Education Task Force's

PCE suggested stakeholders involvement in PETF
Islamabad, Dec 21: Terming the formation of Pakistan Education Task Force (PETF) a positive step in the direction of quality and accessible education, the Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) suggested that the government should involve all stakeholders including general public in the process.

In a press release issued on Sunday, the PCE noted that since the very task force is created to lend support to ongoing initiatives cantered on public, it appears to have had not taken into account the insight and opinions of the people. "The PCE is also interested to know as to what propelled government to appoint Michael Barber as the co-chair of the PETF."

The PCE is a coalition of civil society partners and individuals joined together to raise voice on the issues surrounding the education sector in Pakistan. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has set up this task force on the recommendation of Education Ministry. The purpose of the task force is to support the development of policy and strategy that delivers better education outcomes, with an explicit focus on reform of the public education system.

It will be jointly headed by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Sector Begum Shehnaz Wazir Ali and Michael Barber. The statement mentioned that though the members and board members of the body are valued and reputed in the field of social development, the question is still worth asking as to what criterion was employed to select them.

"The emphasis on public-private partnership in the domain of education, laid at the inaugural meeting, needs clarification, as we might construe it yet another bid to strengthen the privatisation of education sector in Pakistan at the expense of existing under resourced public educational institutions."

The PCE also expressed concern that the enactment of another body on top of existing ones at various tiers, with review and monitoring mandate, might lead to overlapping and role conflict. It demanded PCE that the proceedings of all the following meetings of the task force to be made public so that civil society has access to vital information regarding the functioning of the task force. It called for increased civil society participation in the PETF through a genuinely democratic process in order to make its mandate and functioning truly representative of the will and the aspirations of the people of Pakistan.