dc.description.abstract |
Elementary education is a fundamental right of every child and has been duly
enshrined in our constitution. It is a bed-rock of the educational pyramid contributing
much towards socio-economic development of a country. The government at national
and regional level is trying to universalize it, but these efforts are thwarted because
the system is besetting with grave disparities in the provision of physical and material
facilities, male and female education, urban and rural areas and other qualitative and
quantitative aspects of elementary education particularly in the region of NWFP. Such
problems and issues have been identified in various policies and plans by the
government but the situation has not sufficiently improved. If elementary education
has been expanded, its quality still suffers for various reasons. The phenomena of
wastage in terms of dropouts, repetitions and failures still prevail which obstruct the
goal of universal elementary education.
Now the question arises as to what changes and improvements have been
made so far? What disparity still exists between the urban and rural schools, and what
priority was given by the government to the development of urban and rural schools?
These are some of the questions that have necessitated a thorough investigation into
the problem. The study is guided by the objectives of analyzing in depth the policy
initiatives, specific situation leading to disparity between male and female education
and between urban and rural elementary schools. The study also propose a long range
action plan (2001-2015) for universalization of elementary education, provision of
teachers, development of infrastructure and availability of financial resources.
The study conducted is expected to contribute with respect to influencing the
policy of the government by providing guide-lines to all concerned regarding
development of elementary education in the region. It is also expected to provide a
rationale for equitable distribution of physical and financial resources for the
development of elementary education. The study will hopefully facilitate thexx
implementation of a long range perspective plan (1998-2015) in the region and will
prove a useful document for researchers and other training institutions.
The study is descriptive in nature. Related to quantitative aspect of the
problem, which requires, statistical method. For this purpose, authentic statistical
reports issued by the government both at national and regional levels have been
analyzed. Two periods i.e 1995-96 and 2000-01 have been compared to ascertain the
progress or deficiency of these periods. Every item collected for analysis has been
worked out in percentage and interpreted accordingly. The study has also been
supported by a case study in the District Nowshera NWFP.
The researcher has advanced certain recommendations for bringing about
reforms and improvements in the system of elementary education in the region. The
areas of reforms are focused on bringing about qualitative and quantitative
improvement to minimize wastage and to increase enrolment. Besides, improvement
of physical facilities of elementary education, as a crucial problem has also
highlighted. In short, the determination of government, through political commitment
and liberal financial resources is a pre-requisite for achieving the goals. The same
issues have also been addressed in the case study in District Nowshera, NWFP. |
en_US |