By IANS,
Islamabad : A complete restructuring of the education system is needed in Pakistan where the literacy level still remains among the lowest in the world, said a daily Monday.
An editorial in the News International said the Punjab government was handing out laptops to students beyond the matric level who have done well in examinations.
“The scheme is certainly laudable…What is also worth applauding is that, so far at least, there have been no accusations of wrongdoing in the scheme with computers apparently being given out strictly on merit,” it said.
The editorial suggested that rather than assisting only the best, students at all levels need to be granted an opportunity to realise their full potential and achieve what they can in life.
“A complete restructuring of the education system is required,” it said.
Observing that while distributing computers is not a bad idea, it said: “We must also look at our educational problems in greater depth.”
“Too many schools and classrooms lack even the basic equipment and facilities, where children have to sit on the floor and teacher absenteeism is rampant. To genuinely improve education, these matters also have to be looked at,” it added.
“…Ideally, we need to be spending much more on education. Computers will not solve all the problems that exist. Standards of teaching and curricula need to be raised so that people can take pride in what their children are learning and education can become a priority in a country where the literacy level still remains among the lowest anywhere in the world,” the editorial added.