Shazia Ali
A Comparison and Contrast of the
Primary Education System in Australia with the one in
Pakistan
Word Count: 811
Teacher: L.Zhang
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Education is the process of understanding and acquiring knowledge.
Every parent in the world wants the best education for their children.
According to Article 28 of the September 1990 United Nation’s Charter
“Rights of the Child”, every child has the right to compulsory and free
primary education. Both Pakistan and Australia are members of the United
Nations, but there are a great amount of differences in the primary school
education system between the two countries. Pakistan is a developing
country with a struggling economy and is the sixth most populous country
in the world (Wikipedia.2009). The country has been affected by two
wars, the first in 1965 and the second in 1971. These wars have left
Pakistan in a very unstable condition. The overall rate of literacy in
Pakistan is 56.20% (Wikipedia.2008). In contrast, Australia is a developed
country and has never had a war on its soil. Its literacy rate is 99%
(Wikipedia.2009).The primary education systems in Australia and in
Pakistan have similarities in schooling age and the subjects that are
taught, but differ in curriculum, co-education vs single sex schools,
learning styles and school assessment and reporting system.
The formal schooling age is similar in both countries. In Australia children
start formal school at the age of 4/5. The first year is called kindergarten
followed by Year 1 to Year 6. In Pakistan children start formal school at
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the age of 4 which is called nursery. They then progress to Prep,
(preparation) followed by Year 1 to Year 5. Thus in both countries
students spend seven years in primary school.
The major educational subjects in both countries are similar. In Australia’s
primary school children are introduced to all subjects, including science and
technology, visual arts, human society and its environment, though the main
subject areas are numeracy and literacy. Similarly, numeracy, literacy and
general knowledge are the focus until Year 2 in Pakistan. The children of
Pakistan are then introduced to subjects such as science, social studies,
geography and Islamic studies (Masood O, 2009).1
In spite of the above mentioned similarities there are many differences
between the two education systems.
The Primary school system in Australia is co-educational while in Pakistan
it is segregated according to gender. In Australia all government schools
have boys and girls in the same classrooms with either teachers male or
female. In contrast, Pakistani students go to an all male or an all female
primary school. The female students must be taught by female teachers and
male students must be taught by male teachers. The reason for this is
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because Pakistan is a Muslim country and it would not be appropriate to
have students taught by someone of the opposite sex (Hanif T, 2009).2
The learning styles in the two countries are very different. In Australia the
educational style is discovery learning and problem solving (McVicar K,
2009).3 Students are encouraged to learn in a way that makes them think
about what they are learning and understand what they are taught. Students
are encouraged to discuss and ask questions. Some amount of homework is
set but this should not take longer than one hour and no particular
punishment is given if the child does not complete it. In Pakistan the
students are forced to learn by rote learning methods (Hanif T, 2009). For a
large amount of the time the teacher would speak to the students, not
allowing the students to become involved in discussion. A large amount of
homework would be given to students and it is expected to be completed.
Punishment for not completing homework could be suspension from the
class.
The school assessments and reporting styles in the two countries are very
different. In Australian primary school classes there is no formal
examination to decide whether the student should progress to the following
year. Whereas in Pakistan, formal examinations are held each year and if a
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student does not pass he or she will not be allowed to progress to the next
level in the following year.
In Australia children are not ranked in the class, but parents are informed at
a parent’s meeting how their children are performing at school. In contrast
Pakistani parents are told where their child is placed in the class according
to their test results. The whole school is told who comes the first, the
second and the third in each class and then the rest either pass or fail at the
school report meeting.
In conclusion, there are similarities in the two country’s systems such as
the schooling age and school subjects and differences such as learning
styles, school structure, examinations and school reporting style. The
general political instability in Pakistan results in the secondary emphasis on
education, though the government has tried to put some systems in place.
Pakistan has a long way to go to catch up with a completion to education
system and can perhaps adopt Australian’s educational practice when
applicable.
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Notes:
1, Omar Masood is a doctor from Pakistan. He is familiar with the local
primary education system.
2, Tahir Hanif is well associated with education organizations in Pakistan.
3, Kim McVicar is a teacher in Holly Sprit North Ryde School, Sydney.
References
Masood. O, & Hanif. T, Information about Pakistani schooling system,
interviewed5th August, 2009.
McVicar. K, Information about Australian schooling system, interviewed,
17th August, 2009.
Wikipedia, Education in Australia, viewed 10th August, 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Australia
Wikipedia, Education in Pakistan, viewed 10th August, 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Pakistan
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