In 1959, a National Commission was established by the military Government of the day, which recommended that education should be made compulsory up to primary level by the year 1969 and up to middle level by the year 1974. The first thorough analysis of education came in the Report of the Commission on National Education in 1959 which
inter alia conceded that no system of education is better than the teachers who serve it
(MoE, 1977: 1). This new educational policy seemed a realistic approach to the challenge of removing social, economic and political differences. The Report of the Commission on National Education put the emphasis on quality in general education and in teacher education. It also recommended a complete reorganization of the country‘s educational system- its structure, curriculum, teacher-training methods and examinations. New types of teaching institutions and specialised centres were proposed to provide technical assistance. These included a Bureau of Education for Research and data collection and Educational Extension Centres to improve the in-service teacher training programme. Educational Extension Centres were established to improve the quality of teaching but failed to introduce new and more modern methods. They soon reverted to classical pedagogy and the teachers came away with little change in attitude. ‗The basic philosophy upon which these centres had been established was lost in the process. Efforts to introduce systematic planning into education overall were largely unsuccessful‘ (Hayes, 1987: 48).
The Commission (1959) recommended that teacher education should not continue to be mainly a preparation for the new generation, but would also become a
final stage for many who could not benefit from higher education but who could fulfil the requirements of school-level trained manpower. The policy stated that more emphasis should be on teacher education in accordance with changing trends. The Commission suggested for the establishment of Colleges of Teacher Educators. The policy emphasised that teacher training programmes should ensure:
a sound grasp of the subjects;
knowledge of child psychology and insight into the growth and behaviour of
children at various stages of their lives;
the methodology of teaching and the skill to use up to date techniques; and
a strong sense of professional ethics. (Paras, 15, 16, 17, 18, pp. 261-262)
The Commission divided school teachers into four categories (Table 5.2) and suggested the appropriate duration of training for each category as follows:
Table 5.2: Report of Commission Teachers’ Categories Qualification for Admission Duration of Training in Academic Year
1 Teachers I - V Matriculation One Year 2 Teachers VI - VIII Intermediate Two Years
3 Teachers IX - X Graduation Two Years
4 Teachers XI - XII Masters Short Training Course
Source: Report of the Commission on National Education, Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Education, 1959.
Isani and Virk (2005: 49) comment that, ‗the best parameter to judge the seriousness of any Government with regard to its policies is provided in its financial allocations‘. Unfortunately, lack of immediate action, poor financial resources and the
negative behaviour of different religious and ‗secularist‘ groups, created many problems and prevented the implementation of the policy in 1960 and the document remained a mere dream among many in Pakistan‘s educational history. Hayes (1987) argues that the National Commission on Education introduced a process intended to transform the educational structure in a systematic and planned fashion. However, efforts to introduce systematic planning into education were largely unsuccessful. The main weaknesses were the Commission‘s authoritarian approach and the lack of support on the part of public opinion.
At the same time, in 1960, the Second Five-Year Plan (Pakistan Planning Commission (PPC), 1960) was launched. The Plan proposed to open one training college, two junior training colleges and 20 primary training institutes in East Pakistan14 and two new training colleges and 15 primary training institutes in West Pakistan (Para 19: 344). The Plan also made provision for the in-service training of educational administrators, inspectors, headmasters and specialised teachers through the education extension centres. Other in-service programmes were proposed to operate through the teacher training colleges and selected primary training institutes (Para 22: 345). This Plan was the most successful and the majority of objectives were achieved. The long- term objective of this Plan was to raise the educational and training qualifications of primary school teachers by various means, including:
to train 5,000 teacher educators at the Institutes of Education and Research
at Dacca and Lahore;
to expand the capacity of some of the best Primary Training Institutes and
Normal Schools in terms of academic, residential, library and other facilities;
to overhaul the curricula of teacher training institutions with a view to
incorporating in them the latest professional knowledge;
to initiate a vigorous programme of in-service training; and to introduce the
subject of Education as an elective at the Intermediate stage of studies.
(Paras 35: 167)
In 1969, the Ministry of Education published proposals for a new Educational Policy which was adopted by the Cabinet on March 26, 1970 under the military regime. In this publication it was stated that the content of the existing teacher training programme was dominated by a general curriculum which served mainly as preparation for a new generation. It was also stated that there was an increasing need for middle- level skilled workers and the enrolment of pupil teachers, and that teacher education should be scientific, technical and vocational in nature.
The programme envisaged for the Fourth Five Year Plan (PPC, 1970) under the New Education Policy (NEP) 1970 made provision for the preparation of about 128,000 new teachers and the in-service training of 150,000 teachers. With a view to ensuring their adequate preparation, it was proposed that the teachers for primary, middle and high schools should have at least Matriculation, Intermediate, and Graduate qualifications respectively and have received professional training. To expand the training of teachers, a crash programme of teacher training on an emergency basis with condensed courses of shorter duration was proposed to be provided by selected educational institutions to meet the demand for a large number of teachers. It was suggested that there was a need to begin a comprehensive programme of in-service training of teachers to up-grade their qualifications.
However, the announcement of the New Education Policy 1970 coincided with political instability in the country15. Isani and Virk (2005) mention that, ‗The severity of the disruption was such that, the Fourth Five-Year Plan (1970-75) could not be implemented and the policy was abandoned‘. (P. 52)