. Education was so universally
diffused that it was said to be difficult to find a Muslim who could not read or
write.”[6]

The blessings of education’ could not be enjoyed by the children of the most
indigent peasant, and in Cordova were eight hundred public schools frequented
alike by Moslems, Christians, and Jews, and where instruction was imparted by
lectures. The Spanish Muslim received knowledge at the same time and under the
same conditions as the literary pilgrims from Asia Minor and Egypt, from
Germany, France, and Britain.”[7]

And in the great Muslim Mosque of Cordova, Scott maintains, both Jews and
Christians attained to acknowledged distinction as professors.[8] So high was the
place of learning that both teachers and pupils were greatly respected by the
mass of the population; and the large libraries ‘collected by the wealthy landed
and merchants showed that learning—as in the Italian Renaissance (six hundred
years later)—was one of the marks of a gentleman.’\

In scarcely any other culture [Pedersen holds] has the literary life played such a
role as in Islam. Learning (ilm), by which is meant the whole world of the intellect,
engaged the interest of Muslims more than anything…. The life that evolved in
the mosques spread outward to put its mark upon influential circles everywhere.”

Every place, from the mosque to the hospital, the observatory, to the madrassa
was a place of learning. Scholars also addressed gatherings of people in their own
homes. Al-Ghazali, al-Farabi, and Ibn Sina, amongst many more, after teaching in
public schools, retired to their private libraries and studies, and continued
teaching `those fortunate enough to be invited.’]

This universality and thirst for knowledge were unique in those days and for quite
long after. The mosque played a leading role in this. For Tibawi the association of
the mosque with education remains one of its main characteristics throughout
history For Scott, the school became an indispensable appendage to the mosque.
From the start, the mosque, Wardenburg explains, was the centre of the Islamic
community, a place for prayer, meditation, religious instruction, political
discussion, and a school. And anywhere Islam took hold, mosques were
established and basic instruction began. Once established, such mosques could
develop into well known places of learning, often with hundreds, sometimes with
thousands of students, and frequently contained important libraries. By 900
nearly every mosque had an elementary school for the education of both boys
and girls. Children usually started school at five, one of the first lessons in writing
was to learn how to write the ninety-nine most beautiful names of God and
simple verses from the Qur’an. After the rudiments of reading and writing were
mastered, the Qur’an was then studied thoroughly and arithmetic was added. For
those who wanted to study further, the larger mosques, where education was
more advanced, offered instruction in Arabic grammar and poetry, logic, algebra,
biology, history, law, and theology. Although advanced teaching often took place
in madrassas, hospitals, observatories, and the homes of scholars, in Spain,
teaching took place mostly in the mosques, starting with the Cordova mosque in
the 8th century

3. Village workshops
Behavioral Consultations for School Districts – In her work with both parents and
school districts across Long Island, Dr. Vishnia has established time and again
productive and successful processes in which students can become successful and
are able to reach their full potential. We pride ourselves on creating an
atmosphere of cooperation and team work in helping students be the best they
can be, while helping team members generate creative and practical solutions to
common behavioral challenges.
Training Workshops for both parents and professionals (psychologists, teachers,
school administrators, speech therapists, aides) are available in a variety of topics.
These include (but are not limited to) social skills training, behavioral difficulties of
children, bullying and bully-proofing, stress management and more
Q.4 Criticaly analyze characteristics of adults in adult education. Also discuss
distinguishing features of adult education with teaching of children
Ans-
Learners differ in many ways, from gender to culture to previous education. It's
important to be aware of these factors when teaching. However adult learners do
share similar traits which impact their learning:

Here's a list of characteristics common to many, but not all, adult learners.

1. Less flexible thinking

Adults are more reluctant to change because their thinking has become more rigid
due to life experiences. It's important to explain why making these specific changes is
important and how the changes will help them, the team, company, etc.

In addition, linking new ideas to their existing beliefs and ideas is a good way to get
them onboard and optimise learning.

2. Self-direction

Adults prefer to have control over their learning because they hold themselves
accountable for their lives and their decision-making - they take responsibility for
their own achievements or failures at learning.

Therefore, self-directed learning is preferred because adults can control the content
of their learning and how they learn. Adult learners need to:

 Be challenged and think about their learning

  Self-assess and reflect
 Be given the right level of support - some of this will be from the materials
provided, such as extra reading etc.
 Be provided with options and choices

3. Practical and outcome-focused

Adults prefer information that can be practically applied and information that
improves their performances because they are goal-orientated. It's important to
create a learning environment which consists of practical and hands-on content,
rather than just theory.

4. Use personal experiences

Adults learn better when they are able to link previous experiences with new ones
and adults trust new concepts more when they have been based on previous
knowledge attained. This is because, as aforementioned, adults already have lots of
experience and existing frameworks which are concrete to them.

First find out what they know and fit new knowledge into this by, for example, using
analogies and examples they are familiar with. Norma and Schmidt (1992) created a
three-step procedure to explain how the connections made between new and old
information can lead to learning and improved memory retention:

1. Elaboration - we find the links between new information and previous

knowledge.
2. Refinement - we go through the information to retain the things that we
understand and which we think are important.
3. Restructuring - new schemata (knowledge maps which help us interpret
information in our environment) are formed which subsequently allow us to
learn.

5. Readiness to learn
Adults want to learn things they need to know in order to do their job or deal with
situations better. Adults want to learn what they can apply and use immediately in
their current day-to-day activities, and are less focussed on training focussed on the
future.

The less the training is focussed on the now, the harder it will be to engage adult
learners.

6. Slower learning but more knowledgeable

Aging does slow down the learning process for adults. However their depth of
experience and knowledge increases over time, varying considerably with the type of
job they do and extracurricular work.

Q.5 Why civic education in important in adult education? Discuss.

Ans-
Each of us should strive to be a citizen that is actively involved in our governance. Civic
education is not limited to participation in politics and society, it also encompasses
participation in classrooms, neighborhoods, groups and organizations. In civics,
students learn to contribute to public processes and discussions of real issues.
Students can also learn civic practices such as voting, volunteering, jury service, and
joining with others to improve society. Civics enables students not only to study how
others participate, but also to practice participating and taking informed action
themselves.

Civic education empowers us to be well-informed, active citizens and gives us the

opportunity to change the world around us. It is a vital part of any democracy, and
equips ordinary people with knowledge about our democracy and our Constitution.
For example, voting is a major responsibility every citizen should take advantage of.

The Tennessee Secretary of State has several resources available for folks who are
looking to become more engaged as well as resources for those looking to learn more
about our government. Click here to learn more about the branches of state and
federal governments.
Citizenship

As a citizen, we are required to follow the laws of the federal, state, and local
government. If we disagree with a law or think public policy could be improved, it’s a
great opportunity to get involved and have a voice in our government.

Across the state thousands are doing their part to become a citizen of the United
States and Tennessee. Since 2003, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Coalition has worked to empower immigrants and refugees throughout Tennessee to
develop a unified voice, defend their rights and be recognized as positive contributors
to the state. For many aspiring citizens, the path to citizenship is long, expensive, and
complicated. TIRRC assists eligible individuals to become citizens through application
assistance workshops, where folks get one-on-one attention from volunteers and
attorneys who help them complete the paperwork.