Author Topic: Enhance Education budget from 2 to 7 percent of GDP  (Read 1194 times)

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Enhance Education budget from 2 to 7 percent of GDP
« on: May 19, 2010, 02:53:43 PM »
Enhance Education budget from 2 to 7 percent of GDP

Islamabad, May 19: Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) on Tuesday demanded of the government to develop mechanisms and share their strategy to gradually increase the education allocation from two percent of GDP in 2009-2010 to seven percent by 2015. The demand was made in a convention on 'Rebounding Strong in 2010' here at a local hotel.

The convention was organized with the support of Open Society Institute (OSI), ASPBAE and ActionAid. Girls' education, adult literacy, education governance, public education budgeting, indigenous peoples' education, marginalization in education were some of the issues discussed.

Representatives of civil society on the occasion presented the Charter of Demands (CoD) for the government regarding the steps needed to improve educational standard in the country.

Members from across Pakistan, delegates from abroad, academics and education experts, representatives from government departments and different political parties participated in the consultative sessions leading to draft the Charter of Demands.

They recommended the government not to compromise with the IFI conditions that imply budget cuts on service sectors, especially on education. "Also the government shall develop strategies to gradually reduce foreign aid dependency in revenue budgeting, especially education," said the CoD.

It recommended that Pakistan Education Task Force should make its proceedings, plans, decisions public. Pakistan Education Task Force should also take civil society stakeholders on board in the decision-making process, it said.

It said the government should consider analyzing the gender based budgeting needs for enhancing girls' education and undertake awareness raising and sensitisation events to prevent girls' dropout.

"The government should introduce provision and space for community participation in girls' education. This particular issue needs to be redefined in terms of parents contributing in education of their girls as opposed to merely a provider or supporter of girls' education," it said.

The civil society also urged that government take immediate steps to address the disparity in spending on adult literacy and ensure balanced investment within education budget in line with the EFA goals. The spending should be proportionate and in accordance with international benchmark.

It said at least three percent of total education budget should be spent on adult literacy and education in accordance with the international benchmarks. In addition, spending on the adult literacy programmes should be $50 and $100 per learner per year for at least three years. A legislative framework needs to be developed by the government in wider consultation with civility society and adult literacy practitioner and managers.

It was recommended that to avoid future and ethnic conflicts, there is a need to address marginalization through curriculum reforms and through rights-based approach. "The government shall take measures to ensure that the curriculum is sensitive towards the contextual diversity (language, history, religion, sects, culture and climate) and therefore introduce localised curriculum while keeping a common standard as far as quality is concerned," it said.

The issue of indigenous/native education was also discussed and it was recommended that provisions are made at the policy level to adapt successful education models practiced in region and elsewhere in the world to initiate education for indigenous communities. Daily times