Education failure in Sindh

on 04/07/2017

A truth which costs the writer its job!

For a decade, we have been boasting about grand education-sector reforms in Sindh. But things are not improving. Half of the schools in the province are still without basic facilities such as drinking water, electricity, toilets and furniture, etc. even though in every year`s budget documents, there is always a special mention about providing such essentials. Institutional inefficiencies and vested interests continue to plague the education sector.The second Sindh Education Sector Reform Project (SERP-II), a five-year plan with a total budget of $400 million, is about to complete its full cycle by the end of the current month. To everyone`s dismay, achievements under SERP-II are pretty much the same as they were at the end of SERP-I. We have not only squandered money, a World Bank loan, but have also lost time. Broadly, the project sets two main targets: increase school participation at the primary, middle and secondary levels, and improve students` learning outcomes. Specific targets included an increase in net enrolment at the primary level (six-10 years) from 61.6 per cent to 67pc, at the middle level (11-13 years) from 35.7pc to 40pc, and at matriculation (14-15 years) from 23.1pc to 26pc. These baselines were developed according to the Pakistan Living Standards Measurement Survey 2010-11. According to the latest PLSM data for the year 2014-15, released in 2016, there is no significant improvement in the above indicators. The government of Sindh may question the reliability of the data but it still would not be able to absolve itself of its due share of blame because the same source of data was used to design the baselines.

Another crucial indicator is the quality of education, where the situation does not look promising either. In 2012, the provincial education department started assessing the performance of students of Class 5 and 8 in three subjects: languages (English, Urdu, and Sindhi), Math and Science. These assessments were done though a third party, the Institute of Business Administration, Sukkur. Since then, the Standardised Achievement Test (SAT) is carried out across the province on an annual basis. To date, four assessments have been carried out. Again, the results are very disturbing. Overall, the provincial average score in languages for Class 5 was 32 pc and for Class 8 it was 37 pc, while the average score for Math and Science was around 24 pc for both classes.

The performance of the education department has been pathetic and there is no sign of improvement. Can this department, which received 18-20 pc of a share in the provincial budget, even justify its existence? Yet it would be unfair to not mention some positive developments, such as the biometric verification of all employees of the education department and the establishment of a directorate for monitoring and evaluation, amongst a few other things. Unfortunately, these small gains are being squandered. Some employees who were in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau on corruption charges, and submitted to `voluntary return` have not only been reinstated but even promoted. Further more, absent and irregular employees (identified as a result of the biometric exercise), whose salaries had been frozen, are now being facilitated in getting their salaries before Eid. The political leadership is eyeing the upcoming general elections, so its top priority is to consolidate its vote bank. And officers are so wedded to their posts that they are happy to find any ways and means to oblige the leadership.

Sindh cannot progress without an educated and skilled labour force. Who will fix it, and how? There is a no simple answer. First, understanding is required as to where the fault lies. Only sincere and honest efforts can steer us out of the education crisis. While working for international aid agencies, NGOs and the government of Sindh, I have observed a strong network of vested-interest parties. The situation has plummeted with the involvement of huge funds and poor accountability mechanisms. Whenever someone dares ask critical questions, all opposing forces come together to silence it. Therefore, to begin with, it is essential that the nexus be understood and exposed. Currently, plans are being made to get approval for SERP-III. Would this be wise after the failure of SERP-I and II? Why do we even need a loan when we fail to spend our own funds? Given the poor quality of service delivery by the education department, it would be prudent to put our own  house in order first. Is anyone listening? I doubt it. No one appears concerned about the education of Sindh`s poor; all the “haves” have withdrawn their stakes from the public education system. –

(The writer Asghar Soomro was posted as Communication Specialist in Reform Support Unit (RSU) of the Education Department Sindh. His article appeared in Dawn).

Naseer Memon to join CSR Engro Power Generation

on 04/07/2017

Naseer Memon, an engineer by education has been appointed as General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Engro Power Gen Ltd. Mr. Naseer Memon has been working as the Chief Executive SPO for over seven years. Engro has a robust CSR program focusing the people and areas of Sindh’s Thar Desert which houses vast reserves of coal being mined for power generation. Mr. Memon is also voluntarily President of Friends of Indus Forum and is associated with Indus Resource Centre (IRC) as the Member Board of Directors. He is the Fellow, Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) International, Technical Advisor, Pakistan Network of Rivers, Dams and People (PNRDP) and Member/Director Energy Conservation Fund, ENERCON. Previously, Mr. Naseer was associated as Provincial Coordinator-Sindh with LEAD Pakistan, Regional Manager of Sindh and Balochistan coastal areas program at WWF, Community Development Officer PREMIER-KUFPEC and Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) Jamshoro, Sindh. Mr. Memon has also represented on various bodies/committees of governmental and non-governmental organizations. He was member of the Research Committee of the World Bank supported Water Sector Improvement Project of the government of Sindh, member of the Provincial Program Steering Committee of the World Bank supported National Drainage Project (NDP) and member of the Steering Committee of the National Environmental Action Plan of the Government of Pakistan.In addition, Mr. Naseer Memon is the recipient of Make the Difference Award – Premier Oil International, 2003 and Best Writer on Environmental Issues – Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, 1999.

OBE and Cooperative Learning in Engineering Institutions

on 03/07/2017

In the present time, universities, education regulators and teachers are involved in much discussion on how to best prepare engineers for future jobs in the industry. In this regard, questions such as “Should industry standards be taught as a discipline for its own sake or for the body of knowledge, skills and values to be derived from it (or both)?” and “Are projects executed during study as part of curriculum sufficiently providing the students exposure required to deliver on real-world job projects?” remain central issues in shaping the approach of teachers and policy makers alike. To address these questions, approaches such as Outcome Based Education (OBE) and Cooperative Learning are already in practice in developed countries. These approaches provide opportunities for promotion and adoption of best practices, developing linkages with industry, stimulation of innovation and diversity in engineering education in keeping pace with changing scenario of the world. OBE is an advanced model of education focused on achieving goals through approaches of Problem Based Learning (PBL), Linking Programme Learning Objectives and Outcomes, and Course Learning Outcomes. It is high time that efforts be taken for implementation of OBE based system in all engineering programs as “it is high time we must move forward from the old methods of education”. Benefits of OBE system includes more directed and coherent curriculum, graduates produced will be more “relevant” to industry needs and other stakeholders (more well-rounded graduates), and Continual Quality Improvement (CQI) becomes an inevitable consequence. Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) is trying its best to regulate the profession of engineering along international standards and has arranged several training programms on OBE based systems over last four to five years. PEC became a provisional member of the Washington Accord (an international agreement for accrediting undergraduate engineering degree programmes) in 2010 and is taking all efforts to become its permanent member. Under the guidance, and support of PEC, a very few engineering institutions of the country have embarked upon the OBE system for their selected engineering programs. Its implementation requires some additional resources and big efforts for regular faculty training. However, the benefits of Co-operative learning is still unknown in this part of world. The idea of Co-operative learning is to intertwine academic and practical training in an architecture that puts equal emphasis on theoretical knowledge as well as skills required for practical jobs. By introducing mandatory placements in companies and merging them in to study cycle of a degree course, future graduates could be better prepared for jobs nationally and internationally. Co-operative learning also promotes social and academic relationships well beyond the classroom and individual course creates environments where students can practice building leadership skills. There is a great need for HEC and PEC to jointly organize a workshop in this regard to eulogize its benefits and must take steps for implementation of cooperative learning in the engineering education of the country resulting in improved job perspectives for future graduating engineers.

KARACHI CIRCULAR RAILWAY-: Work to start in December 2017

on 03/07/2017

Groundbreaking ceremony of Karachi Circular Railway – part of China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – will be held by year end, said Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah. Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved the project and we intend to start work on it by end December, he said. Shah, accompanied by CMs of Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber had attended PM Nawaz Sharif’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Prime Minister Li Kaqiang in Beijing to participate in the OBOR forum in May .Discussing project details, Sindh CM said his government had proposed two projects – Karachi Circular Railway and Keti Bundar – under CPEC framework. We have completed KCR’s feasibility in three months and had submitted it to federal government in March 2017, he added. Sindh government stands shoulder to shoulder with federal government on Pak-China friendship and CPEC projects, said the CM.

PM okays LNG Plant near Rahim Yar Khan

on 03/07/2017

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has allowed raising an LNG (liquid natural gas) power plant. He decided this presiding over a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCE). He deferred two agenda items relating to circular debt and load management plan but took interest in a presentation for setting up of a major power plant on what was called `Bhikki model`.At a previous CCE meeting, Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif had noted that Rahim Yar Khan’s 1,200MW coal based project had been shelved. He asked that the project will be revived after converting it into an LNG plant.PM had directed Water and Power Ministry to evaluate reviving the project after converting it into a LNG plant and whether or not it could be included in projects coming under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).So while Ministry’s evaluation was still awaited, CEO Punjab`s Quaid-i- Azam Thermal Co, Ahad Cheema, made a presentation on the subject. He proposed that a new LNG based project should be launched on  `Bhikki model` and NEPRA (National Electric Power Regulatory Authority)  be asked to give a reference tariff for bidding. The tariff could be adjusted on the basis of bidding.Interestingly, the Bhikki plant has been facing technical and mechanical problems since inauguration by PM in April. The PM had approved the scheme in principle but said the new plant should be situated near main gas pipeline so that expenditures were kept to a minimum, unlike the Nandipur plan. According to a source neither did Cheema mention the proposed location of the project nor did PM asked him to do so. But it was clear from proceedings of CCE`s meetings that LNG project would be located near Rahim Yar Khan. Power ministry would now be required to move a summary to cabinet for approval.Sources said that two coal based projects of 1,200MW to 1,320MW capacity originally planned for Rahim Yar Khan and Muzaffargarh were removed from CPEC list for investments in Diamer- Bhasha dam. An official said a ministerial committee led by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and comprising ministers and secretaries of Petroleum and Power Ministries that was set up to analyse demand and supply situation of projects being erected for up to September 2018 had completed its work.The PM asked the committee to continue working on plan for period ending in 2023. The committee would submit its report in August this year.The meeting was also briefed on utilising idle capacity of independent power plants under litigation in light of consultation with the law ministry.An official statement said the PM directed that changes be made in scheduled outages of power plants for repair and maintenance from summer to winter season in a way that maximum electricity was provided when most required during months of peak demand. CCE unanimously decided that during Ramazan no power shutdown would be done for development work. It was also decided that increase in use of electricity appliances due to economic prosperity and behaviour patterns of power consumers, be included in estimating projected demand.