Directory UMM :Data Elmu:jurnal:I:International Journal of Educational Management:Vol14.Issue6.2000:
Status of Higher Secondary Schools Scheme in the
Punjab Province of Pakistan
Khalid Mahmood
Senior Subject Specialist , Directorate of Staff Development, Punjab, Lahore,
Pakistan
Muhammad Saeed
Senior Subject Specialist, Directorate of Staff Development, Punjab, Lahore,
Pakistan
Keywords
Schools, Teachers, Students,
Output, Pakistan
Abstract
Basically aims at exploring
whether a single definitive
structure for secondary and higher
secondary education is
appropriate for Pakistan or not.
The results show that the
pedagogical and pastoral
environment of the Higher
Secondary Schools Scheme
(HSSS) gradually improved
between 1987-94, although
various factors like financial
constraints, lack of physical
facilities etc. prevailed in these
institutions. It further explores the
fact that not only has enrolment in
grade XI increased in these
institutions, but pass rates in XII
have also been improving
annually. The analysis of Boards'
results indicates that the
achievement of students in arts
subjects was better than that of
students in science subjects.
Gender did not appear to be a
significant indicator in this regard.
High correlation was found
between enrolment and passing.
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
# MCB University Press
[ISSN 0951-354X]
[ 246 ]
Background
Many people think that education is a nonproductive and non-developmental sector, as a
lot of resources (both human and non-human)
are exploited here but no visible and direct
product is obtained. This is not true, as no
other sector can make speedy progress and
development until and unless the education
system of a country produces skilled workers
and professionals of the relevant field. The
better the education system of a country, the
better will be the product (experts/
professionals) in various other fields. No
doubt, ``primary education forms the basis of
all subsequent education'' (Quddus, 1990), but
it is the secondary stage at which people
either join any profession to get employment
or choose to enter the higher education
stream. Hence the pivotal role of secondary
education cannot be ignored in any way.
The very first effort to improve the quality
of education was made at the platform of
Pakistan Education Conference 1947 (27
November-1 December 1947). The
recommendation of the ``Committee of
Primary and Secondary Education'' of this
Conference was the same as that proposed
earlier by the British Government.
According to the recommendation, ``the
intermediate stage should be abolished and
these classes i.e. XI and XII should be added
to the secondary level''. Thus the proposed
structure was 11 years' schooling in total.
One document in the education sector was
the Report of the Commission on National
Education (Government of Pakistan, 1959),
according to which, ``classes XI and XII
should be separated from the control of the
universities and become a part of the
secondary stage along with class IX and X''.
The New Education Policy (in 1970) and
The Education Policy (from 1972-80)
envisaged that the educational ladder should
be split into three tiers, i.e. elementary (IVIII), secondary (IX-XII) and tertiary/higher
(XIII-onward).
In the light of the provisions of different
policies, the different five-year plans
envisaged the four secondary stages after
eight years' elementary schooling. For
instance, the 3rd Five Year Plan (1965-70)
comments that:
While the expanded primary education
provides the nation with a wider base of
talent, it is at the secondary stage that this
talent acquires the education and training
through which it may contribute to the
economic and social life of the country.
The Sixth Five-year Plan (1983-88)
(Government of Pakistan, 1960) further
explores the pivotal role of secondary
education, as ``secondary education is of vital
significance for the consolidation of the gains
of primary education and for making them
permanent''. It is the stage that exposes
students to the introduction of pure/basic
sciences, humanities and social sciences. At
this stage, the students' civic education gains
stability.
Keeping in mind the great importance of
secondary education, the different
governments have carried out different
measures in the past: the Central Model
Schools Scheme, Pilot Secondary Schools
Scheme, Comprehensive High Schools
Scheme ± all these initiatives were taken to
improve the quality of secondary education.
Different plans, policies and reports have
given due place to primary and secondary
education. Since the birth of Pakistan, many
documents have supported the Higher
Secondary Schools Scheme. The National
Education Policy (Government of Pakistan,
1979) proposed to replace the multi-tier
structure (I-V primary, VI-VIII middle, IX-X
secondary, XI-XII-XIV college and XV-onward
university education) by a three-tier
structure (I-VIII elementary, IX-XII
secondary and XIII-onward higher
education). According to policy
recommendations, ``all high schools will
gradually be upgraded to higher secondary
schools and in the intermediate colleges
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
classes IX and X will be added'' (Government
of Pakistan, 1979, p. 32).
The policy recommendation could not be
implemented in full due to some unavoidable
circumstances. Some high schools were
upgraded to higher secondary schools, but in
no single intermediate college were classes
IX and X added. A total of 15 posts of subject
specialists (Grade 17) were sanctioned in
each of the newly established higher
secondary schools. The minimum
qualification for subject specialists was fixed
as Master's degree in any content area plus
Bachelor's degree in Education or Master's
degree in Education. The nomenclature of
headmaster/headmistress was changed into
principal of grade 18/19.
The 8th Five-year Plan comments about the
Higher Secondary Scheme:
The policy of adding class XI and XII to the
existing secondary schools was implemented
during the last two plans. Performance of class
XI and XII in the existing higher secondary
schools will be evaluated and remedial
measures will be adopted wherever necessary
(Government of Pakistan, 1960, p. 343).
Keeping in view this proposal of the evaluation
of the newly created Higher Secondary School
Scheme, the present study was conducted to
achieve the following objectives:
.
Assess the actual position of HSSs in
terms of physical facilities, staffing and
financial allocation.
.
Investigate the pass rates of class XII in
higher secondary schools.
.
Determine how far the higher secondary
schools were appropriate with respect to
location, approach and facilities available
in such institutions.
.
Find out the correlation between enrolment
and pass rates in class XII of HSSs.
.
Compare the academic achievements of
boys' and girls' higher secondary schools.
Methodology
Population and the sample
This comprised all the boys' and girls' higher
secondary schools (239 in 1994) in the Punjab
province of Pakistan[1].
in Section III items were asked about the
achievement level of the students at the time
of admission and passing.
Data collection
The research instrument was administered
by all the district education officers
(secondary education) of the Punjab
Province, who collected the required data
from different higher secondary schools and
sent it to their respective divisional directors
(secondary education), who transferred this
information to the Director of Public
Instructions (secondary education), Punjab,
Lahore. The researcher collected all the data
between March 1997 and July 1997 from the
office of the Director Public Instructions (SE)
Punjab, Lahore.
Analysis of data
The data collected through the questionnaire
were processed on a Pentium computer.
Besides frequency distribution and
percentages, the following statistical
techniques were used for the analysis of data:
.
histograms and line graphs;
.
Spearman's Rank Order Coefficient of
Correlation; and
.
Test of Significance Spearman's Rank
Order Coefficient of Correlation (at 0.05
level of significance).
Interpretation/discussion of
results
Geographical boundary
The first aspect of the study was the distance
of higher secondary schools from district/
tehsil headquarters and the nearest
intermediate or degree college. It was found
that 38 per cent of the boys' and 35 per cent of
the girls' higher secondary schools are located
more than 40km away from the district
headquarters. More than 71 per cent of the
boys' and girls' higher secondary schools are
located within the radius of 30km of the
respective tehsil headquarters. About 52 per
cent of the boys' and 67 per cent of the girls'
higher secondary schools are located at the
distance of 20km or less from the nearest
intermediate or degree college.
Research instrument
A self-made questionnaire was designed as a
research instrument that consisted of 23
closed-ended questions, including alternate
responses and fill in the blanks (Appendix).
The instrument comprised three sections:
Section I was about the general information
about the institutions, like location, facilities
and infrastructure etc.; Section II concerned
the information of teaching staff in HSS; and
Rural/urban
More than three-quarters of the higher
secondary schools (86 per cent boys and 63 per
cent girls) are located in rural areas[2]. It is
necessary to mention here that almost all
these institutions were actually upgraded
from high schools to higher secondary schools
(HSS) between 1985-1994. The pace of
upgrading remained very fast between 1987-
[ 247 ]
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
1990. For example, in 1987, 33 per cent of the
total girls' higher secondary schools were
upgraded from high to higher secondary level,
with the highest ratio of 30.7 per cent in 1989.
In 1994, no boys' or girls' high schools were
upgraded to higher secondary level. Table I
clearly depicts the picture with regard to this.
HSSs had adequate building facilities, and
the figure rose to 140 in 1996. The rest (about
100) of the institutions were still lacking in
this facility. Comparing the building facility
in boys' and girls' institutions, it was found
that in 1990, 34 (52 per cent) boys' institutions
had an adequate facility which improved to
83.3 per cent in 1996. In girls' institutions,
within the same period, the situation
improved almost to the same extent.
As regards furniture, the situation
improved significantly from 1990-1996. In 1990
about three-quarters of the higher secondary
schools did not have adequate furniture for
students and teachers. Comparing the
situation by sex, it was found that in boys'
schools furniture facilities were improved by
about seven times (from 11.4 per cent to 87.5
per cent) but in girls' schools this facility
only doubled between 1990 and 1996. Hence,
furniture facilities improved five times more
in boys' institutions compared with girls'
institutions.
Another important component is laboratory
equipment. Up until 1990, half of the existing
higher secondary schools (both boys' and
girls') were provided with laboratory
equipment. Until 1996, this facility was
available in about three-quarters of the
institutions. Comparing laboratory equipment
in boys' and girls' institutions, in 1990 a total
of 31 (51.7 per cent) of boys' institutions had
adequate laboratory equipment that was
available at 56 (93.3 per cent) higher secondary
schools in 1996. In girls' institutions, within
the same six-year period, the extent of
improvement made was almost the same.
With regard to library facilities in higher
secondary schools, up to 1993, about twothirds of the HSSs did not have sufficient
library books. The situation improved
significantly by 1996. Only 20 per cent of the
boys' and girls' institutions lacked this
facility. The pace of improvement in boys'
and girls' higher secondary schools was
Accommodation, transportation and
market facilities in the locality of HSS
About 90 per cent of boys' and 95 per cent of
girls' higher secondary schools do not have
any accommodation facility for the staff
either within the institution or nearby. In
Pakistani society, accommodation for
females is a crucial problem. Owing to
religious and cultural factors, girls generally
cannot live alone; they live with their family.
About two-thirds of higher secondary
schools are located in places where transport
is a problem. Like accommodation, the
problem for females is more acute than for
their male conterparts. Females either do not
want or are not allowed to travel alone,
particularly in the rural areas.
With regard to market facilities, about half
of the higher secondary schools are located in
places where market facilities are not
available. Again the problem is more severe
for the females than for the males, due to the
reasons mentioned earlier.
Table II reflects the problems of
accommodation, transport and market facility.
Physical facilities ± building, furniture,
library, laboratory equipment
A conducive environment is necessary for
smooth functioning of any institution. One of
the basic elements for this environment is the
availability of physical facilities like building,
furniture, laboratory equipment, etc.
As regards the provision of building
facilities for classes XI and XII in higher
secondary schools, the situation gradually
improved from 1990 to 1996. In 1990, only 80
Table I
Year-wise upgrading of high schools to higher secondary schools
[ 248 ]
Year
Boys HSS
N
Per cent
N
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
3
13
20
11
27
5
2
2
5
0
2
9
20
3
14
4
1
4
3
0
3.4
14.8
22.7
12.5
30.7
5.7
2.3
2.3
5/7
0
Girls HSS
Per cent
3.3
15.0
33.3
5.0
23.3
6.7
1.7
6.7
5.0
0
Total
N
Cumulative
HSS
N
5
22
40
14
41
9
3
6
8
0
5
27
67
81
122
131
134
140
148
148
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
Table II
Facilities for respondent HSS
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
Gender
Facilities
Number of HSS having the facility
Yes
No
N
Per cent
N
Per cent
Boys
Accommodation for outside staff
Transport
Market
Accommodation for outside staff
Transport
Market
Accommodation for outside staff
Transport
Market
9
36
46
3
15
26
12
51
72
Girls
Total
almost the same. For instance, in 1990 this
facility was adequate/sufficient in 18 (20.5
per cent) boys' institutions but this reached
69 (78 per cent) institutions by 1996. In girls'
institutions, the facility improved from 43.3
per cent to 90 per cent within the same
period. Hence, the pace of improvement of
this facility was better in boys' institutions
than in girls' institutions.
79
52
42
57
45
34
138
97
76
10.2
40.9
52.3
5
25
43.3
8.1
34.5
48.6
89.8
59.1
47.7
95
75
55.7
91.9
65.5
51.4
was better in male institutions than in female
institutions. The most probable reason was
the non-availability of female principals of
grade 18/19.
Teaching staff in arts subjects
A wide gap existed between the demand
and supply of the subject specialists for class
XI and XII. This gap varied between 54 per
cent deficit in 1990 and 39 per cent deficit in
1994. The reason for the great deficit in the
demand and supply of teaching staff in Arts
subjects (Islamiyat, Pakistan Studies,
English, Urdu, Economics, Home economics,
Geography, Psychology, etc.) was a ban on
the direct recruitment (33 per cent) of
subject specialists through Punjab Public
Service Commission, Lahore and the slow
pace of promotions of secondary school
teachers from the departmental quota (67 per
cent).
Comparing the deficit of teaching staff by
sex, it was found that the girls' institutions
were suffering more from this problem. For
instance, in 1990, in girls' institutions the
deficit was at a peak of 62 per cent as
compared to the boys' institutions (48.4 per
Principals and teaching staff in arts and
science subjects in HSS
Principals
Throughout the life span of HSSS, the
number of regular principals (grade 18/19)
and the number of HSSs were never matched,
as shown in Table III.
Table III indicates that in the early years of
HSSS, the number of schools and principals
never matched each other with the exception
of the years 1987, 1988, 1992 and 1993. The
placement of regular principals was at a
maximum (in 33 institutions) in the year 1991
and the lowest (none) in 1985 among the total
137 higher secondary schools. Comparing the
appointment of male and female regular
principals, it was found that the situation
Table III
Year-wise appointment of regular principals in boys' and girls' HSS
Year
Boys HSS
N
Per cent
N
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
0
3
3
11
9
14
31
3
3
3
2
0
0
4
4
0
1
11
2
5
5
11
9
3
0
3.4
3.4
12.5
10.2
15.9
35.2
3.4
3.4
3.4
2.2
0
Girls HSS
Per cent
0
6.7
6.7
0
1.7
18.3
3.3
8.3
8.3
18.3
15
5
Total
N
Cumulative
HSS
N
0
7
7
11
10
25
33
8
8
14
11
3
0
7
14
25
35
60
93
101
109
123
134
137
[ 249 ]
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
cent). The least deficit in male and female
institutions was 29 per cent (in 1994) and 51
per cent (in 1996). Hence the deficit in female
institutions was about twice that in the
male institutions. The most probable
reason was the non-availability of highly
qualified female teachers belonging to the
far-flung areas. Teachers in cities generally
do not want to teach in village schools
owing to various problems therein, for
example, accommodation, transport, lower
monthly salary etc. The year-wise
distribution of subject specialists (arts)
in male and female HSSs is shown in
Table IV.
Teaching staff in science subjects
In each higher secondary school, out of a
total of 15 posts, four are reserved for science
subjects ± one for each in physics, chemistry,
biology and mathematics. A wide gap
was observed in the demand and supply of
subject specialists between 1990 and 1996.
Comparing male and female teaching staff in
science subjects, it was found that in boys'
HSSs the deficit varied between 54 per cent in
1990 to 21 per cent in 1994, while in girls'
HSSs this variation remained between 59 per
cent and 30 per cent in the same years. Hence
girls' HSSs were facing the problem of a
shortage of teaching staff better than the
boys' HSSs. Table V depicts the picture more
clearly.
Enrolment of students in HSSs
The enrolment of students in class XI
varied in different years. For instance, up
until 1992 it increased gradually both in
male and female higher secondary schools;
in 1993 it decreased significantly and in
subsequent years it again began to
increase.
The enrolment of students in science and
arts subjects also varied between 1990 and
1994. The enrolment in arts was about five
times greater than in science subjects. For
instance, in 1994, a total of 9,419 students
were enrolled in class XI, and, of those,
1,870 were science students. Table VI
explores the situation between science/arts
and gender.
Table VI indicates that up until 1992 the
enrolment of boys in arts subjects was more
than that of girls. In the subsequent years,
the girls' enrolment in arts subjects was
more than that of the boys. Enrolment of boys
remained three times greater than that of
girls. No doubt, the number of girls' HSSs
was less than of boys', but even then their
enrolment remained low.
Drop-out and passing
In our country, drop-out rates at various
levels is a severe problem in the education
sector. In HSSs, the drop-out rate in classes
XI and XII varied slightly between 35.3 per
cent (in 1992) and 30.5 (in 1994). The drop-out
Table IV
Year-wise distribution of subject specialists (arts) in male and female HSSs
Year
Up to 1990
Up to 1991
Up to 1992
Up to 1993
Up to 1994
Up to 1995
Up to 1996
Male teaching staff
Required Available
Deficit
N
N
N (%)
1,185
1,215
1,245
1,320
1,320
1,320
1,320
611
639
747
844
942
918
852
574 (48)
576 (47)
498 (40)
476 (36)
378 (29)
402 (30)
466 (35)
Female teaching staff required
Required Available
Deficit
N
N
N (%)
780
795
855
900
900
900
900
299
328
340
406
421
411
443
481 (62)
467 (59)
515 (60)
494 (56)
479 (53)
489 (54)
457 (51)
Total deficit
N
%
1,053
1,043
1,013
970
857
891
923
54
52
48
44
39
40
42
Table V
Year-wise distribution of subject specialists (science) in male and female HSSs
Year
Up to 1990
Up to 1991
Up to 1992
Up to 1993
Up to 1994
Up to 1995
Up to 1996
[ 250 ]
Male teaching staff
Required Available
Deficit
N
N
N (%)
316
324
332
352
352
352
352
147
182
196
228
278
267
250
169 (54)
142 (44)
136 (41)
124 (35)
74 (21)
85 (24)
102 (29)
Female teaching staff required
Required Available
Deficit
N
N
N (%)
208
212
228
240
240
240
240
71
77
90
125
135
130
137
137 (66)
135 (64)
138 (61)
115 (48)
105 (44)
110 (46)
103 (43)
Total deficit
N
%
306
277
274
239
179
195
205
58
52
49
40
30
33
35
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
Table VI
Science/arts and gender enrolment of students in HSSs
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
Sex
Boys
Girls
Total
1990
Arts
Science
4,190
3,794
8,984
1,074
334
1,408
Year
1992
Arts
Science
1991
Arts
Science
4,858
4,308
9,166
1,231
388
1,619
5,109
4,895
10,004
rate was higher among male students than
female students between 1992 and 1996, as
shown in Table VII.
When the respondents' pass rate was
analysed, it was found that, in the beginning
years, the pass rate was low, but with the
passage of time it gradually increased.
This might be due to an increase in the
student-teacher ratio, appointment of
incompetent teachers and a dearth of
teaching staff in English and science
subjects in most higher secondary schools
etc.
Comparing the results (1992-1996) of
all the eight boards of intermediate and
secondary education (BISE) in the science
and art subjects of class XII, it was found that
achievement among boys in arts subjects was
better than in science subjects. However, in
girls, the achievement ratio was better in
science subjects than in arts subjects, as
shown in Table VIII.
1,532
589
2,121
Arts
1993
Science
3,267
3,925
7,192
1,150
353
1,503
Arts
1994
Science
4,138
5,281
9,419
1,405
465
1,870
Comparing effectiveness
This section aims to assess whether the
intake/enrolled students in the higher
secondary schools changed their ranks in
their terminal examination which was
conducted by boards or not. For this purpose
Spearman's Rank Order Coefficient of
Correlation was calculated between the
enrolment and pass out, as shown in Table IX.
Best and Kahn (1986) have given the
following crude criterion to evaluate the
magnitude of correlation:
Range
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
to
to
to
to
to
Extent of correlation
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.0
Negligible
Low
Moderate
Substantial
High/very high
Since all the values in Table IX lie
between 0.80 and 1.0, it can be said there is a
Table VII
Year-wise drop out rate in the respondent HSSs
1992
Gender
Boys
Girls
Total
Year
1994
1993
1995
1996
N
%
N
%
N
%
N
%
N
%
2,044
1,268
3,312
38.8
30.7
35.3
1,941
1,401
3,342
31.9
29.8
31
2,180
1,525
3,705
32.8
27.8
30.5
1,411
1,297
2,708
31.9
30.3
31.1
1,810
1,761
3,571
33
31
32
Table VIII
Grade-wise pass ratio of science and arts in class XII in boys' and girls' HSSs
Grades of
boys and girls
in arts and
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
science
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
subjects (%) Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art
Less than 40
Between
40-49
Between
50-59
Between
60-69
70 and above
Note:
a
14/11a
17/14
10/9
5/11
0/10
19/12
4/13
2/10
5/11
16/8
19/47
25/30
27/46
15/36
35/51
19/35
46/38
24/30
29/40
28/27
45/35
58/45
44/38
65/39
41/33
50/38
37/41
53/44
40/41
30/49
21/25
0/0
0/10
0/2
15/6
2/0
15/12
0/3
24/7
0/0
13/13
0/3
12/7
2/3
16/14
4/2
24/9
2/0
21/13
5/3
14/11 means 14 per cent in science and 11 per cent in arts
[ 251 ]
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
Table IX
Spearman's Rank Order Coefficient of
Correlation between enrolment and passing
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
Session
Boys
Gender
Girls
Overall
1991-1992
1992-1993
1993-1994
1994-1995
1995-1996
1
1
1
0.9
0.8
0.9
0.8
1
1
1
0.95
0.9
1
0.95
0.9
very high correlation between the
achievement of the students at the time of
enrolment and the achievement at the time of
passing.
To see the extent of significance, a two-tail
test was used and results were obtained at the
0.05 level of significance. The results show that
the achievement of students of higher
secondary schools at the time of enrolment in
class XI and at the time of their passing in
class XII remained almost the same. But in a
few years, the achievement of students of HSSs
at the time of passing in class XII was better
than that of their achievement at the time of
entrance in class XI.
was no prominent difference in the results of
the students of HSSs and average results of
all BISEs. In 1995 and 1996 the results of
class XII of HSSs were found to be better
than the average results of all eight
boards, which shows a healthy sign of the
success of the new scheme of HSSs in the
Punjab province. In the initial years the
pass rate was low, but as the resources
increased, the pass rate of class XII began to
increase.
Conclusions
.
.
.
Comparison of results of HSS with
BISE's overall results
Table X gives the picture of results of all eight
Boards of Intermediate and Secondary
Education (BISE) and their overall
comparison with the results of class XII of the
corresponding HSSs in the years 1992-1996.
Table X reveals that the pass rate of
students (boys and girls) in class XII in the
HSSs in Punjab varied between 21 per cent
and 35.1 per cent between 1992 and 1996.
In this period, the overall results of all the
eight BISE varied between 22 per cent and
30.1 per cent, which means that there
.
.
.
Most of the higher secondary schools/HSS
(particularly boys) are located at a
distance (more than 20km) from the
district headquarters and a large number
of boys' higher secondary schools are
located in rural areas.
Accommodation facilities for outside staff
are not available within or near most of
the HSSs. Market facilities are also not
available in most of the rural-centred HSS.
The approach to most of these institutions
is not very easy.
A remarkable number of HSSs are lacking
in physical facilities like building,
teaching, staff, library books and
laboratory equipment etc.
A considerable number of HSS are
functioning without regular principals of
grade 18/19. Also there is a shortage of
subject specialists, especially in the girls'
HSSs.
Teaching staff are not equally distributed
in all the HSSs. The situation is
deteriorating in the rural female
institutions.
Although the students who get admission
to HSSs are low achievers, there is
generally an increasing trend in
enrolment in these institutions. This may
Table X
Year-wise results of class XII of BISE in the Punjab and their comparison with the responding
higher secondary schools
Board
1992
1993
Year
1994
1995
1996
Bahawalpur
D.G. Khan
Faisalabad
Gujranwala
Lahore
Multan
Rawalpindi
Sargodha
Overall
HSS results
30.6
23
31.7
25.9
34.6
25.3
26.9
33.0
28.9
21.0
22.0
19.4
24.1
19.9
17.5
25.8
26.7
20.2
21.9
21.3
21.1
25.9
32.5
30.05
25.4
28.7
31.2
27.2
27.8
27.1
25.15
26.7
31.2
28.4
31.06
30.5
32.74
35.4
30.1
35.1
21.9
33.4
23.6
26.9
30.54
30.2
35.6
34.9
29.6
34.4
Source: Gazette of all the eight BISE in Punjab
[ 252 ]
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
.
.
.
be due to high admission pressure in
colleges, availability of HSSs near to
students' homes, etc.
There is a high drop-out rate in HSSs. This
is most probably due to the shortage of
teaching staff.
There is almost no change in the
achievement level/grade of the students at
the time of enrolment in class XI and at
the time of passing in class XII in HSS.
The reasons may be large-sized classes,
shortage of teaching staff and regular
principals etc.
At present there is an increasing trend of
pass percentage of students belonging to
HSSs appearing in XII in the different
BISEs. The results of the corresponding
HSSs are found to be above the average
results of the boards.
Notes
1 Pakistan comprises four provinces Punjab,
Sindh, NWFP and Baluchistan. Each
provincial government is headed by a chief
minister who is elected by majority votes in
the Provincial Assembly (the Lower House).
Each province is divided into varying
divisions which in turn are generally divided
into between three and six districts. Each civil
division and district is administratively
controlled by a commissioner and deputy
commissioner respectively, who come
through civil service after hard competition.
Each district is divided between two to five
tehsils depending on the number of
inhabitants and/or geographical aspect of the
concerned district. In the Punjab province,
where the study was conducted, there are
eight divisions and 34 districts. It is the most
populous province, comprising about 56 per
cent of the total population (115 million) of the
country. The education and training facilities
in this province are comparatively better than
in the rest of the three provinces. Almost half
of the educational institutions of the country
are located in this province.
2 The people who live at divisional, district and
tehsil headquarters are considered to be
urban, while those who live in the areas away
from these cities/towns i.e. in the villages
come under the rural category. There are wide
differences between the people of these two
areas. For instance, practice of religion is
comparatively more absolute among the rural
people than the urban ones. There is lack of
awareness among the rural people as regards
the recent developments in education, science
and technology. This is most probably due to
fewer opportunities for education and
training, employment and communication.
Many of the rural people still believe in
superstitions and do not want to send their
children, particularly daughters, to the
schools due to: more distance between their
homes and the school; and religious and sociocultural factors. One of the basic aims of the
establishment of the HSSs scheme was to
provide the people (especially those living in
rural localities) with secondary and higher
secondary education nearer to their homes.
References
Best, W.J. and Kahn, V.J. (1986), Research in
Education, 5th ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewood
Cliffs, NJ.
Government of Pakistan (1959), Report of the
Commission on National Education, Ministry
of Education, Islamabad, p. 62.
Government of Pakistan (1960), 8th Five Year Plan
(1993-98), Planning Commission, Islamabad,
p. 343.
Government of Pakistan (1960), 6th Five Year Plan
(1983-88), Planning Commission, Islamabad,
pp. 342-50.
Government of Pakistan (1960), 3rd Five Year
Plan (1965-1970), Planning Commission,
Islamabad, p. 342.
Government of Pakistan (1979), National
Education Policy 1979, Ministry of Education,
Islamabad, p. 32.
Quddus, N.J. (1990), Problems of Education in
Pakistan, Royal Book Company, Karachi.
Appendix. Questionnaire
A ± Information about the institution
1 Name of the institution:ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ
Tehsil ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ
District ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ
2 Distance from:
a) District headquarters ÐÐÐÐÐÐkm.
b) Tehsil headquarters ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐkm.
c) Nearest inter/degree college ÐÐÐkm.
(Name of the college ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ)
3 a) In which area the institution is located:
Rural/Urban
b) When was this institution upgraded to
higher secondary level: Ð (write year)
c) Which of the following necessary
facilities are available for life:
i) Accommodation for outsiders staff
in the locality: Yes/No
ii) Transport: Yes/No
iii) Market: Yes/No
4 When did this institution received the
following grants
i) Science apparatus in 19Ð.
ii) Is this grant sufficient for:
a) Students: Yes/No
b) Teachers: Yes/No
iii) Library in 19Ð and books have some
relevance with academic needs of F.Sc
students: Yes/No
iv) Building for classes XI and XII in 19Ð
and is sufficient for the said classes:
Yes/No.
[ 253 ]
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
Table AI
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
Total no. of specialised staff
appointed in this institution
No. of specialised staff of science
subjects like physics,
chemistry, biology and maths
1990
1991
No. of specialised staff/year
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
Table AII
No. of students/year
1990
1991
1992
1993
1995
Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts
Group (science/arts)
Marks less than 40 per cent
(grade E)
Marks between 40-49 per cent
(D)
Marks between 50 to 59 per cent
(A)
Marks between 60-70 per cent
(B)
70 marks and above (A/A+)
Table AIII
1990
1991
No. of specialised staff/year
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
Number of students who left the
institution and did not appear in
the boards' examination
Table AIV
No. of students/year
1990
1991
1992
1993
1995
Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts
Marks less than 40 per cent
(grade E)
Marks between 40-49 per cent
(D)
Marks between 50 to 59 per cent
(A)
Marks between 60-70 per cent
(B)
70 marks and above (A/A+)
B ± Information about the staff
1 When was the principal of regular grade
18/19 appointed? 19 ±.
2 (See Table AI).
C Information about the students
1 Admission: results of those students in
SSC examination who were admitted in
this institution in class XI (see Table AII).
[ 254 ]
8 Drop out (see Table AIII)
9. Pass rate: results of those students
who appeared in the board's
examination for intermediate
classes from this institution (see
Table AIV).
Signature and name of the Principal along
with the official stamp.
Punjab Province of Pakistan
Khalid Mahmood
Senior Subject Specialist , Directorate of Staff Development, Punjab, Lahore,
Pakistan
Muhammad Saeed
Senior Subject Specialist, Directorate of Staff Development, Punjab, Lahore,
Pakistan
Keywords
Schools, Teachers, Students,
Output, Pakistan
Abstract
Basically aims at exploring
whether a single definitive
structure for secondary and higher
secondary education is
appropriate for Pakistan or not.
The results show that the
pedagogical and pastoral
environment of the Higher
Secondary Schools Scheme
(HSSS) gradually improved
between 1987-94, although
various factors like financial
constraints, lack of physical
facilities etc. prevailed in these
institutions. It further explores the
fact that not only has enrolment in
grade XI increased in these
institutions, but pass rates in XII
have also been improving
annually. The analysis of Boards'
results indicates that the
achievement of students in arts
subjects was better than that of
students in science subjects.
Gender did not appear to be a
significant indicator in this regard.
High correlation was found
between enrolment and passing.
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
# MCB University Press
[ISSN 0951-354X]
[ 246 ]
Background
Many people think that education is a nonproductive and non-developmental sector, as a
lot of resources (both human and non-human)
are exploited here but no visible and direct
product is obtained. This is not true, as no
other sector can make speedy progress and
development until and unless the education
system of a country produces skilled workers
and professionals of the relevant field. The
better the education system of a country, the
better will be the product (experts/
professionals) in various other fields. No
doubt, ``primary education forms the basis of
all subsequent education'' (Quddus, 1990), but
it is the secondary stage at which people
either join any profession to get employment
or choose to enter the higher education
stream. Hence the pivotal role of secondary
education cannot be ignored in any way.
The very first effort to improve the quality
of education was made at the platform of
Pakistan Education Conference 1947 (27
November-1 December 1947). The
recommendation of the ``Committee of
Primary and Secondary Education'' of this
Conference was the same as that proposed
earlier by the British Government.
According to the recommendation, ``the
intermediate stage should be abolished and
these classes i.e. XI and XII should be added
to the secondary level''. Thus the proposed
structure was 11 years' schooling in total.
One document in the education sector was
the Report of the Commission on National
Education (Government of Pakistan, 1959),
according to which, ``classes XI and XII
should be separated from the control of the
universities and become a part of the
secondary stage along with class IX and X''.
The New Education Policy (in 1970) and
The Education Policy (from 1972-80)
envisaged that the educational ladder should
be split into three tiers, i.e. elementary (IVIII), secondary (IX-XII) and tertiary/higher
(XIII-onward).
In the light of the provisions of different
policies, the different five-year plans
envisaged the four secondary stages after
eight years' elementary schooling. For
instance, the 3rd Five Year Plan (1965-70)
comments that:
While the expanded primary education
provides the nation with a wider base of
talent, it is at the secondary stage that this
talent acquires the education and training
through which it may contribute to the
economic and social life of the country.
The Sixth Five-year Plan (1983-88)
(Government of Pakistan, 1960) further
explores the pivotal role of secondary
education, as ``secondary education is of vital
significance for the consolidation of the gains
of primary education and for making them
permanent''. It is the stage that exposes
students to the introduction of pure/basic
sciences, humanities and social sciences. At
this stage, the students' civic education gains
stability.
Keeping in mind the great importance of
secondary education, the different
governments have carried out different
measures in the past: the Central Model
Schools Scheme, Pilot Secondary Schools
Scheme, Comprehensive High Schools
Scheme ± all these initiatives were taken to
improve the quality of secondary education.
Different plans, policies and reports have
given due place to primary and secondary
education. Since the birth of Pakistan, many
documents have supported the Higher
Secondary Schools Scheme. The National
Education Policy (Government of Pakistan,
1979) proposed to replace the multi-tier
structure (I-V primary, VI-VIII middle, IX-X
secondary, XI-XII-XIV college and XV-onward
university education) by a three-tier
structure (I-VIII elementary, IX-XII
secondary and XIII-onward higher
education). According to policy
recommendations, ``all high schools will
gradually be upgraded to higher secondary
schools and in the intermediate colleges
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
classes IX and X will be added'' (Government
of Pakistan, 1979, p. 32).
The policy recommendation could not be
implemented in full due to some unavoidable
circumstances. Some high schools were
upgraded to higher secondary schools, but in
no single intermediate college were classes
IX and X added. A total of 15 posts of subject
specialists (Grade 17) were sanctioned in
each of the newly established higher
secondary schools. The minimum
qualification for subject specialists was fixed
as Master's degree in any content area plus
Bachelor's degree in Education or Master's
degree in Education. The nomenclature of
headmaster/headmistress was changed into
principal of grade 18/19.
The 8th Five-year Plan comments about the
Higher Secondary Scheme:
The policy of adding class XI and XII to the
existing secondary schools was implemented
during the last two plans. Performance of class
XI and XII in the existing higher secondary
schools will be evaluated and remedial
measures will be adopted wherever necessary
(Government of Pakistan, 1960, p. 343).
Keeping in view this proposal of the evaluation
of the newly created Higher Secondary School
Scheme, the present study was conducted to
achieve the following objectives:
.
Assess the actual position of HSSs in
terms of physical facilities, staffing and
financial allocation.
.
Investigate the pass rates of class XII in
higher secondary schools.
.
Determine how far the higher secondary
schools were appropriate with respect to
location, approach and facilities available
in such institutions.
.
Find out the correlation between enrolment
and pass rates in class XII of HSSs.
.
Compare the academic achievements of
boys' and girls' higher secondary schools.
Methodology
Population and the sample
This comprised all the boys' and girls' higher
secondary schools (239 in 1994) in the Punjab
province of Pakistan[1].
in Section III items were asked about the
achievement level of the students at the time
of admission and passing.
Data collection
The research instrument was administered
by all the district education officers
(secondary education) of the Punjab
Province, who collected the required data
from different higher secondary schools and
sent it to their respective divisional directors
(secondary education), who transferred this
information to the Director of Public
Instructions (secondary education), Punjab,
Lahore. The researcher collected all the data
between March 1997 and July 1997 from the
office of the Director Public Instructions (SE)
Punjab, Lahore.
Analysis of data
The data collected through the questionnaire
were processed on a Pentium computer.
Besides frequency distribution and
percentages, the following statistical
techniques were used for the analysis of data:
.
histograms and line graphs;
.
Spearman's Rank Order Coefficient of
Correlation; and
.
Test of Significance Spearman's Rank
Order Coefficient of Correlation (at 0.05
level of significance).
Interpretation/discussion of
results
Geographical boundary
The first aspect of the study was the distance
of higher secondary schools from district/
tehsil headquarters and the nearest
intermediate or degree college. It was found
that 38 per cent of the boys' and 35 per cent of
the girls' higher secondary schools are located
more than 40km away from the district
headquarters. More than 71 per cent of the
boys' and girls' higher secondary schools are
located within the radius of 30km of the
respective tehsil headquarters. About 52 per
cent of the boys' and 67 per cent of the girls'
higher secondary schools are located at the
distance of 20km or less from the nearest
intermediate or degree college.
Research instrument
A self-made questionnaire was designed as a
research instrument that consisted of 23
closed-ended questions, including alternate
responses and fill in the blanks (Appendix).
The instrument comprised three sections:
Section I was about the general information
about the institutions, like location, facilities
and infrastructure etc.; Section II concerned
the information of teaching staff in HSS; and
Rural/urban
More than three-quarters of the higher
secondary schools (86 per cent boys and 63 per
cent girls) are located in rural areas[2]. It is
necessary to mention here that almost all
these institutions were actually upgraded
from high schools to higher secondary schools
(HSS) between 1985-1994. The pace of
upgrading remained very fast between 1987-
[ 247 ]
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
1990. For example, in 1987, 33 per cent of the
total girls' higher secondary schools were
upgraded from high to higher secondary level,
with the highest ratio of 30.7 per cent in 1989.
In 1994, no boys' or girls' high schools were
upgraded to higher secondary level. Table I
clearly depicts the picture with regard to this.
HSSs had adequate building facilities, and
the figure rose to 140 in 1996. The rest (about
100) of the institutions were still lacking in
this facility. Comparing the building facility
in boys' and girls' institutions, it was found
that in 1990, 34 (52 per cent) boys' institutions
had an adequate facility which improved to
83.3 per cent in 1996. In girls' institutions,
within the same period, the situation
improved almost to the same extent.
As regards furniture, the situation
improved significantly from 1990-1996. In 1990
about three-quarters of the higher secondary
schools did not have adequate furniture for
students and teachers. Comparing the
situation by sex, it was found that in boys'
schools furniture facilities were improved by
about seven times (from 11.4 per cent to 87.5
per cent) but in girls' schools this facility
only doubled between 1990 and 1996. Hence,
furniture facilities improved five times more
in boys' institutions compared with girls'
institutions.
Another important component is laboratory
equipment. Up until 1990, half of the existing
higher secondary schools (both boys' and
girls') were provided with laboratory
equipment. Until 1996, this facility was
available in about three-quarters of the
institutions. Comparing laboratory equipment
in boys' and girls' institutions, in 1990 a total
of 31 (51.7 per cent) of boys' institutions had
adequate laboratory equipment that was
available at 56 (93.3 per cent) higher secondary
schools in 1996. In girls' institutions, within
the same six-year period, the extent of
improvement made was almost the same.
With regard to library facilities in higher
secondary schools, up to 1993, about twothirds of the HSSs did not have sufficient
library books. The situation improved
significantly by 1996. Only 20 per cent of the
boys' and girls' institutions lacked this
facility. The pace of improvement in boys'
and girls' higher secondary schools was
Accommodation, transportation and
market facilities in the locality of HSS
About 90 per cent of boys' and 95 per cent of
girls' higher secondary schools do not have
any accommodation facility for the staff
either within the institution or nearby. In
Pakistani society, accommodation for
females is a crucial problem. Owing to
religious and cultural factors, girls generally
cannot live alone; they live with their family.
About two-thirds of higher secondary
schools are located in places where transport
is a problem. Like accommodation, the
problem for females is more acute than for
their male conterparts. Females either do not
want or are not allowed to travel alone,
particularly in the rural areas.
With regard to market facilities, about half
of the higher secondary schools are located in
places where market facilities are not
available. Again the problem is more severe
for the females than for the males, due to the
reasons mentioned earlier.
Table II reflects the problems of
accommodation, transport and market facility.
Physical facilities ± building, furniture,
library, laboratory equipment
A conducive environment is necessary for
smooth functioning of any institution. One of
the basic elements for this environment is the
availability of physical facilities like building,
furniture, laboratory equipment, etc.
As regards the provision of building
facilities for classes XI and XII in higher
secondary schools, the situation gradually
improved from 1990 to 1996. In 1990, only 80
Table I
Year-wise upgrading of high schools to higher secondary schools
[ 248 ]
Year
Boys HSS
N
Per cent
N
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
3
13
20
11
27
5
2
2
5
0
2
9
20
3
14
4
1
4
3
0
3.4
14.8
22.7
12.5
30.7
5.7
2.3
2.3
5/7
0
Girls HSS
Per cent
3.3
15.0
33.3
5.0
23.3
6.7
1.7
6.7
5.0
0
Total
N
Cumulative
HSS
N
5
22
40
14
41
9
3
6
8
0
5
27
67
81
122
131
134
140
148
148
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
Table II
Facilities for respondent HSS
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
Gender
Facilities
Number of HSS having the facility
Yes
No
N
Per cent
N
Per cent
Boys
Accommodation for outside staff
Transport
Market
Accommodation for outside staff
Transport
Market
Accommodation for outside staff
Transport
Market
9
36
46
3
15
26
12
51
72
Girls
Total
almost the same. For instance, in 1990 this
facility was adequate/sufficient in 18 (20.5
per cent) boys' institutions but this reached
69 (78 per cent) institutions by 1996. In girls'
institutions, the facility improved from 43.3
per cent to 90 per cent within the same
period. Hence, the pace of improvement of
this facility was better in boys' institutions
than in girls' institutions.
79
52
42
57
45
34
138
97
76
10.2
40.9
52.3
5
25
43.3
8.1
34.5
48.6
89.8
59.1
47.7
95
75
55.7
91.9
65.5
51.4
was better in male institutions than in female
institutions. The most probable reason was
the non-availability of female principals of
grade 18/19.
Teaching staff in arts subjects
A wide gap existed between the demand
and supply of the subject specialists for class
XI and XII. This gap varied between 54 per
cent deficit in 1990 and 39 per cent deficit in
1994. The reason for the great deficit in the
demand and supply of teaching staff in Arts
subjects (Islamiyat, Pakistan Studies,
English, Urdu, Economics, Home economics,
Geography, Psychology, etc.) was a ban on
the direct recruitment (33 per cent) of
subject specialists through Punjab Public
Service Commission, Lahore and the slow
pace of promotions of secondary school
teachers from the departmental quota (67 per
cent).
Comparing the deficit of teaching staff by
sex, it was found that the girls' institutions
were suffering more from this problem. For
instance, in 1990, in girls' institutions the
deficit was at a peak of 62 per cent as
compared to the boys' institutions (48.4 per
Principals and teaching staff in arts and
science subjects in HSS
Principals
Throughout the life span of HSSS, the
number of regular principals (grade 18/19)
and the number of HSSs were never matched,
as shown in Table III.
Table III indicates that in the early years of
HSSS, the number of schools and principals
never matched each other with the exception
of the years 1987, 1988, 1992 and 1993. The
placement of regular principals was at a
maximum (in 33 institutions) in the year 1991
and the lowest (none) in 1985 among the total
137 higher secondary schools. Comparing the
appointment of male and female regular
principals, it was found that the situation
Table III
Year-wise appointment of regular principals in boys' and girls' HSS
Year
Boys HSS
N
Per cent
N
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
0
3
3
11
9
14
31
3
3
3
2
0
0
4
4
0
1
11
2
5
5
11
9
3
0
3.4
3.4
12.5
10.2
15.9
35.2
3.4
3.4
3.4
2.2
0
Girls HSS
Per cent
0
6.7
6.7
0
1.7
18.3
3.3
8.3
8.3
18.3
15
5
Total
N
Cumulative
HSS
N
0
7
7
11
10
25
33
8
8
14
11
3
0
7
14
25
35
60
93
101
109
123
134
137
[ 249 ]
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
cent). The least deficit in male and female
institutions was 29 per cent (in 1994) and 51
per cent (in 1996). Hence the deficit in female
institutions was about twice that in the
male institutions. The most probable
reason was the non-availability of highly
qualified female teachers belonging to the
far-flung areas. Teachers in cities generally
do not want to teach in village schools
owing to various problems therein, for
example, accommodation, transport, lower
monthly salary etc. The year-wise
distribution of subject specialists (arts)
in male and female HSSs is shown in
Table IV.
Teaching staff in science subjects
In each higher secondary school, out of a
total of 15 posts, four are reserved for science
subjects ± one for each in physics, chemistry,
biology and mathematics. A wide gap
was observed in the demand and supply of
subject specialists between 1990 and 1996.
Comparing male and female teaching staff in
science subjects, it was found that in boys'
HSSs the deficit varied between 54 per cent in
1990 to 21 per cent in 1994, while in girls'
HSSs this variation remained between 59 per
cent and 30 per cent in the same years. Hence
girls' HSSs were facing the problem of a
shortage of teaching staff better than the
boys' HSSs. Table V depicts the picture more
clearly.
Enrolment of students in HSSs
The enrolment of students in class XI
varied in different years. For instance, up
until 1992 it increased gradually both in
male and female higher secondary schools;
in 1993 it decreased significantly and in
subsequent years it again began to
increase.
The enrolment of students in science and
arts subjects also varied between 1990 and
1994. The enrolment in arts was about five
times greater than in science subjects. For
instance, in 1994, a total of 9,419 students
were enrolled in class XI, and, of those,
1,870 were science students. Table VI
explores the situation between science/arts
and gender.
Table VI indicates that up until 1992 the
enrolment of boys in arts subjects was more
than that of girls. In the subsequent years,
the girls' enrolment in arts subjects was
more than that of the boys. Enrolment of boys
remained three times greater than that of
girls. No doubt, the number of girls' HSSs
was less than of boys', but even then their
enrolment remained low.
Drop-out and passing
In our country, drop-out rates at various
levels is a severe problem in the education
sector. In HSSs, the drop-out rate in classes
XI and XII varied slightly between 35.3 per
cent (in 1992) and 30.5 (in 1994). The drop-out
Table IV
Year-wise distribution of subject specialists (arts) in male and female HSSs
Year
Up to 1990
Up to 1991
Up to 1992
Up to 1993
Up to 1994
Up to 1995
Up to 1996
Male teaching staff
Required Available
Deficit
N
N
N (%)
1,185
1,215
1,245
1,320
1,320
1,320
1,320
611
639
747
844
942
918
852
574 (48)
576 (47)
498 (40)
476 (36)
378 (29)
402 (30)
466 (35)
Female teaching staff required
Required Available
Deficit
N
N
N (%)
780
795
855
900
900
900
900
299
328
340
406
421
411
443
481 (62)
467 (59)
515 (60)
494 (56)
479 (53)
489 (54)
457 (51)
Total deficit
N
%
1,053
1,043
1,013
970
857
891
923
54
52
48
44
39
40
42
Table V
Year-wise distribution of subject specialists (science) in male and female HSSs
Year
Up to 1990
Up to 1991
Up to 1992
Up to 1993
Up to 1994
Up to 1995
Up to 1996
[ 250 ]
Male teaching staff
Required Available
Deficit
N
N
N (%)
316
324
332
352
352
352
352
147
182
196
228
278
267
250
169 (54)
142 (44)
136 (41)
124 (35)
74 (21)
85 (24)
102 (29)
Female teaching staff required
Required Available
Deficit
N
N
N (%)
208
212
228
240
240
240
240
71
77
90
125
135
130
137
137 (66)
135 (64)
138 (61)
115 (48)
105 (44)
110 (46)
103 (43)
Total deficit
N
%
306
277
274
239
179
195
205
58
52
49
40
30
33
35
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
Table VI
Science/arts and gender enrolment of students in HSSs
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
Sex
Boys
Girls
Total
1990
Arts
Science
4,190
3,794
8,984
1,074
334
1,408
Year
1992
Arts
Science
1991
Arts
Science
4,858
4,308
9,166
1,231
388
1,619
5,109
4,895
10,004
rate was higher among male students than
female students between 1992 and 1996, as
shown in Table VII.
When the respondents' pass rate was
analysed, it was found that, in the beginning
years, the pass rate was low, but with the
passage of time it gradually increased.
This might be due to an increase in the
student-teacher ratio, appointment of
incompetent teachers and a dearth of
teaching staff in English and science
subjects in most higher secondary schools
etc.
Comparing the results (1992-1996) of
all the eight boards of intermediate and
secondary education (BISE) in the science
and art subjects of class XII, it was found that
achievement among boys in arts subjects was
better than in science subjects. However, in
girls, the achievement ratio was better in
science subjects than in arts subjects, as
shown in Table VIII.
1,532
589
2,121
Arts
1993
Science
3,267
3,925
7,192
1,150
353
1,503
Arts
1994
Science
4,138
5,281
9,419
1,405
465
1,870
Comparing effectiveness
This section aims to assess whether the
intake/enrolled students in the higher
secondary schools changed their ranks in
their terminal examination which was
conducted by boards or not. For this purpose
Spearman's Rank Order Coefficient of
Correlation was calculated between the
enrolment and pass out, as shown in Table IX.
Best and Kahn (1986) have given the
following crude criterion to evaluate the
magnitude of correlation:
Range
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
to
to
to
to
to
Extent of correlation
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.0
Negligible
Low
Moderate
Substantial
High/very high
Since all the values in Table IX lie
between 0.80 and 1.0, it can be said there is a
Table VII
Year-wise drop out rate in the respondent HSSs
1992
Gender
Boys
Girls
Total
Year
1994
1993
1995
1996
N
%
N
%
N
%
N
%
N
%
2,044
1,268
3,312
38.8
30.7
35.3
1,941
1,401
3,342
31.9
29.8
31
2,180
1,525
3,705
32.8
27.8
30.5
1,411
1,297
2,708
31.9
30.3
31.1
1,810
1,761
3,571
33
31
32
Table VIII
Grade-wise pass ratio of science and arts in class XII in boys' and girls' HSSs
Grades of
boys and girls
in arts and
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
science
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
subjects (%) Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art Science/art
Less than 40
Between
40-49
Between
50-59
Between
60-69
70 and above
Note:
a
14/11a
17/14
10/9
5/11
0/10
19/12
4/13
2/10
5/11
16/8
19/47
25/30
27/46
15/36
35/51
19/35
46/38
24/30
29/40
28/27
45/35
58/45
44/38
65/39
41/33
50/38
37/41
53/44
40/41
30/49
21/25
0/0
0/10
0/2
15/6
2/0
15/12
0/3
24/7
0/0
13/13
0/3
12/7
2/3
16/14
4/2
24/9
2/0
21/13
5/3
14/11 means 14 per cent in science and 11 per cent in arts
[ 251 ]
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
Table IX
Spearman's Rank Order Coefficient of
Correlation between enrolment and passing
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
Session
Boys
Gender
Girls
Overall
1991-1992
1992-1993
1993-1994
1994-1995
1995-1996
1
1
1
0.9
0.8
0.9
0.8
1
1
1
0.95
0.9
1
0.95
0.9
very high correlation between the
achievement of the students at the time of
enrolment and the achievement at the time of
passing.
To see the extent of significance, a two-tail
test was used and results were obtained at the
0.05 level of significance. The results show that
the achievement of students of higher
secondary schools at the time of enrolment in
class XI and at the time of their passing in
class XII remained almost the same. But in a
few years, the achievement of students of HSSs
at the time of passing in class XII was better
than that of their achievement at the time of
entrance in class XI.
was no prominent difference in the results of
the students of HSSs and average results of
all BISEs. In 1995 and 1996 the results of
class XII of HSSs were found to be better
than the average results of all eight
boards, which shows a healthy sign of the
success of the new scheme of HSSs in the
Punjab province. In the initial years the
pass rate was low, but as the resources
increased, the pass rate of class XII began to
increase.
Conclusions
.
.
.
Comparison of results of HSS with
BISE's overall results
Table X gives the picture of results of all eight
Boards of Intermediate and Secondary
Education (BISE) and their overall
comparison with the results of class XII of the
corresponding HSSs in the years 1992-1996.
Table X reveals that the pass rate of
students (boys and girls) in class XII in the
HSSs in Punjab varied between 21 per cent
and 35.1 per cent between 1992 and 1996.
In this period, the overall results of all the
eight BISE varied between 22 per cent and
30.1 per cent, which means that there
.
.
.
Most of the higher secondary schools/HSS
(particularly boys) are located at a
distance (more than 20km) from the
district headquarters and a large number
of boys' higher secondary schools are
located in rural areas.
Accommodation facilities for outside staff
are not available within or near most of
the HSSs. Market facilities are also not
available in most of the rural-centred HSS.
The approach to most of these institutions
is not very easy.
A remarkable number of HSSs are lacking
in physical facilities like building,
teaching, staff, library books and
laboratory equipment etc.
A considerable number of HSS are
functioning without regular principals of
grade 18/19. Also there is a shortage of
subject specialists, especially in the girls'
HSSs.
Teaching staff are not equally distributed
in all the HSSs. The situation is
deteriorating in the rural female
institutions.
Although the students who get admission
to HSSs are low achievers, there is
generally an increasing trend in
enrolment in these institutions. This may
Table X
Year-wise results of class XII of BISE in the Punjab and their comparison with the responding
higher secondary schools
Board
1992
1993
Year
1994
1995
1996
Bahawalpur
D.G. Khan
Faisalabad
Gujranwala
Lahore
Multan
Rawalpindi
Sargodha
Overall
HSS results
30.6
23
31.7
25.9
34.6
25.3
26.9
33.0
28.9
21.0
22.0
19.4
24.1
19.9
17.5
25.8
26.7
20.2
21.9
21.3
21.1
25.9
32.5
30.05
25.4
28.7
31.2
27.2
27.8
27.1
25.15
26.7
31.2
28.4
31.06
30.5
32.74
35.4
30.1
35.1
21.9
33.4
23.6
26.9
30.54
30.2
35.6
34.9
29.6
34.4
Source: Gazette of all the eight BISE in Punjab
[ 252 ]
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
.
.
.
be due to high admission pressure in
colleges, availability of HSSs near to
students' homes, etc.
There is a high drop-out rate in HSSs. This
is most probably due to the shortage of
teaching staff.
There is almost no change in the
achievement level/grade of the students at
the time of enrolment in class XI and at
the time of passing in class XII in HSS.
The reasons may be large-sized classes,
shortage of teaching staff and regular
principals etc.
At present there is an increasing trend of
pass percentage of students belonging to
HSSs appearing in XII in the different
BISEs. The results of the corresponding
HSSs are found to be above the average
results of the boards.
Notes
1 Pakistan comprises four provinces Punjab,
Sindh, NWFP and Baluchistan. Each
provincial government is headed by a chief
minister who is elected by majority votes in
the Provincial Assembly (the Lower House).
Each province is divided into varying
divisions which in turn are generally divided
into between three and six districts. Each civil
division and district is administratively
controlled by a commissioner and deputy
commissioner respectively, who come
through civil service after hard competition.
Each district is divided between two to five
tehsils depending on the number of
inhabitants and/or geographical aspect of the
concerned district. In the Punjab province,
where the study was conducted, there are
eight divisions and 34 districts. It is the most
populous province, comprising about 56 per
cent of the total population (115 million) of the
country. The education and training facilities
in this province are comparatively better than
in the rest of the three provinces. Almost half
of the educational institutions of the country
are located in this province.
2 The people who live at divisional, district and
tehsil headquarters are considered to be
urban, while those who live in the areas away
from these cities/towns i.e. in the villages
come under the rural category. There are wide
differences between the people of these two
areas. For instance, practice of religion is
comparatively more absolute among the rural
people than the urban ones. There is lack of
awareness among the rural people as regards
the recent developments in education, science
and technology. This is most probably due to
fewer opportunities for education and
training, employment and communication.
Many of the rural people still believe in
superstitions and do not want to send their
children, particularly daughters, to the
schools due to: more distance between their
homes and the school; and religious and sociocultural factors. One of the basic aims of the
establishment of the HSSs scheme was to
provide the people (especially those living in
rural localities) with secondary and higher
secondary education nearer to their homes.
References
Best, W.J. and Kahn, V.J. (1986), Research in
Education, 5th ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewood
Cliffs, NJ.
Government of Pakistan (1959), Report of the
Commission on National Education, Ministry
of Education, Islamabad, p. 62.
Government of Pakistan (1960), 8th Five Year Plan
(1993-98), Planning Commission, Islamabad,
p. 343.
Government of Pakistan (1960), 6th Five Year Plan
(1983-88), Planning Commission, Islamabad,
pp. 342-50.
Government of Pakistan (1960), 3rd Five Year
Plan (1965-1970), Planning Commission,
Islamabad, p. 342.
Government of Pakistan (1979), National
Education Policy 1979, Ministry of Education,
Islamabad, p. 32.
Quddus, N.J. (1990), Problems of Education in
Pakistan, Royal Book Company, Karachi.
Appendix. Questionnaire
A ± Information about the institution
1 Name of the institution:ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ
Tehsil ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ
District ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ
2 Distance from:
a) District headquarters ÐÐÐÐÐÐkm.
b) Tehsil headquarters ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐkm.
c) Nearest inter/degree college ÐÐÐkm.
(Name of the college ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ)
3 a) In which area the institution is located:
Rural/Urban
b) When was this institution upgraded to
higher secondary level: Ð (write year)
c) Which of the following necessary
facilities are available for life:
i) Accommodation for outsiders staff
in the locality: Yes/No
ii) Transport: Yes/No
iii) Market: Yes/No
4 When did this institution received the
following grants
i) Science apparatus in 19Ð.
ii) Is this grant sufficient for:
a) Students: Yes/No
b) Teachers: Yes/No
iii) Library in 19Ð and books have some
relevance with academic needs of F.Sc
students: Yes/No
iv) Building for classes XI and XII in 19Ð
and is sufficient for the said classes:
Yes/No.
[ 253 ]
Khalid Mahmood and
Muhammad Saeed
Status of Higher Secondary
Schools Scheme in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan
Table AI
The International Journal of
Educational Management
14/6 [2000] 246±254
Total no. of specialised staff
appointed in this institution
No. of specialised staff of science
subjects like physics,
chemistry, biology and maths
1990
1991
No. of specialised staff/year
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
Table AII
No. of students/year
1990
1991
1992
1993
1995
Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts
Group (science/arts)
Marks less than 40 per cent
(grade E)
Marks between 40-49 per cent
(D)
Marks between 50 to 59 per cent
(A)
Marks between 60-70 per cent
(B)
70 marks and above (A/A+)
Table AIII
1990
1991
No. of specialised staff/year
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
Number of students who left the
institution and did not appear in
the boards' examination
Table AIV
No. of students/year
1990
1991
1992
1993
1995
Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts Science Arts
Marks less than 40 per cent
(grade E)
Marks between 40-49 per cent
(D)
Marks between 50 to 59 per cent
(A)
Marks between 60-70 per cent
(B)
70 marks and above (A/A+)
B ± Information about the staff
1 When was the principal of regular grade
18/19 appointed? 19 ±.
2 (See Table AI).
C Information about the students
1 Admission: results of those students in
SSC examination who were admitted in
this institution in class XI (see Table AII).
[ 254 ]
8 Drop out (see Table AIII)
9. Pass rate: results of those students
who appeared in the board's
examination for intermediate
classes from this institution (see
Table AIV).
Signature and name of the Principal along
with the official stamp.