COMPARISON WITH OTHER EDUCATION SYS

Education plays a vital role in the progress of a country. Quality education has a positive
impact on the country. The more the literacy rate of the country more will be the
prosperity in the country and vice versa. Educated people build strong nations by
providing different professionals in the field of medical sciences, politics, engineering,
business, and many more. These professionals provide benefits to their country and the
world also gets benefits from them. If we talk about the literacy rate of Pakistan, it's
about 58.9%. But the questions arise:

 How many people are actually Educated?

 How effective is our Education System?

 Are the Educated community providing benefits to the country?

 Is there any need to update the current Education System?

 What steps should be taken to improve this system?

I will answer these questions later in this article. Before that, let’s discuss the Traditional
Education System of Pakistan in more depth.

Education System of Pakistan:

The Education System of Pakistan comprises the following parts:

 Primary (Grade 1-5)

 Middle (Grade 6-8)

 Matriculation (Grade 9-10)

 Intermediate (Grade 11-12)

 Under Graduation (4 years)

 Graduation (2 years)
This is based on Industrial Revolution Era where the main focus was to produce
employees to work in industries. Till now this system is producing employees but now
the time has changed. This is the age of Information which started in the 1970s. Today
we need Creative minds, Entrepreneurs, and Leaders. But as our Educational System is
focused on memorizing things, IQ, and cramming, we are lacking these talented
persons. On average the students complete their Undergraduate Degrees at the age of
about 22-24. After this education, they have no experience in practical work. Without
any skill, they come to the market where competition is always high and they failed to
secure a good job for themselves resulting in depression, stress, and other Mental
health issues.

Here cramming is considered a sign of Intelligence, which is the traditional thought.

Nowadays we do not need to cram things because we can just search about anything
and can get as much information as we want. So, our main focus should need to be
changed.

Let’s go through the Education Systems of different countries to understand how we can
implement these policies in our system to update it.

Education System of Finland:

The literacy rate in Finland is 100%. Their education started at the age of 7. There
are not any exams except for one that is at the end of senior year in high school. This
can be a reason for the success of this system. No comparison is made between
students. They have accepted the fact that everyone has one’s own skill, and everyone
is special. They also focused on curriculum activities. After learning for 45 minutes,
there are 15 minutes of play to relax the minds of students.

Let’s have a look at the structure of Finland's Education System. There are 5 stages in
this system.

Early Education 

It is provided to children at the age of 7, just before compulsory education.

a. Pre-Primary Education

It is provided for children in the year preceding the beginning of compulsory

education.

b. Secondary Education
 This is compulsory education. It includes 9 years of primary education and lower
secondary education.

c. Upper Secondary Education

This can be general upper secondary education or vocational education and

training.

d. Higher Education

This is the higher education which is provided by universities.

So this was the brief structure of the Finnish Education System. After this quality
education, they are well-trained and ready to play a vital role in the progress of their
country. Their syllabus is designed in such a way that they can compete with the
present world. They feel confident to start their practical life and start hardworking to
improve their skills.

Education System of Japan:

The literacy rate in Japan is 99%. The Education System of Japan is up-to-date. They
didn’t take any exams of their students until they reach the age of 10. Because the goal
is to develop good habits and establish their character. The success of this system is
based on many factors but the few important factors are:

 Top-Notch Teaching Staff

 Outstanding Parental Support

 Incentives for students who take challenging courses

The average Japanese Student completes his Bachelor’s at the age of 22. The age is
the same as in Pakistan but their Students are trained well to be part of society and their
skills were polished before they come to compete in the market.

Japan has high standards of education. Their students can compete on an International
level. They are providing them top quality skills and knowledge. They are also educating
their nation ethically.

Education System of United Kingdom:

The literacy rate in United Kingdom is 99%. The Education System of United
Kingdom has 4 main parts:

 Primary Education

 Secondary Education

 Further Education

 Higher Education

The unique thing about this system is that their universities are in the top ranks globally.
The National Curriculum also ensures that children receive an excellent education in a
wide range of subjects and sets standards for what children should achieve in each
subject. It also ensures that elementary and middle school children are learning the
same things. Just like other top education systems this system also focused to make
society better by providing high-quality education and securing the career of their youth.

The above-mentioned countries are all developed, let’s discuss the education system of
India which is considered a developing country.

Education System of India:

The literacy rate in India is 81% which is far more than Pakistan. Their education
system ranks 33 in the world whereas Pakistan is at 50. This system has four levels
which are:

 Lower Primary (5 years)

 Upper Primary (2 years)

 High School (3 years)

 Higher Secondary (2 years)

And after that, they can complete their graduation from university. At the age of 21-22,
their students complete their graduation. Their system and courses have many
similarities with Pakistan. The unemployment rate has reached 7.8% there.
The reasons for that are more population, defective education system, unskilled
workforce, etc. Their system also focuses more on learning instead of practical work.
This can be the main reason for categorizing India as a developing country, but India
has gone too far in the field of Information Technology. Their youth has understood the
fact that if they want to keep pace with this world then they have to make progress in
the field of Information. but the Indians really work hard to prove themselves.

After the brief overview of the Education Systems of different countries, let’s discuss the
questions that were left unanswered intentionally and I will answer them as per my
knowledge.

How many people are actually Educated?

Apart from the 58.9% literacy rate, are we really educated after 14 or 16 years of study?

The answer to this is “NO”. Our system is just producing degree holders with zero
experience, zero motivation, and no hope to land a secure job to polish their skills. They
are unable to handle society's pressure. This is the result of the lack of career
counseling opportunities in our country. We are stuck in the fields of medical and
engineering like there is no 3rd option. We are unable to know what’s the thing in which
we are the best. 

I’m feeling embarrassed to say this but we are also uneducated morally. We are far
behind nations like Japan and UK in moral values. Well if you want to see high moral
values, honesty, integrity, and humanity in Pakistan then you should visit the country in
the Holy month of Ramadan. These issues are there because we need to update our
system. We need to educate our nation in the true sense. 

How effective is our Education System?

Recently a coding competition was arranged by Google and the results of this
competition were shocking. According to a report Pakistan ranks in the 1336th position.
Where India and Bangladesh secured 6th and 29th positions respectively. Pakistan
produces about 25000 to 30000 Computer Science Graduates every year. There are
many other students who are not enrolled in universities and complete studies privately
or taking short courses. This is a huge amount but still, we were in the 1336th position
just because of lack of effectiveness in our education system. Our primary student is
learning “What is a Keyboard?”,” What is Mouse?”, and “What is Printer?” So, how can
we compete at the International level where standards of education are already too
high?

The world is constantly making progress in the field of Information Technology and my
country is far behind in this race. Very strong AI software has been developed, Robots
are working like humans, and many companies have established automation systems.
And we are just waiting for new inventions to happen and not contributing anything.

This is the progress in the field of IT only. In other fields, like engineering, medicine, and
business the situation is quite similar.

Are the Educated community providing benefits to the country?

Only a few of them are working for the progress of their country. Many of the youth are
leaving Pakistan after Graduation because of lack of job opportunities. They are our
youth, the strength of our country. According to a report more than 765000
professionals left Pakistan in the year 2022. And as per the present condition, this
number may increase at the end of 2023. Those professionals are working for the
progress of foreign countries. It is important for Pakistan to address this issue and work
towards creating a more conducive environment for talent development. This could
include investing in education and training programs, improving employment
opportunities and working conditions, and creating a more stable and secure political
and economic environment. Note that some professionals choose to work abroad, while
others are forced to leave their home country due to economic, political, or social
instability.

Is there any need to update the current Education System?

Well, there is definitely a need to update our traditional Education System as we are not
in the age of the Industrial Revolution. There is a demand for skilled professionals out
there more than before. The current education system is not effective in producing well-
organized, confident, determined, and disciplined professionals. The syllabus is
outdated. Our youth is suffering from this for the past many years. If our Government
will not consider this issue then maybe in the near future we will demolish the spirit,
courage, and hope of our youth. It will also have a negative impact on the economy of
Pakistan. If we really want to stand in a good position in this revolutionary world, then
it’s the need of today to keep our system up-to-date.
What steps should be taken to improve this system?

From my point of view, the following steps must be taken to improve our education
system:

a. Updated Syllabus

The Government should consider a change in the syllabus for students. An

updated syllabus that can give a better understanding of finance, business, and
other fields. Practical knowledge should be provided to the students about how
things work at the industrial level.

b. Career Counseling

Career counseling is a must for students to make their choice of career better.
This can help them to understand their skills. Many students even at university
level are just following the flock and they don’t know what are they learning what
is the scope of that specific field.

c. Increasing Passing Percentage

The passing percentage in Pakistan is 40% till the secondary education level and
this percentage increases to 50% at the university level. This should be 50% at
all levels so the students have the mindset from the beginning. This will also
encourage students to put in their efforts.

d. Providing Quality Education

The quality of education in the public sector should be increased. Government

should hire more qualified teachers with affordable fees. This will discourage the
private sector in which most of the institutes are doing business instead of
providing education.

Conclusion:
Finally, I would say that our Government should take the education systems of
developed countries as standards and try to implement their policies which can make
our hollow system better. This cannot be done overnight but every step counts. And this
can be a proven way to the way of the progress of our country. The students of
developed countries have a very important role in making their country prosper.

Our youth should also need to learn the skills that are in demand. We should not
become a bookworm rather we should know the concept of what are we studying.