Introduction

Introduction to Balochistan Education Sector Plan

Introduction to Balochistan Education Sector Plan (BESP) 2020-25 follows in the footsteps of BESP 2013-18 – the first education sector plan in the province. Extensive consultations through detailed discussions with multiple stakeholders and secondary research have provided valuable inputs to this document. There has been agreement on the core thrusts, strategies and the approach to implementation with the proviso that, as a living document, the Plan will be reviewed on an ongoing basis over the next five years.
BESP 2020-25 differs from its predecessor in many ways. Firstly, its thrust on ‘learning’ as the key to change is very emphatic and detailed. In the past, teachers, or at best, textbooks, were targeted for improvements in children’s learning. This Plan challenges the entire structure of the learning design: scheme of studies, curriculum and textbooks. The disconnect of the design from the child’s realities creates a barrier for even the better teachers to ensure improved learning among school children. Therefore, the entire sphere of ‘learning’ emerges as a separate high priority program. While other components of learning, including the role of teachers, have been discussed in detail and strategies for improvement proposed, the emphasis on ‘learning’ being a result of the composite of all the inputs in the classroom has been emphasized. The strategies combine to improve the whole system and not just its parts.
Main focus is on reading, numeracy and analytical ability as the targets for learning. In the previous Sector Plan, primarily, the critical-analytical ability was discussed as the core problem. New data on the reading crisis makes it necessary to include it as a significant area for improvement. If children cannot read, the entire edifice of formal learning fails to be built. Several reports and assessments have indicated this as the most severe crisis in education in Pakistan, especially, in Balochistan.
Another shift has been a greater focus on child welfare. Physical health, psychosocial development, and general treatment of the child, both in communities and schools, receive much greater attention. The girl child has been further included not only in terms of access and participation but also in other areas, including governance and management. The latter approach is premised on the understanding that greater involvement and empowerment of females in decision making positions will help improve female education policies and practices. Issues of adolescent girls have also been included as special interventions needed for their welfare and continued education given the trend of substantive decline in female participation after primary.
Finally, the area of research and data has been emphasized. The sector analysis carried out for plan development clearly highlighted a lack of research and data deficiencies as an essential cause for the disconnect between child’s realities, needs of the society, and the design and execution of education services. Without vibrant research support and availability of reliable data changes cannot be measured, problems and their causes cannot be identified and policies and plans with targeted and prioritised impact can neither be developed nor implemented. Even during the sector analysis process for the BESP, limitations were faced due to lack of research and data in numerous areas.
While the above are added thrusts, many problems of education included for improvement continue to be similar to the situation in the past. Access and participation challenges are still massive, with wide gender gaps in opportunities and participation. These need to be prioritised at par with learning. Here the Plan addresses supply and demand issues and, specifically, looks at potential solutions for children in low population density areas that cover

3 The period has been based on the financial year followed in the province. It starts from 1st July and ends on 30th June of the following year. This plan will effectively cover financial years 2020-21 to 2024-25.
large parts of Balochistan. There has been an increased focus on non-formal education given a large number of out of school children (nearly 65% according to one estimate) and low adult literacy. Formal schools alone will not be able to address the issue of out of school children on a fast track. It will have to be a combined effort with a more vigorous NFE sector supporting an improving formal school system.
Technical and vocational education and training has been included as it is an important conduit for the employment of youth in a province with a massive youth bulge. This was not part of the previous Sector Plan. Issues of governance, quality and expansion with relevance to the market are the key areas. Again, the limited capacity and the nascent state of some of the governance structures means that TVET will face huge challenges in the next few years. Strategies suggested will help organise reform.
The Plan includes responses to emergencies in general as part of the child welfare (school safety), but more specific strategies have been incorporated for education amid the COVID 19 crises. Pakistan, similar to the rest of the World, faces a threat from the pandemic. Social distancing measures have included closure of schools. Given the uncertainty and also to prepare education systems for the continued threat strategies have been added under different relevant heads: continued schooling, teacher education, curriculum and school safety. Options using information communication technologies (ICT) have been provided. The limitations of these options are recognised in an underdeveloped region like Balochistan. The path of COVID 19 is difficult to predict. The Sector Plan provides flexibility to implementers to adjust as the situation changes and risks reduce. Its strategies and approach have been based on the Pakistan National Education Response and Resilience Plan (K-12) prepared by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training of the Government of Pakistan consequent to consultation with the provinces. Implementation of BESP will not be easy. It has questioned the ‘business as usual’ scenario and expects major shifts in priorities. These changes will require a transition in the approach of policy and decision-makers. It will also need capacity building in the system beyond the current levels. Changes are not easy, especially, when they contest the fundamentals. Therefore, targets have been set at as realistic a scale as possible. Even with these relatively lower targets, commitment from the highest levels will be vital to ensure reform in education. Lessons learnt from implementation of the last Sector Plan will have to be incorporated in implementation. Some key lessons were drawn. Only 36% of the Plan was implemented. High-level meetings and support from the Government was limited and took place mainly in the early years of Plan implementation. The approach, and much else, will need to change if the current Sector Plan is to be given a greater opportunity to succeed. This Sector Plan provides a blueprint for the path to prepare Balochistan for a better future. The province cannot be complacent. It lags behind most of the country and has massive challenges ahead to transform education service delivery. Renewed political support and its sustenance will be the key. The child, the future of the province and the country will have to be elevated to the position of the most important citizen. Short of this transformation the largely broken education system cannot be expected to lead to a future that provides growth opportunities, allows social development and promotes sustainability.