Combining Education and Work; Experiences in Asia and Oceania: Pakistan.

Overview & Synopsis

In Pakistan, academic education is a luxury. Instead, education must be geared to production, solving practical problems, and promoting national development. Since 1951, Pakistan has attempted to bring work and education together and to throw off the structural and attitudinal restrictions of a foreign educational system which strangled tradition, creativity, and initiative. The government's on-going efforts to integrate general and technical education are reflected in the establishment of Agricultural Training Institutions, Vocational Institutes for both sexes, and the Agro-Technical Education Project, which has introduced compulsory vocational education to 1200 schools in the general school system in order to make general education production-oriented. In grades 6-8 in participating schools, one-fifth of school time is devoted to pre-vocational training. In grades 9-10 more specific vocational education is provided in over 60 subjects. Furthermore, the establishment of 26 Polytechnic Schools (one for women) and two Swedish-Pakistani Institutes of Technology has greatly expanded technician training in the country. Admission is by merit to the institutes which teach both technical and management principles in 21 areas. Work and education are combined outside the formal education system in agricultural extension programs, factory on-the-job training, and functional literacy programs. (SB)