Socio-Cultural Analysis of Moral Ethics Syllabi at Under-Graduate Level to Manage the Blasphemy Issue in Pakistan

In the context of blasphemy issue, the present study examines the socio-cultural elements in the Moral Ethics syllabi functional at the different universities of Pakistan. As per our hypothesis, ME syllabi lack some important socio-cultural elements responsible for handling hate crimes, especially the issue of blasphemy. For testing the proposed hypothesis, available ME syllabi were collected from the official websites of different universities. Collected ME syllabi were examined through the method of content analysis. After examining literature review, necessary socio-cultural factors (SCFs) were listed and the selected syllabi were evaluated through this list of SCFs. Our study findings endorse the primary hypothesis that majority of universities has adopted the foreign model of ME syllabi without adapting them according to indigenous social and cultural needs. Additionally, the most important SCFs; knowledge of blasphemy laws (KBL) and real-life dilemmas (RLD), are mostly absent in the existing ME syllabi.

A Study of Head Teachers Role in Managing Financial Resources

Financial resources play a significant role in meeting school needs, however, headteachers cannot manage these resources without adequate autonomy. Literature on school financial management reveals that delegation of responsibility and authority of managing financial resources to headteachers helps them to manage financial resources effectively in order to meet the school needs. The study aimed to explore and understand the existing practices of managing financial resources in the context of a private school in Pakistan with a particular focus on headteacher's role. Since the nature of study determines the research design and methodology, case study was used as the main method within the qualitative design. Different research techniques including interview, observation, videography, writing memos and reflective journal were used in order to gather relevant information for developing understanding about the headteacher's role in managing financial resources. The research findings reveal that the responsibility of allocating, utilizing and monitoring financial resources was delegated to the headteacher, which empowered her to match the financial resources with the educational needs of the school. However, headteacher's role in generating financial resources was not found to be significant, as it was the responsibility of the senior managers. The study also suggests that the headteacher faced challenges in maintaining balance between her academic and financial management roles. Accordingly, the study further proposes recommendations such as further devolution of authority and power to the headteacher, professional development of the stakeholders, involvement of the headteacher in generating financial resources and greater involvement of teachers and parents in managing the financial resources in order to manage the school effectively.