Education in Pakistan: The Need for Greater Alignment Between Policy and Praxis

The Government of Pakistan has a primary obligation to establish and maintain quality public schools for its citizens. The education policies and documents of the government of Pakistan (see 1973 constitution of Pakistan) not only recognizes education as a public good, but also expresses commitment to establish an equitable education system. Nonetheless, the element of conceptualized ‘equality’ looks a far cry in real sense. This paper, hence, realizing on-ground situation, examines empirically the contradictions that exist between government rhetoric of egalitarianism in education and the extent to which the gap exists between policy intention and policy implementation. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 28 educationists, this article asserts that the government’s dual policy towards education (ignoring public education and encouraging private education) has tacitly legitimized the sale and purchase of education as commodity. This shift, in the perception of education from a public good to a private commodity, seriously brings disadvantages to working class pupils in the competition for earning valuable educational credentials and trading upon them. Treating education as private good contributes to perpetuation of class hierarchies in Pakistan.

Taxonomic Studies of Late-Miocene Artiodactyls Mammalia from Northern Pakistan

This study provides new assemblages of artiodactyls at the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene sites of Northern Pakistan. The Late Miocene-Early Pliocene of Pakistan has produced a rich artiodactyl fauna. The new fossils include the cranial material of artiodactyls. The diverse material presents taxonomy of artiodactyl from the Middle Siwaliks of Pakistan.The assemblages of artiodactyls from the Middle Siwalik Subgroup are dominated by the presence of the bovids. The taxa are consistent with a Late Miocene-Early Pliocene age of the deposits. More than 270 artiodactyl specimens were described in this dissertation from the Middle Siwalik Subgroup of Pakistan. Some of the specimens are reported for the first time of the Siwalik Group. The collected material comes from Padhri, Hasnot, Bhandar and Dhok Gojri of district Jhelum, Khokhar Zair, Sethi-Nagri, Dhok Pathan and Naraggi of district Chakwal, and Dhok Mila and Kaulial Kas of district Attock of Northern Pakistan. The recovered assemblage document thirty species with twenty one genera and six families of artiodactyls viz. Bovidae, Cervidae, Tragulidae, Giraffidae, Suidae and Anthracotheridae. The specimens are classified on the basis of morphometric features of the material from the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene of the Siwalik Group. This faunal list may be compared with that of other Late Miocene localities of the Siwaliks. The artiodactyl remains increasingly indicate both taxonomic and adaptive diversity. The bovids exist in open habitats during the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene of the Siwalik Group. The tragulids present in densely-forested areas and a humid and warm climate with low seasonality. The primitive cervines are inhabited woodland or open country, not closed forest. The suids occupy probably savana like environment. The anthracotheriids adopt an amphibious way of life. Most of these taxa indicate a predominance of woodland to savannah habitats with pockets of humid forested areas during the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene of the Siwalik Group.