Report on Education in Pakistan calls for diverse medium of instructions

London, 8^th Dec-To using Urdu as the medium of instruction in its state schools and its ambition to access the English language teaching are creating barriers to effective education, undermining social cohesion and limiting economic mobility, report by ‘The Guardian.’ As per as report titled “Teaching and learning in Pakistan: the role of language in education” on the current state of Pakistan’s school published by British Council.

The author of report, British academic Hywel Coleman, who is research fellow at the University of Leeds, argues that action should be taken urgently. He raised some points and said that Pakistan is economically divided society with large population having less than $2 per day and more than a quarter of national income in the hands of the top 10%.

The report’s key proposal is to provide teaching to students’ most familiar language, first time Pakistan’s multilingual identity in classrooms. There are more than 70 languages in Pakistan, but Urdu, the medium of instruction in the majority of state schools is spoken by only 7% of population, and the national language of Pakistan.

Coleman’s alternative model is to provide education in student’s regional languages, with Urdu taught as a second language in primary school. He says his “wish list” for education reform has been positively received inside Pakistan. Coleman hopes for change will come from international contributors.