‘Our education system is in shambles’

An Interview with Hafiz Abdul Majid, Secretary Colleges and Higher Education Balochistan

QUETTA: Hafiz Abdul Majid, who currently serves as the secretary colleges and higher education in Balochistan, received a masters in political science degree from University of Balochistan and a masters in public policy and management Degree from University of Melbourne. His career as a bureaucrat spans 21 years during which served in various posts. In this interview, Majid talks about the state of education in the country’s most backward province.

Q. You have started the ‘Serve Your People’ campaign. What was the idea behind it?

HAM: Our service delivery departments like health, education, and water have apparently collapsed. No one is satisfied with the health department. When we talk about schools, the infrastructure is not there. We have appointed teachers but no one is ready to go and teach in rural areas. Two million children between the ages of 5 and 16 are out of school and are not getting any education, which is a failure of the system. Check the assessment of the education board, colleges and universities; they are not of quality. There are 900 reserved seats for students of Balochistan in top universities of other provinces. The sad thing is that even 900 of 100,000 children studying in different colleges of the province do not get 50% marks in their intermediate exams. This is a sign of the collapse of our system. If we still do not take any steps, the future of our province will be bleak.

Q. When it comes to higher education, there are countless degree colleges in different districts of Balochistan, but there are no teachers there. For this reason, children opt to study in Quetta, which adds to the problems. How many teachers are there who have been transferred and posted in Quetta?

HAM: We have a culture of sifarish [recommendation] which is dealing a blow to the system. We have 150 colleges in the province including both intermediate and degree colleges.  Rs65 billion are being spent on education in the province and this amount does not include cost incurred on universities. However, despite this spending the education is in shambles. Many government teachers get themselves transferred to Quetta using their connections. Quetta is the only district where colleges are still functional. However, the situation is worse in other districts. It is against this backdrop that we have started this ‘Serve Your People’ campaign. The campaign emphasizes that teachers go back to their native districts and educate the children there rather than moving to Quetta. As a resident of Balochistan, I feel that we all have to show a sense of responsibility. Lecturers are also requested to cooperate with us so that we can also turn colleges of other districts into institutions of learning.

Q. Lecturers at degree colleges have not been transferred for decades. An example is the Degree Girls College Quetta Cantt and the Girls Degree College Jinnah Town Quetta, whose lecturers are not transferred to other colleges. What is the reason?

HAM: We will look into it. We have just started the campaign and it has not yet been completed. We are also facing difficulties as some people are moving the court against their transfer and some are protesting.  However, we will implement the policy of getting teachers to perform duties in their native areas. Teachers who are in grade-19 are exempted from this rule but lecturers have to teach in their own districts.

Q. As you mentioned, 900 scholarships are offered to the students of Balochistan in universities of other provinces. Are the students of far-flung districts aware of these scholarships? What is the Higher Education Commission (HEC) doing in this regard?

HAM: Students who attend classes in their colleges also get to know about scholarships. An atmosphere of competition among students can help in their academic learning. However, most of our colleges are not functional. Students do not attend classes or become part of other activities. We hope that through our campaign we will be able to make colleges functional. Apart from 900 scholarships, there is also the Balochistan Education Endowment Fund, for which the chief minister of Balochistan has allocated another Rs4 billion. This will give educational opportunities to our students. Smart kids will also get scholarships under the HEC.

Q. Shouldn’t there be a change in the promotional criteria of teachers? Shouldn’t teachers be promoted on the basis of expertise instead of seniority?

HAM: There are opportunities for qualified people. If a lecturer wants to do an MPhil or PhD, he is given the opportunity. Such teachers can rise to grade-20. People who already hold a PhD are appointed directly grade-20. This should serve as motivation to the teachers at colleges.

Q. Measures are being taken to digitize the Balochistan Board of Education. Is it not better to have a separate board for the Makran region as internet service in Makran is very slow and the students face trouble?

HAM: Absolutely, we want digitization to happen in the form of autonomous regional boards. We are currently establishing branches, in which some facilities will be provided. But these branches will not provide 100% facilities to the students. We have submitted a proposal for formation of regional boards but it was not approved due to financial constraints. I believe that branches of the Balochistan Public Service Commission (BPSC) should also be established in every division. There are thousands of job openings in educational institutions. It is very difficult to fill these positions under a commission. At present, candidates have to come from Makran or Zhob to Quetta. At least 2 to 3 branches of the BPSC should be established.

Q. Teachers union is staging protests against transfers of teachers. How are you going to deal with them? What is the future plan?

HAM: This is not an individual initiative. It is happening at the level of the organization. Ministers, MPAs and the opposition were approached for stopping these transfers, but they rejected these requests, saying that it was a good move by the education secretary. Teachers have to serve their districts first.

There is a government act about mandatory service which will be implemented. Whoever challenges the government’s writ will face consequences. If anyone is not happy with these steps, he can find another job. We will not allow anyone to jeopardize the future of our children.

Q. The curriculum in Balochistan is not up to the mark. There are some institutions which have improved their educational standards but the government educational institutions are far behind. Are there any plans to improve the curriculum?

HAM: We have a Bureau of Curriculum which looks after all the curricula. However, we have adopted the federal curriculum in Balochistan in our schools, colleges and universities with the exception of languages. Science and Technical Education courses are also based on the federal curriculum.

Q. Balochistan is a mineral rich province with mines like Reko Diq and Saindak. What steps have been taken for promoting technical education related to mining?

HAM: The technical education in Balochistan is provided by different institutions and not by a unified body.  At present, different technical education programmes are being run by the Industries Department, the Small Industries Department, the Commerce Department, the Social Welfare Department and the Labor Department. There are also polytechnic schools which work under colleges.  All these programmes should be run under one department as other provinces have technical boards that conduct these assessments. We have sent a summary to the chief secretary in a bid to form a single department to deal with technical education as I believe a uniformed policy is needed.