Rabia Nusrat and Baela Raza Jamil
Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, Pakistan
Paper for presentation at 9th UKFIET International Conference on Education and
Development 11 – 13 2007 Going for Growth? School, Community, Economy, Nation
Oxford, UK
Over the past few years, emergency responses have gradually been changing.
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While food, shelter and water remain as mandatory requirements in such situation, they are clearly seen as being insufficient, meeting only basic human needs and having little effect on restoration of dignity and even less sense of purpose. Education is now clearly viewed as the “ fourth pillar” , alongside the pillars of nourishment, shelter and health services
(Norwegian Refugee Council et. al.1999: 26; Midttun, 2000a: 3–4; ICWAC, 2000: 9).
In emergency situations, such as the aftermath of a natural disaster, children, women and the disabled are the most vulnerable, with their world suddenly transforming, leaving them with an irresolute future.
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Experiences of such calamities affect children physically and/or psychologically; many of them are injured, are separated from families, are without any shelter and may face sexual or physical harassments (UNICEF, 2006).
Education, in the aftermath of such misfortunes, plays a very significant healing role in revitalizing and reconnecting the affected children.
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Delimited by uncertainties, under these conditions a school serves as a central platform towards stability and predictability, not only for the child, but his/her family’s life, infusing a sense of emotional and social normalcy for all those associated with the institution.
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Schools also become channels of communication promoting messages on health, hygiene, protection and citizenship for the affected communities, teaching them the much needed new life skills (Anderson et. al
2006). Moreover, children in crisis, who have gained useful knowledge and skills through quality education, are better prepared to contribute to the process of rebuilding their own lives, that of their communities and wider social structures.
South Asia faces many different types of emergencies; natural disasters such as floods , droughts or earthquakes are frequent in this area (Mathieu, 2006). Whereas education is seen as a “central pillar” in humanitarian response, the sector itself is also affected in such calamities. Education was deeply affected by the earthquake which hit Gujrat, India in 2001, by Tsunami in 2004 which deeply effected three countries in South Asia.( ibid,
2006) and by earthquake in Pakistan, AJK & India in 2005. For developing countries
1 http://www.ockenden.org.uk/index.asp?id=975
2 NPA for the Rehabilitation of the Most Vulnerable Population in Earthquake Affected
Areas of Pakistan: MoSW&SE & ERRA, 2006
3 http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-
URL_ID=15623&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
4 http://www.unicef.org.nz/school-room/education/emergencies.html
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like Pakistan, any such occurrence is not only a strain on the already stretched education budget lines, but also has dire consequences for future generations. In these countries , where the education sector remains in a state of silent emergency, situations like these ironically can be considered as an opportunity to build better systems, bridging the gaps in access, quality of education as well as gender parity.
The devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005 in the northern districts of Pakistan including Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) left 73,000 people dead, 70,000 injured, and another 2.8 million without shelter.
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There has been a strong focus on education in the earthquake response in Pakistan as explained by the scale and nature of the devastation within the sector : many thousands of children who died perished at school, as school buildings collapsed( Anderson et. Al, 2006 ). This grave picture became an effective appeal for agencies with a child-focused mandate. At the same time, the Emergency Cell, later the Transitional Relief Cell, and the Pakistan Earthquake Reconstruction and
Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) set up by the government to coordinate the response, identified education as a priority sector at an early stage ( ibid, 2006 ).
Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) or Centre for Education and Consciousness , in the capacity of a non-state provider, has been working for the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the education sector in AJK region since November 2005. Extending its work across 250 schools at primary, middle and secondary levels, covering almost 35,000 beneficiaries through systemic and policy based approaches, it has accumulated an invaluable experience of innovations and lessons learnt. With a focus on a holistic basis for education and learning processes, ITA clearly saw itself as an interim technical and humanitarian support agency, until the people and government of AJK recovered from the current crisis to take forward their own progress. It was indeed a humbling moment for ITA, when it was selected as one of the few NGOs to be the recipient of an Award from the Prime Minister of AJK on behalf the people of AJK.
This paper would focus on the interventions of non-state providers in general and ITA in particular through a project entitled Enabling Rehabilitation Though Education from
2005-2007
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in the AJK region, a contested area since 1947 having a unique political economy. The first section of the paper draws attention towards the case of AJK as being a contested territory and the implications of this contention from the perspective of its political economy and development of the state. The second section of the paper reviews the situation of the education sector in AJK and the effects of the earthquake on the sector. The next section of the paper introduces the role of ITA in the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction as a non-state provider. The section also infers on the role of non-state providers in the education sector in Pakistan. The last section of the paper focuses on the issues and challenges faced and the opportunities that have emerged.
5 http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/data/DamageAssessment.pdf
6 http://www.dawn.com/2005/05/10/nat28.htm
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The State of Kashmir has been a contested territory for Pakistan and India since 1947(
Curtis, 1997). Divided into two divisions (Muzaffarabad and Mirpur) and eight
(8) administrative districts, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir, or the Pakistan side of the
Kashmir, has over the years not been able to achieve the required social and physical development or exploit its full potential
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. Though the area is rich in natural resources
8 and tourism
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, it remains out of the productive mainstream of agriculture, industry and services .
This may be more by design than by default. Based on the population census of
1998 and taking into account the annual increase ,the current population is 3.513 million with roughly 88% living in rural areas
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, depending on forestry, livestock and agriculture for its subsistence.
11 A large percentage of the population is also dependent on remittances from abroad (Pakistan and international) for its survival (Suleri & Savage,
2006). Based on the fact that there is a lack of industry and services in the region and a high percentage of population lives out of the geographical boundaries in search of work, the residing population is low on skills and vocations. In the aftermath of the earthquake, it is further expected that the economy of AJK is likely to experience further outmigration, especially among the relatively more affluent sections of the population, while the more indigent survivors of the disaster are likely to be left behind, with heavy dependence on doles, relief, and reconstruction work being provided by the government and relief agencies.
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This would mean that the area has a mixed potential to be housed by population living on charity, seeking compensatory claims for shelter/housing, short to medium term relief and reconstruction work rather than on sustained productive employment.
13
This coupled with prevalence of rent-seekers at various levels in an economy fuelled by ‘claims’, would further give birth to a generation of “takers” rather than “doers”!
14 In this scenario the post earthquake education interventions become strategic and much needed influential forces required to perform a two-pronged role; one to infuse a sense of normalcy amongst the displaced and the affected and secondly to provide quality education opportunities, with a potential to prepare them to play a productive role in the rehabilitation and rebuilding of their region, encouraging them to move out of decades of dependency to designing new pathways towards productive development.
The fact that financial control of the State, comprising of 48 assembly members
15
, remains in the hands of government in Islamabad makes AJK a very interesting case.
7
http://www.pmajk.gov.pk/psdp.asp
8 http://www.dawn.com/2005/05/10/nat28.htm
9 http://www.ajku.edu.pk/Kashmir.php
10
http://www.pmajk.gov.pk/psdp.asp
11 http://www.ajk.gov.pk/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2256&Itemid=144
12 http://www.yespakistan.com/earthquake/reconstruction.asp
13 http://www.yespakistan.com/earthquake/reconstruction.asp.
14 Incidents of rent-seeking at grass root level while distribution of cash transfers and allocation of land are anecdotal.
15 http://www.pmajk.gov.pk/psdp.asp
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AJ&K has been entirely dependent upon the Government of Pakistan for the financing of its development outlays and the financing of its Public Sector Development Programme.
16 The Government of Pakistan ensured participation of AJK Government in the case of channeling of aid towards AJK after the earthquake. While in NWFP, the donors and aid was directed towards Peshawar, the aid for Kashmir was channeled not through
Muzaffarabad but through Islamabad since AJK is constrained from directly conducting foreign trade or foreign aid negotiations( Bamforth and Qureshi, 2007). This client relationship is also one of convenience of subservience which has become dependent on others doing the thinking for AJK and being responsible for its risk. This trait became further apparent when the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction plans were chalked out and solid proactive input from Kashmiri counterparts remained a major challenge.
There are 7,444 government and private educational institutions in 8 districts of AJK
(WFP, DoE AJK, 2004/05); 84 % of these are government institutions with an enrolment of 555, 659. 54 % of these government schools are for boys and 45 % are for girls. 23 % of these schools are mosque schools, 46 % are primary schools, 17 % middle and 9 % are high schools. 66 % students are enrolled in primary level, 20 % in middle level and 8 % in high schools. The low transition rates highlight a potential for non-state providers to fill the provision gaps in public sector education.
Table 1: Missing Facilities in Government Schools in AJK
Missing facilities
No drinking water
No electricity
No latrines
No boundary wall
No playground
% of Govt. Schools
68 %
76 %
54 %
86 %
88 %
No Libraries 90 %
Education Statistics Azad Jammu and Kashmir 2004-05 , EMIS Cell, Department of Education, AJK &
Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping Unit, United Nations World Food Program
An analysis of the situation of the education sector in AJK confirms the silent emergency existing in the sector even before the destruction caused by the earthquake of 8 th
October.
Inadequate facilities coupled with limited access to education beyond primary in public sector are a clear deterrent for parents to send their children to schools. Poverty and involvement in household work and farming are identified as the main reasons for student’s absenteeism from school (Education Statistics Report, 2004-5), which shows that parents have little faith in the primary level education which is in most cases the only option available for them
.
16 http://www.pmajk.gov.pk/psdp.asp
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Damage assessments, of the education sector in the aftermath of the earthquake, indicated large-scale destruction at all levels; with 95 % of the schools damaged in the AJK region and 53 % of the schools in five affected districts of NWFP.
17 An estimated 853 teachers and 18,095 students lost their lives to the earthquake( ERRA, 2006). Many of the survivors were seriously injured, disabled and traumatized. According to conservative estimates, total damage for the fully and partially damaged educational buildings, materials, furniture and equipment added upto Rs. 19.92 billion (US$335 million) for both AJK and NWFP.
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The damage incurred was not confined to infrastructure only; classroom equipment and textbooks were also destroyed. Even more devastating were the implications of the human loss and injury! Whereas the death of students meant the loss of a generation, the deaths of teachers represented losses to the teaching force, and also to government investment.
Role of Non-State Providers
Non-State providers ( NSPs) continue to become major players in provision of basic services in health, infrastructure and education in Pakistan both in the private and public sector as contracted partners. In education almost 33% of education provision is accounted for by non-state providers (National Education Census 2006). The pressure for EFA goals and the MDGs to address access with gender equity as well as the anchor role of education in poverty reduction, is mounting on the government. In recent years, the non-state providers (NGOs, faith-based organizations, communities and commercially-oriented private entrepreneurs) have emerged as major players taking on different roles. These range from NSP support to government for different aspects of service delivery in the public sector as well as their independent establishment of nonstate schools as alternative provisions where the government has failed to meet the demand ( Rose , 2007).
The 2005 earthquake has continued to challenge the Governments of Pakistan and AJ&K to look for alternatives to assist in rebuilding and ensuring access to quality education for all the children. The Government had already begun to acknowledge its limits as a provider under the Education Sector Reforms (ESR) Action Plan 2001-2005/6 suggesting a cross cutting role for public private partnerships encouraging options for its role as a financier and an enabling agent .
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To offset capacity of the state, especially the collapsed seat of government in Muzaffarabad in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, nonstate providers stepped in as part of the voluntary humanitarian response adapting skills of the silent emergency in education in Pakistan to the challenges of the earthquake and its aftermath in NWFP and AJK. Whilst in Pakistan the emergence of non-state providers in public sector services has been taking firm root since the late 90s further supported by the national policy on public private partnerships (2003, 2006), this was a relatively new phenomenon in AJK. NSPs, in the past, have worked in service delivery of secular and
17 http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/data/DamageAssessment.pdf
18 http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/donor/Annex9.pdf
19 www.education.gov.pk
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religious education but have not worked alongside public sector. The situation changed in the aftermath of the earthquake, when various national and international organizations stepped in to play a substantial role to reconstruct the social and economic infrastructure, and give technical help to the affectees.
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With regards to the education sector too, many NSPs, including NGOs, corporate sector, concerned citizens and volunteers stepped forward to help in several segments of access, quality and equity. In addition to the international NGOs, local NGOs such as National Rural Support Program,
READ Foundation, SUNGI Development Foundation, Kashmir Education Foundation,
Islamic Relief and ITA have contributed to the revival of public sector education facilities through school rehabilitation and improvement projects. Their interventions have included provision of school supplies, construction of semi-permanent structures , arrangements of educational sponsorships for children, hiring of para teachers and trainings for teachers. Private education institutions have also played a very vital part in revival of education after the earthquake. Their efforts have been directed towards taking students out of trauma and ensuring that students and teachers are given detailed information regarding preparedness in case of natural disasters such as the earthquake.
Focus of ITA’S Work
ITA’s work in AJK was designed through an integrated approach across the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction phases with policy influence as cross cutting. It ensured a concurrent emphasis on addressing education at all levels (primary to secondary), inclusion of private sector for support in the relief, rehab policy at the outset, focus on girls schools, organization of community groups for sustainability of interventions, enabling multi-sectoral linkages, addressing teachers’ concerns, their professional development needs as well as providing institutional strengthening assessment and capacity building for planning support to the Government of AJK.
Box 1
Enabling Rehabilitation Through Education
Funding Organizations: UNICEF, Save the Children, UK, ITA CEC UK
Implementing Organization: Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi
Targeted districts : Muzzafarabad and Bagh
Project duration: Phase 1: Nov 2005-Aug 2006
Phase 2: Sep 2006- June 2007
Project Highlights:
Number of schools 212 schools
Number of camp schools 27
Students Beneficiaries 30218
Number of teachers trained 1193
Number of CBOs formed 172
No. of Semi Permanent Schools 15
20 http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?177755
The situation was also a challenge for a number of local NGOs which had to withdraw their efforts because they were unable to cope with the demand and the challenges.
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Employing an integrated approach through relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction period
ITA as an early partner in the education and protection clusters working both at the
Islamabad and AJK level was fortunate to have support from partners such as UNICEF,
Save the Children UK, ITA CEC UK, philanthropists, expatriate Pakistanis in UK, USA and Denmark, local NGOs and Department of Education, AJK to ensure service delivery and relief through an integrated approach in which education was complemented with school enrichment activities. Starting from the early relief endeavors, efforts of ITA were not restricted to mere delivery of relief goods for restoration of schools and distribution of books and bags but also incorporated skills for time tabling, curriculum management, assessments, health/ hygiene awareness education, use of arts and crafts and sports kits, introduction of reading/writing/art/environmental clubs and establishment of learning corners. It was ensured that whether in tents or housed in concrete structures, classrooms were converted into attractive and conducive learning spaces for the students and teachers providing them with a sense of dignity in managing their capabilities for education revival.
All interventions and activities were based on need assessments done through a consultative process with local beneficiaries and government/civil administration. The active participation of community in the relief and rehabilitation process encouraged involvement reinforced through recruitment of local youth within the program teams; their inputs and suggestions were at the heart of the implementation processes.
Government’s involvement in all these initiatives was ensured through sharing of lists of schools and trainers, reaching a consensus on adopting a cluster based approach, developing interim systems of recruitment of para teachers, accountability and transition of internally displaced students/families as well as participation in relevant dialogues and conferences
The concept of inclusive education is largely missing in societies like Pakistan where mainstream formal schools do not provide a very conducive environment for challenged children. The catastrophe of 8 th
October had left a cohort of surviving student population disabled/injured. There was an urgency to propagate inclusive education concepts and practices in the country in general and the affected areas in particular. Anticipating the need for inclusive education, ITA extended the scope of work of its project being undertaken in collaboration with World Bank to districts in AJK. Trainings were conducted for teachers using a training manual developed by ITA for the World Bank published book Just Like Other Kids.
21
21 For details about this project, please refer to http://www.itacec.org/kids.htm
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Organization of community groups for implementation of interventions and multisectoral linkages
Whilst local youth groups had been mobilized and formally partnered with in all locations, ITA strongly believed in working through cluster based approaches even though the clusters during emergencies remained very scattered across sub-districts. For this purpose, local community based organizations were formed and trained in the initial phase of the program. The partnerships with the local community based organizations (
CBOs) were formalized through MoUs, envisioned as a formal basis for partnerships with stakeholders who were ready to take ownership and responsibility for the interventions. CBOs , which later graduated into School Management Committess (
SMCs), were trained and engaged not only in rehabilitation of schools but were facilitated in their access to other departments for fulfillment of multiple basic needs such as shelter, livelihoods, nutrition, health etc.
Addressing issues of teachers and catering to their professional development needs
An integral component of the education program in AJK has been targeted at addressing the issues of shortages of teachers and contributing to the professional development of teachers with particular sensitivity to the emerging needs during and post emergency.
Para teachers were recruited for schools where there were shortages of teachers and multiple trainings for teachers were arranged through a cluster based approach. These trainings were not restricted to subject based teaching , pedagogical skills, class room management and curriculum planning but also included trauma management, survivors support, life skills , use of arts and crafts as therapy and to create joyful learning and management of classes and curriculum within tent schools. Various appropriate and contextually modified learning support materials were developed and distributed amongst teachers.
Institutional Strengthening And Planning Support To The Government Of AJK
Deliberate efforts were made during the program to provide institutional strengthening and planning support to the Government of AJK at area and district level for educators, field managers and policy makers. This comprised of provision of training for personnel within the education department, opportunities to participate in conferences, seminars and workshops recommendations from were shared with the policy makers and lobbying efforts with the government such as the inclusion of budget line for SMCs for the sustainability of the institution. The Department of Education was supported to craft a vision statement for the department which provided a direction to the Dept. and certainly the partners of where the department wanted to be.
In addition to exposure and training visits within the country, to further enhance the capacity of officials from department of education, representatives were also provided with the opportunity to take part in training program held at Plymouth State University ,
NH, USA in 2006 and 2007. These groups have not only received trainings for both subject based ( English, Maths and Science) and leadership but also in developing
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teaching modules through local USA schools on environment and natural disasters at the middle level, research and evaluation to track teacher educators in terms of what they have been able to do with the training and capacity built. In the larger context of the emergency, there have been innumerable trainings held by almost all agencies supporting the sector, and many teachers have been exposed several times to various trainings. It is important to know if there has been any impact in the classrooms and in terms of students’ learning. It is these sorts of questions that the research and evaluation tools taught and developed during the training session of 2007 will be needed to gauge the impact.
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A major area of work performed by ITA was facilitating the design and implementation of a seminar on Lessons Learnt to influence policy directions for AJK and its budget .
The timing of the seminar was critically important because the Prime Minister’s Vision
2012 had recently been floated and departments were asked to identify constraints and prepare proposals and projects in this regard. Endorsed by various stakeholders including government officers, teachers, parents, children, community members, NGOs, INGOs, donors in AJK, recommendations focusing on teacher adequacy and staff rationalization, teacher training, SMC and local governance at school level, child centered practices and role of non-state providers as partners were developed by the
Department of Education for further dissemination and implementation. (Please refer to
Annex A for recommendations)
Given the case of AJK , it was important that a two pronged approach was adopted at the policy level, targeting both the Federal Government and the Government of AJK simultaneously. This was mandatory because all budgets and resources for AJK are managed by the Federal Government due to the geo-political context of the region (
Rahman, 1999).
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The Government and Prime Minister of AJK are consulted for policy and planning decisions but they rely completely on the financing of development programs on the Government of Pakistan. Therefore, in addition to institutional strengthening and planning support extended to the Government of AJK, efforts were also directed at the Federal Government to ensure sustainability of initiatives through policy measures.
Seizing the opportunity to influence the new education policy process, and the urgent need to address the issue of education in emergencies at the policy level, ITA prepared and submitted a Green Paper on Education in Emergencies to the Ministry of Education,
Government of Pakistan.
24
ITA’s Green Paper was included in the repository of the government’s Green Papers 25
and it also resulted in a section on Education in
Emergencies in the ensuing White Paper. However, it was felt that the provisions for education in emergencies made in the White Paper were incomplete and this was highlighted in comments on the White Paper and its revised version. ITA went on to
22 http://pelinstitute.org/
23 http://www.himalmag.com/99May/lose.htm
24 There are officially 23 Green Papers which are a precursor to the White Paper on Education. The latter in turn is an antecedent to the emerging New Education Policy under finalization.
25 http://www.moe.gov.pk/nepr/gpaper.asp
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write a piece for the National Education Policy (Draft) submitted to the Ministry of
Education on ‘Education in Emergencies’, the case made stronger after the cyclone and flash floods that devastated three provinces of Pakistan in June 2007.
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As an NSP with strong focus on advocacy and public policy, as well as representation at the National Steering Committee for the country’s Social Protection Strategy, ITA was able to influence the inclusion of the newly developed strategy on “ high vulnerable people affected by the earthquake”. This inclusion would enable the affected to benefit and strategically be included in the social safety nets program designed for the country.
The earthquake led to development of major policy frameworks and action plan in the areas of education, health, protection etc. and it was imperative to reclaim this effort by integrating into mainstream policy and plans of the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP II), new education policy and social protection strategy.
Creating Opportunities for Girls Education
During the entire intervention period, gender parity has been the underlying focus of the program. Almost 40 % of the schools chosen by design for intervention were female only schools. 100 percent or more increase in enrolment in these schools was recorded during the first phase of implementation period whereas the enrolment increased by 13 % in the schools intervened during the second phase commencing in September 2006. During the period, one middle schools for girls was upgraded to a secondary level whereas the request for upgradation of another three schools has been submitted to the department. In a middle school for boys, girls enrolled freely after the emergency. They recorded the first batch of girls graduates at the middle or grade 8 level in the community’s history.
The boys middle schools in union council ‘Therian’ now seeks upgradation to high school level pleaded by girls ironically who risk early marriages if not saved by education! Two resource centers were established in Girls’ High schools in the two districts of Bagh and Muzaffarabad. Gender parity was ensured when trainings were conducted for teachers,. Mostly females were given opportunities and preference when recruiting para teachers in schools. Furthermore, the organization supported its female staff in Bagh despite resistance of fundamentalist towards female engagement in Bagh district. Some of these responses have been systematic and planned whilst others tended to be more incrementally implemented
Attaining the above challenging targets has not been easy within an emergency program setting. The difficult terrain, poor infrastructure, vulnerable and opportunistic mind sets, limited accessibility to intended beneficiaries and indeed limited capacities of local teams have been the biggest hurdle for the field teams. This coupled with the un preparedness of the government to effectively address the situation, ensure consistent supervision and cater to the constantly changing and emerging needs has urged the non-state providers to take on multiple responsibilities, including that of capacity building and strengthening of
26 http://www.unicef.org/pakistan/PAKISTAN_FA_2007(2).pdf
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public institutions. All these efforts have had to be flexible and contextualized, with a constant need to revisit strategies in the wake emerging possibilities and challenges of the unique setting of AJK which traditionally restricts the government to assuming a more aggressive and creative decision making role. Moreover financing in an emergency situation is always short term whilst the issues and solutions require medium to long term approaches. ITA’s program was only for 18 months at best!
Given the political economy of AJK, as briefly explained above, the humanitarian agencies have had to consequently find themselves acting in an environment where decision making is very temporary and the seat of power is disenfranchised by collusion
With the interventions and implementation strategies designed by ERRA and peripheral inputs from AJK counterparts, the humanitarian agencies and NSPs have had to face many challenges to abide by the guidelines and follow strategies. The development objective behind ERRA’s strategy was to restore equitable access to higher quality education, teacher development and capacity development of education offices for better service delivery. As per ERRA’s strategy, implementation was to be done at district level with full participation of district authorities and non- state partners.
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However, there is no policy on decentralization in the highly centralized state of AJK contrary to the country wide devolution in Pakistan.
The very nature of the “ project based” approach to address the situation has also added to the challenges at hand. Education sector, which is already operating sub-optimally since the inception of the country due to poor quality, inaccessibility, low transition possibilities from one level of education to anther, and lack of political will, suffers because a project based approach is employed rather than addressing the issue through a long term program. This makes it very difficult to ensure sustainability and quality.
Emergencies should be looked upon and addressed as opportunities to be innovative, bold in school designs, teacher training, learning materials, upgradation of facilities for girls in particular, and local governance. With a project based approach in tough terrains, the essence to “ build back better” is somewhat lost with a focus only on meeting quantitative targets!
The challenge now is how to utilize and consolidate the efforts that have been put in during this time period. Multiple agencies have worked in the region since 2005 with large programs including UNICEF, USAID, SC UK, ADB among others all focusing on reconstruction, teacher training, systems building and SMC strengthening. With natural disasters being predicted to persist due to global warming, appropriate preparedness is required and efforts that have already been put in should not go to a waste. The emergency since 2005 has created an enormous reservoir of information, international codes of conduct, guidelines, minimum standards and inter-sectoral collaboration which need to be institutionalized. The Govt. of Pakistan has legally created the National
Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) with provincial presence, however, it is imperative that line departments must create capacity to anticipate and manage these disasters through phases of relief, recovery and reconstruction until they are mainstreamed into the normal development cycles. It is mandatory that a repository of all
27 www.erra.gov.pk/
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emergency related materials, manuals, guidelines, minimum standards and research pertaining to education must be well maintained at the respective departments of education, teacher training institutions and universities
The earthquake has led to many global and local partnerships, policy frameworks and institutional arrangements that have become strategic opportunities for improving approaches and inputs to social sector, infrastructure, livelihoods and industrial development. For education, the silent emergency of pre earthquake scenario has paved the way towards new possibilities to address the crises creatively in the post earthquake scenario. There is a concern on how the national and AJK education policy and planning processes can integrate the lessons learnt and knowledge generated during the emergency? Furthermore, whilst the immediate need is to address the current needs of the post earthquake scenario affected areas, all the interventions and developments must have some linkage to the non-affected areas/district otherwise it may lead to vision, management and support gaps between the affected and non-affected districts of AJ&K.
The inequities may in turn trigger other crises
Although SMCs were initiated in the 90s as part of the Northern Areas Project, there is no systemic integration of local governance through SMCs in the education system, budgeting and financing options. Prior to the earthquake SMCs were dormant, some had their accounts opened but lying unused for several years, others were only on paper without any active participation. The government’s own budget does not really provide for any resources to SMCs for local level decision making in managing minor or major repairs purchase of learning materials , etc. The emergency taught many partners including the communities that without their ‘ownership and engagement’ , relief, rehab and reconstruction and disaster preparedness will always fall short, thus making “ communities” intrinsic to sustainable development. With intensive support provided towards formations and capacity building of SMCs, it is hoped that decision making and governance at local levels would be sustained through consistent policies.
Policies for education in emergencies in Pakistan began to take shape through documents such as Build Back Better commissioned through the donors at the request of the
Government of Pakistan.
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The ERRA UN Early Recovery Plan completed in May 2006 draws upon these principles. The challenge was converted into a huge opportunity for
AJK to reflect and select aspects of the policy which could enrich its internal policy development processes for the sector. The opportunity would also mean a closer collaboration with the Departments of Finance and Planning for higher budgetary allocations for the sector. This would ensure ownership of various elements of Building
Back Better that would need to be sustained once ERRA and donors have provided the initial support. There is a traditional disconnect between the Departments of Education,
Finance and Planning as almost all of the financing/planning of education in the past has been directed from the Ministry of Education and Kashimir and Northern Areas (KANA)
28 www.erra.gov.pk
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division Govt. of Pakistan without a commensurate collective/synergistic planning process in AJK. After the earthquake not only the political economy of AJK has undergone a drastic change but in the next 10 years, this will lead to spin offs in industry and growth for AJK. This must lead to shifts in indigenous development, planning, financing and above all thinking beyond the syndrome of dependency and victims of emergency; it is not after all 1947, nor October 2005, but 2007 opening many avenues of possibilities and progress !
Since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, Azad Jammu and Kashmir has been kept in a state of dependence with the collusion of leaders both in Islamabad and in
Muzzafarabad. The state has been unable to exploit the resources and the opportunities available internally to the fullest as it has always been convenient to be subservient, where others pay for all costs of survival and development as part of the larger policy of managing a contested territory. Despite having a literacy rate of well above 60 %
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, AJK has been devoid of its professional manpower, seeking livelihoods elsewhere in Pakistan or abroad leaving dependent ( on remittances) groups behind to maintain an artificial status quo of low skills set and low indigneous economic growth.
Whereas the earthquake of October 2005 brought about massive destruction in AJK, it also opened many avenues and opportunities for the government and people of AJK.
From being on the margins of policy formation, the state and its political actors are now pushed at the centre stage, having the opportunity to embark upon evidence based policy making, planning and its effective financing. However, the opportunity brings with itself enormous challenges for the people and the government of AJK. It also raises many viable questions, answers to which will determine the future of AJK. Will AJK continue to conveniently remain a benefactor at the expense of the underdevelopment of its people? Will this experience be used as strategic standards and will interventions be institutionalized to “build back better” and address pre existing silent emergencies such as those prevalent in the education sector? If AJK is to accept these challenges , education has to the “central pillar” for multi-sectoral outcomes. The state will have to redesign its education strategy and rethink the objectives and purpose of the education it will provide to its people. Education needs to be directed towards empowerment of its pupils, it needs to be equipped to be able to produce a generation of “doers and givers”!
It is also very important that the interventions made in the earthquake affected districts in all sectors , particularly in the education sector, are scaled up across all districts, thereby restricting any further discrimination and inequity. The extraordinary focus on affected districts on better construction, quality of learning, capacity building, monitoring, local governance/ownership by communities , child friendly schools, girls education, and planning will lead to major gaps for the non-affected districts if the gaps are not bridged.
29 http://www.ajk.gov.pk/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2257&Itemid=144
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It also needs to be ensured that the opportunities are provided for those who are disadvantaged, injured and “ left-out” through non-formal educational approaches which are not getting the attention they deserve.
Whereas , the devastation caused by the earthquake was unprecedented for those affected, many constructive partnerships unfamiliar for the state also emerged as repercussions..
Though private sector providers were accredited for 35 % of the enrolment in education in AJK, there was no tradition of NSPs working with the formal education system. The scenario changed after the earthquake where NSPs extended partnership to the state for not only the revival but an uplift of the public education provisions and facilities.
However, to date AJK does not have any operational Public Private Partnership policy although it has endorsed this at inter ministerial meetings where AJK also participates and is entitled to negotiate. Based on the experience of the post earthquake period, it is mandatory that this peripheral posturing and disengagement is discontinued and PPP is formally endorsed by the government of AJK through relevant policies and cabinet approved incentive schemes.
The earthquake has also provided for Pakistan an opportunity to learn from this rich experience and enhance its preparedness towards such natural disasters. The recurrence of another natural disaster just a year after the devastation of 2005 earthquake is a reminder to Pakistan to institutionalize the enormous reservoir of information, international codes of conduct, guidelines, minimum standards and inter-sectoral collaborations . The government also needs to think whether the creation of NDMA alone will be enough to meet the challenge. It is crucial that all line departments simultaneously build their capacity to face such disasters through phases of relief, recovery and reconstruction and define relevant standard operating procedures (SOPs) for their departments as a response to such calamities.
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Anderson et. al (2006) Standards put to the test :Implementing the INEE Minimum
Standards for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crisis and Early Reconstruction ,
Humanitarian Practice Network at ODI
Education Statistics Azad Jammu and Kashmir 2004-05 , EMIS Cell, Department of
Education, AJK & Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping Unit, United Nations World
Food Program
Bamforth, T & Qureshi, (2007) J Political Complexities of Humanitarian Intervention in the Pakistan Earthquake, Journal of Humanitarian Assistance http://jha.ac/2007/01/16/political-complexities-of-humanitarian-intervention-in-thepakistan-earthquake/
Bensalah, Kacemh (Ed) Guidelines for Education in Situations of Emergency and Crisis
Division of Policies and Strategies of Education, Support to Countries in Crisis and
Reconstruction, UNESCO
Bethke, Lynne, Works, Inter & Rogneurd, Eli (2005), Understanding and Using the
Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crisis and Early
Reconstruction, Combined Workshop Report
Curtis, L ( 1997) India and Pakistan Poised to Make Progress on Kashmir , The Heritage
Foundation http://www.heritage.org/Research/AsiaandthePacific/bg1997.cfm
ICWAC (2000). Caught in the crossfire no more: a framework for commitment to waraffected children –Summary by the Chairs of the Experts’ Meeting 13–15 Sept. 2000. The
International Conference on War- Affected Children, Winnipeg.
Mathieu , A (2006) , Reaching the Girls in South Asia : Differential Needs and Responses in Emergencies , UNGEI
Midttun, E. (1999). Concept paper on human rights education. Norwegian Refugee
Council, Oslo
Midttun, E. (2000a). Education in emergencies and transition phases: still a right and more of a need. Norwegian Refugee Council, Oslo.
Midttun, Eldrid K. (2006). Education and Emergencies , Journal of Education for
International Development, 2:1. Retrieved from http://www.equip123.net/JEID/articles/2/EducationandEmergencies.pdf on 08-20-2007
Rahman,R ( 1999) Nothing left to lose http://www.himalmag.com/99May/lose.htm
Rose, P (2007) Supporting Non-state Providers in Basic Education Service Delivery ,
Create Pathway to Access, Research Monograph No 4, DFID
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Sinclair, Margaret (2002) Planning Education In and After Emergencies, UNESCO
Sinclair, Margaret (2004) Planning education before, in and after emergencies:
Internet discussion forum 27 September – 22 October 2004
The IIEP Virtual Institute International, Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO
Suleri, A & Savage, K ( 2006) Remittances in crises: a case study from Pakistan An HPG
Background Paper, Overseas Development Institute, UK
UNICEF ( 2006), Education in Emergencies: A Resource Toolkit, Regional Office for
South Asia.
Websites: http://www.ockenden.org.uk/index.asp?id=975 ( July, 2007 http://www.unicef.org.nz/school-room/education/emergencies.html
( July, 2007) http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/data/DamageAssessment.pdf
( July, 2007) http://www.dawn.com/2005/05/10/nat28.htm
( August, 2007) http://www.pmajk.gov.pk/psdp.asp
( August, 2007) http://www.ajku.edu.pk/Kashmir.php
( July, 2007) http://www.ajk.gov.pk/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2256&Itemi d=144 ( June, 2007) http://www.yespakistan.com/earthquake/reconstruction.asp
( July, 2007) http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/donor/Annex9.pdf
( August, 2007) www.education.gov.pk
( June, 2007) http://www.moe.gov.pk/nepr/gpaper.asp
( August, 2007) www.erra.gov.pk
( June, 2007) http://www.erra.gov.pk/Reports/Education%20Strategy%20dated%2019%20April%2006
.pdf
( July, 2007) http://www.unicef.org/pakistan/PAKISTAN_FA_2007(2).pdf
( June, 2007) http://www.ajk.gov.pk/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2257&Itemi d=144 ( July, 2007)
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Annex A :
Critical Recommendations by DoE AJ&K:
1. To have a focal section in the Department of Education AJ&K to be fully equipped with disaster preparedness and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for education in emergencies including a resource centre for all precious materials developed for education in emergencies. This must be placed in the Planning Directorate of the Dept. of
Education with adequate funds supported by the Govt. and also by donors.
2. To strengthen EMIS for comprehensive databases on facilities and human resources for evidence based planning. This requires a budget line in the PSDP 2007-08 .
3. To ensure that all planning from here on is sector wide and state wide.
4. To abide by the principle of investing first by the Govt. of AJ&K supported by the
Federal Government of Pakistan for critical areas of education reform and strengthening, which is then supported by counterpart funds of other financing partners.
I.
Policy
Teacher Adequacy & Staff Rationalization
1. Two teacher two room school model needs to be revised immediately. There should be a minimum of three to four teachers and ideally one per class for every primary school which has minimum of 5 to 6 class rooms. More posts need to be created to address teacher shortages.
2. A directive should be issued urging surplus teachers to fill in positions in existing single teacher primary schools immediately.
3. Teachers should be hired on contractual basis and preference should be given to local population.
4. Volunteer/ para teachers should be allowed to cover shortage of teachers in normal and emergency times and they should be acknowledged through an honorarium and formal certificates for their contribution.
5. Trainee teachers should be required to do practical teaching in schools for 6 months during their certification /diploma courses like P.T.C B.ed & M. ed etc
Institutional
6. Coordination amongst primary/elementary and secondary schools and
Directorates at tehsil level to be made more regular and improved.
7. Teacher recruitment and construction process should be free of any political influence.
8. Headmasters/mistresses of high & middle schools should act as supervisors for feeding primary schools.
9. Transparency & accountability must be ensured at all levels.
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10. Head of Institutes should be obligated to send monthly attendance records of teachers to concerned DPIs/DEOs in the Department of Education.
Financial
11. There should be provisions for para/substitute teachers in the annual budget or
ADP of the Department of Education.
12. Private contributions should be encouraged through SMC`s from community to hire a para teacher in case of teacher shortage.
13. Additional allowances / incentives should be offered to teacher serving in rural & hard to reach remote areas.
Strategies/Activities/Procedures
14. .SMCs should be involved in arranging of volunteer local teachers.
15. Teachers, especially females, should be given pick & drop facilities.
16. Alumni should be encouraged to join their respective schools.
17. Teachers should be rewarded on the basis of their performance and punctuality.
18. Government should empower the SMCs to monitor schools.
II. Teachers Training
Policy /Institutional
1. A Directorate of Staff Development, similar to the one in Punjab, should be established to cater to continuous professional development needs of teachers.
2. The Five Year Strategic Framework for Teacher Education should be finalized for all AJ&K districts and with particular focus on affected districts ensuring pre and inservice training in special areas of psycho social and trauma training, as well as
Minimum Standards
3. Capacity building opportunities for DCRD, Institute of Staff development,
Elementary Colleges for Education and relevant teacher education institutions should be provided for.
4. Curriculum should be revised on the basis of need assessment employing modern techniques.
5. A database for teachers should be created and teachers’ needs should be mapped.
Teacher training should then be done according to needs.
6. There is a need to restructure the organization and staffing in GCETs.
7. NGOs should collaborate with government to conduct successful teacher trainings and meet the challenging targets of training and follow up.
Financial
8. Adequate and regular financial provisions should be made in the budget for professional development of teachers/managers.
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9. Provisions made for teacher training in the federal PSDP should be shared transparently and in a timely manner for utilization of opportunities.
10. Teachers should be given incentives for performance and professional up gradation.
Activities/ Strategies/ Procedures
11. Research should be encouraged and budgeted for to track quality improvement
12. Rubric based criterion for evaluation of in-service teacher training courses should be developed.
13. Clusters should be formed for regular and effective in-service training.
14. Follow-up support and trainings should be arranged for with adequate budgets.
III. SMC & Local Governance at School Level
Policy
1- Policy provisions for community participation in all schools for improving quality of education should be introduced immediately. The project based notification on SMC must be replaced with a policy notification.
2- Strong implementation of policy and strategies needs to be ensured through a dedicated implementing body/focal section.
Institutional
3- A separate section should be established within the education dept to handle SMC affairs.
4- Better coordination amongst all institutions and stakeholders is essential
Coordination Group for SMCs should be formed.
5- In the new construction projects, SMCs should be formed at the initial stage prior to the commencement of the construction work. This would help to keep a check and balance on the project proceedings.
Financial
6- Bank account for SMCs should be established and made functional in all schools.
These should be eligible to receive funds from government and non-government bodies.
7- All funds established separately (science fund, red crescent fund, exam fund etc. ) should be merged into one fund called the School Improvement or Education Fund, which can be used for dedicated needs of the students at the respective schools.
Strategic Activities/Procedures
8- Review of existing SMC guidelines/ manual. (E.g.-Minimum standards should be introduced). Children should be included as members in middle/sec. schools.
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9- NGO`s with strong mobilization track record should be involved in the process of
SMC formation and strengthening .
10- Incentives such as letters of appreciation and special performance grants should be introduced to make SMCs more functional and efficient .
11- Delegation of responsibilities should be undertaken formally to the grass root/
SMC level.
12- Capacity building of SMCs through government and non-government platforms should be according to their needs.
13- SMCs should be required to hold regular meetings in the presence of responsible
Department officials whenever possible.
14- Capacity of SMCs should be strengthened to maintain records
15- Decisions of SMCs should be respected by the Department of Education, AJK.
16- Success stories and research should be encouraged and shared at all levels.
IV. Child Centered Practices
Policy
1. Child protection policy should be formulated at the state level to ensure compliance of government departments towards child rights and inclusive education.
2. There should be a focus on child-centered approaches in teaching and in recreational activities.
3. Disaster preparedness to be incorporated into the curriculum for students and teachers
Institutional
4. Institutional reforms are needed for inclusive participatory education, pertaining to access and teachers’ capacity building.
5. Facilities and materials should be provided for teaching and learning. Schools need to be well equipped;
6. Social safety nets (eg. Child support program, food support program. MORA scholarships etc. ) need to be linked with schools/students’ families for disadvantaged and marginalized children; facilities and appropriate support programs needed for physically challenged children.
7. Committees need to be formed involving MSEE experts to focus on child centered practices and to develop a five year strategy framework and strategy plan.
8. Trainings relevant to child protection should be arranged for
Financial
9. Budgetary reforms are needed to ensure child friendly schools which are inclusive and provide support to child friendly practices.
Activities /Procedures/ Strategies
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10. Cluster meetings
11. Periodical co-ordination meetings
12. Adding children as official member to SMCs in elementary and secondary schools
V . Non-State Providers – Partnerships for Education
Policy
1. Formally accredit private sector/non-state sector as a partner to work in public sector education programs, both in govt. and non-govt. schools.
2. Public-private partnership should be formally initiated in AJ&K through relevant policies and cabinet approved incentive schemes (www.moe.gov.pk)
3. An AJK Education Foundation should be initiated; financial aid or grant in aid should be extended to non-elite private sector institutions and training opportunities should be provided for private sector teachers.
Institutional
4. A regulatory authority should be formulated by the government/private sector reps. to carry out inspection, quality assurance, support and monitoring. Membership of this body should comprise of representatives from Department of Education , private sector and social sector experts .
5. An Education Foundation, similar to the ones in all provinces of Pakistan, should be established through an ordinance using the Punjab Education Foundation blue print .
The Education foundation should be independent but must work in harmony with the sector plan of the Dept. of Education.
6. The capacity of the Dept. of Education officials should be enhanced for working with non-state partners and to completely understand the working of public private partnership options.
Financial
7. An AJK Education Foundation should be created like in Pakistan with a healthy endowment fund for education promotion through non-state providers. Relevant rules of business should be decided by a body comprising of membership from both the public and the private sector.
8. Government should allocate appropriate funds for private sector reconstruction/rehabilitation in the annual budget.
9. Private industry and corporate sector will make contributions accordingly for the purpose of uplifting private sector or non-state providers of education services in the form of grants in aid and soft loans without charging any interest (qarz –e-hasna) .
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