|
When Pakistan was founded in the year 1947 as a result of the partition with India, the country had only one institution of higher education, the University of the Punjab.
Since then, the government of Pakistan strived to promote education in a big way.
Initially the Pakistan’s entire system of education was state-run. With the growing demand for quality graduates, many Pakistanis were prompted to seek university degrees abroad in places like the United States, Great Britain and Australia.
However, the growing demand for higher education fast outpaced the establishment of new public universities. During that period, the system could accommodate only 25 percent of the high school graduates who applied to higher education institutions. The overcrowding.
In 1979 a government commission came out with the findings that there was an acute poor participation rates at all levels of education, the public sector could no longer be the country’s sole provider of education. By the mid-1980s, private educational institutions were allowed to operate on the condition that they comply with government-recognized standards.
Until 1991, there were only two recognized private universities in Pakistan: Aga Khan University established in 1983; and Lahore University of Management Sciences established in 1985. By 1997, however, there were 10 private universities and by 2002, this number had doubled to 20. As per records taken in the year 2003-2004, Pakistan had a total of 53 private degree granting institutions.
The rapid expansion of private higher education is even more remarkable if we look at the number of institutions established on a year-by-year basis. In 1997, for instance, three private institutions were established; in 2001 eleven new private institutions were opened; and in 2002 a total of 29 private sector institutions came into being.
The Government of Pakistan has also introduced ‘English Medium Education' in phase-wise. The move is now seen as a shift from government earlier stand of ‘Mother Tongue Education'.
This new policy which is termed 'Education Sector Reforms states that "English language has been made compulsory from Class-1 onwards." and the "Introduction of English as medium of instruction for Science, Mathematics, Computer Science and other selected subjects like Economics and Geography in all schools in a graduated manner."
 |
DOU=24042008 |
