An appraisal of the World Bank role in the development of education in Pakistan with a focus on higher education

The World Bank, like many other non-governmental organisations, is engaged in the developing countries with an objective to bring social and economic development. In Pakistan, the World Bank (WB) appeared on the horizon soon after the independence of the country in 1947. Hitherto, for the development of different sectors including education, WB has lent billions of dollars and launched hundreds of projects in Pakistan. This research has been conducted to have an in-depth look into the role played by the WB in the development and progress of education sector from 1964 to 2009. In this study, a special focus has been given to the higher education. The author has evaluated the volume of the WB lending, nature of the projects, the shares for the sub-sectors of education, changes and trends in the investment in education sector. An attempt also has been made to evaluate the possible impact of the WB loans and projects on the education sector in general and higher education sub-sector in particular. The WB investments in education sector have also been compared with other sectors to have a broader picture. For new readers and those who are interested in education statistics a detailed county profile, on the basis of most recent data, has also been presented and discussed in this article. This practical information on the country profile can be very helpful in establishing a better understanding of the present scenario, condition and status of education in Pakistan. Moreover it will help to understand the need and significance of national and international organisations for education. Keywords: The World Bank, education, higher education, projects, lending, investment, development, impac

Expansion of quality assurance mechanism in south Asian higher education system: an empirical analysis

Higher education institutions in south Asia are faced with two fold pressure; need to expand and demand to enhance the quality. In this region mechanism of quality assurance is at very nascent stage and faced with problems of resources limitations: economic resources are insufficient and human resources are under-developed. But the expansion and implementation of QA mechanism is helping to improve the quality of higher education and better utilization of resources. Assistance of international organizations, which are working for quality assurance mechanism, is important to enhance human capacity QA mechanisms’ credibility. This study is designed to map the state of higher education and quality assurance, to investigate into the role of international organization (INQAAHE) in the expansion of QA and to probe the questions: What are south Asian countries doing for quality enhancement and assurance? How is it expanding? What are the national needs? Keywords: Higher Education, Quality Assurance, INQAAHE, South Asi

Does Higher Education System of United Kingdom Produce Enough Graduates?

In this discourse the researcher tried to make the readers view the three-dimensional image of the productivity and contribution of higher education of United Kingdom, quantitatively as well as qualitatively, through the prism of comparison with that of USA and France. The researcher presented information regarding population, economic status, graduate enrolment and entrance trend of the higher education students in the United Kingdom. And at the end the researcher gave the data depicting the impact of higher education on the UK economy. Although, UK comes to the second place (after the USA, a giant in knowledge and economy) in the world, yet the competing situation in France could not be overlooked. The researcher thinks it will make the reader able to have, not only, some knowledge of the higher education system but also the relationship of higher education and labour market. It will also help the reader to dig out into the efficacy and efficiency of the system with regards to the economic development of the state

English Background as the Predictors for Students’ Speaking Skills in Pakistan

This paper is based on the English background of the students as the predictors for students English speaking skills at the secondary level at province of Sindh, Pakistan. A questionnaire was designed for students of grade-11, which was used to collect data from 60 male students of the public institutes in district Hyderabad, Pakistan. There were three independent variables used in this study: (X1) either students attended English language institute, (X2) number of years students were educated in English medium schools, and (X3) last class’s English score. The dependent variable was English speaking score (Y). Students’ speaking skills were assessed by a standardized rubric designed by language experts. There were four research questions formulated. Data was analyzed using linear and multiple regression, and t-test in SAS 9.2 (Statistical Analysis System). With ?=0.05, the result indicates that there is a significant relationship between student last class’s English score (N=60, M=50.45, SD=9.00) and their speaking scores (N=60, M=11.77, SD=3.21), r = 0.73, p<0.001. The number of years educated in English medium school (b = 0.22, t =2.05) and last class’s English score (b = 0.26, t = 8.26, p <.0001) were found significant predictors at R2 =0.57, F(2,57) =37.20, p<0.001. No statistical significance was indicated in students speaking score between those who attended English language institute (N=48, M= 12.04, SD= 3.43) and those who did not attend an English language institute (N=12, M= 10.67, SD= 1.83), t(58)= –1.34, p = 0.19. Interaction with students showed that most of the students do not speak English with fellow students because of shyness and lack of confidence. Keywords: English speaking, language, speaking skills, secondary school

English Background as the Predictors for Students’ Speaking Skills in Pakistan

This paper is based on the English background of the students as the predictors for students English speaking skills at the secondary level at province of Sindh, Pakistan. A questionnaire was designed for students of grade-11, which was used to collect data from 60 male students of the public institutes in district Hyderabad, Pakistan. There were three independent variables used in this study: (X1) either students attended English language institute, (X2) number of years students were educated in English medium schools, and (X3) last class’s English score. The dependent variable was English speaking score (Y). Students’ speaking skills were assessed by a standardized rubric designed by language experts. There were four research questions formulated. Data was analyzed using linear and multiple regression, and t-test in SAS 9.2 (Statistical Analysis System). With ?=0.05, the result indicates that there is a significant relationship between student last class’s English score (N=60, M=50.45, SD=9.00) and their speaking scores (N=60, M=11.77, SD=3.21), r = 0.73, p<0.001. The number of years educated in English medium school (b = 0.22, t =2.05) and last class’s English score (b = 0.26, t = 8.26, p <.0001) were found significant predictors at R2 =0.57, F(2,57) =37.20, p<0.001. No statistical significance was indicated in students speaking score between those who attended English language institute (N=48, M= 12.04, SD= 3.43) and those who did not attend an English language institute (N=12, M= 10.67, SD= 1.83), t(58)= –1.34, p = 0.19. Interaction with students showed that most of the students do not speak English with fellow students because of shyness and lack of confidence. Keywords: English speaking, language, speaking skills, secondary schoo

Education as gender equalizer: overcoming youth unemployment in Pakistan

Resistance to a positive change brings no change in a society unless its members do not work for it. In many parts of Pakistan female employment is a sensitive cultural issue. In this country the female population is more than 90 million, and quarter of it is youth, but majority of female youth are not master of their own soul because of the low female literacy rate in the country.  This study presents an in-depth outlook of female education, unemployment and its consequences for female gender. A detailed description of the factors and forces which are resisting a positive change in the society has also been presented. This paper presents practicable solutions to make female youth economically active, productive and more independent in male dominant society. Keywords: Education, Female youth, unemploymen