Educational Stratification and Nation Building Process in Pakistan

Abstract Pakistan has celebrated seven decades of independence but misfortunately the nation is still divided into several ideologies, believes, ethnicities, regionalism, provincialism, political and social classes. Throughout the world, education plays a significant role in nation building but the terrible upshot in Pakistan is the division of nation in the field of education and learning. There are numerous umbrellas under which our educational system is running. Therefore, current study objects to measure educational stratification and its effect on nation building process in Pakistan. In this regard, this research mainly focuses on four major prevailing educational systems such as; privately managed schools, public schools, army public schools and madarsa (religious educational institution). Data were collected through focus group discussions and analyzed by applying grounded approach theory. Four major themes emerged after data examination. These are uniformity of curricular, equal opportunities, political and bureaucratic involvement and lack of moral education. Study finds that education system is badly lacking in uniform ideology and moral learning. Furthermore, the poor system of education is negatively affecting nation building in Pakistan by enhancing public distrust, discrimination and regionalism. The results of the present study may be helpful in finding the way for uniform educational system which provide learning opportunities to every child without thinking of their caste, religion, language, economic class, political affiliation and ethnicity.

Tracing the Pathways: Exploring the Journey of Women Primary School Head Teacher Incharge Teacher

Through a life history approach, this study explores the experiences of two Pakistani women educational leaders, one becoming a primary school head teacher and the other primary school in-charge teacher in two different school systems. At an international level, there is an increasing awareness of gender issues in education, particularly in the area of educational leadership and management, where women are under-represented. While efforts are being taken to increase the presence of women in leadership, their leadership experiences remain largely invisible and ignored. Findings of the study show that gender has shaped these women educational leaders' personal and professional lives. Parents, especially fathers, play a dominant role in these women's gender identity construction and decisions regarding their entry into educational leadership and their perceptions of themselves as leaders. Although education was valued by their parents, socio-cultural norms and gender beliefs led to their fathers' arranging their daughters' early marriages, thereby limiting their eventual career choices. Their mothers also conveyed powerful but contradictory messages to these women, both supporting their education and preparing them for domesticity. Their mother's subordinate role in the family also led the participants to believe that being a woman means to sacrifice or compromise. School-gendered spaces have facilitated the development of leadership skills and access to female role models but raise the question of limiting their career opportunities. Within the marital family, financial issues, access to female mentors, supportive husbands, access to education as well as their own will have also played important roles in the women's experiences becoming leaders. Their life histories depict that despite all the challenges, these women leaders have experienced in their journey to leadership, they are able to draw on their diverse gender experiences, which include the values of caring, nurturing and having sound organizational skills to provide effective leadership. This study, therefore, calls for the need to include women's voice in leadership to the further knowledge base in the area and to challenge current gender structures in order to pave the way for more women into the field of educational leadership.