An Analysis of Indo-Pakistan Nuclear Doctrines

This study explores the dynamics of nuclear politics in Indo-Pakistan relations. The events after the nuclearization of South Asia aroused an extensive discussion about the basic reasons of countries becoming nuclear. Deterrence idealists have put forward the Nuclear Peace Theory advocating that nuclear arms make war terribly expensive and evade conflict among atomic opponents and thus generate constancy among them. Deterrence cynics have debated that the new nuclear-powered countries would not be able to accomplish the rudimentary requisites for deterrence stability as they would be disposed to defensive and preventive war tactics, construct susceptible atomic weaponries that would disposed to illicit usage. While discussing both stability and instability of nuclear weapons, the intellectuals disregard the importance of nuclear doctrines of the nuclear states which can cause deterrence disappointment or guaranteeing its strength. The author has used primary and secondary data. The primary sources are news bulletins and websites and secondary sources are books, journals etc.

An Evaluation of Early Childhood Special Education Program of Government Deaf & Defective Hearing School in Punjab

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program of Government Deaf & Defective Hearing Schools (GDDHS) in Punjab. To serve this purpose, I conducted an in depth review of literature. Robert Stake‟s Countenance Model, being more suitable for the evaluation of educational programs was selected. According to this model, the ECSE program was evaluated following antecedents---transactions----outcomes pattern. The population of study included principals, special education teachers, young children with deafness, and their parents from all 34 Government Deaf & Defective Hearing Schools working in 31 districts of the Punjab province. A representative sample of principals, special education teachers, young children with deafness (YCWD), and their parents was taken according to the requirements of the study. Depending on the nature, and keeping the objectives and questions of the study in view, certain questionnaires, structured interviews, and achievement tests were prepared. To evaluate the ECSE program for young children with deafness at the antecedents phase, two instruments including: demographic information sheet about young children with deafness, and a structured interview schedule for principals were developed. Curriculum being taught to young children with deafness in GDDHS was also reviewed. At the transaction phase, three instruments including two questionnaires on instructional practices of special education teachers, and their opinions about parental involvement in the education of their young children with deafness, and one structured interview schedule for parents to know their satisfaction on and involvement in the provision of early childhood special education to their young children with deafness were developed. At the outcome phase, eight achievement tests on writing (Urdu & English), mathematics, reading recognition (Urdu & English), speech reading (Urdu & English), and speech were prepared. I collected all data personally. Analysis and interpretation of the collected data were performed in chapter IV applying descriptive and statistical techniques including frequency distribution of responses, t-test, and ANOVA. Qualitative data including review of ECSE curriculum, and interviews were analyzed using narrative technique, and transcribing, coding, and deriving themes which were, subsequently, analyzed on SPSS. The major findings revealed that ECSE program was not fulfilling its objectives of mobilizing parents, professionals, community, and other stakeholders for early detection and intervention of young children with deafness, providing ECSE to all children with deafness from 3-8 years old, teaching Urdu, English, and mathematics to make them functionally literate, preparing them for inclusive education through developing their speech, speech reading, language, communication, and auditory skills. Curriculum for ECSE was not up to the standard. No significant difference was found among instructional practices adopted by special education teachers. Their opinions about parental involvement in the education of their young children with deafness did not show significant difference except on the basis of their academic qualifications. Interviews with parents reflected their less satisfaction on and less involvement in the provision of ECSE to their young children with deafness. The results of achievement tests showed a significant difference in the performance of children with deafness in a deaf school located in Zone IV as compared to other three zones. The reasons included the excessive number of young children with deafness in classes, their late admissions, most of the children having congenital deafness and profound degree of hearing loss, unavailability of hearing aids, lack of additional coaching at home, most of the parents with poor socioeconomic status, and having more than one child with deafness, no plan of action for mobilization of parents, community, and other stake holders, lack of teacher training courses on ECSE, absence of the component of parental training, unavailability of text and work books, lapses in the implementation of inclusive education project, lack of teaching staff in schools, and deficiencies in the ECSE curriculum. All these were proving obstacles in achieving the objectives of ECSE program. On the basis of major findings it was recommended that to maintain quality, restricted number of young children with deafness should be kept in one class. Early detection and intervention, and admissions of children in schools at an early age should be ensured through media campaigns, pamphlets, banners, and visits to remote areas. The parents should be involved in the educational planning and decision making related to the placement of their children in future. Inter family marriages should be avoided. Hearing aids should be provided to all young children with deafness, and their regular use and maintenance should be ensured through developing a monitoring system. Training programs for teachers and parents should be arranged on regular basis. The serious issues of unavailability of text and work books, unimplementation of inclusive education plans, and development of curriculum of K.G.I and K.G.II should be resolved on emergent basis. The instructional practices adopted by the special education teachers should be improved and monitored.