Education in Social and Cultural Context-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Education in Social and Cultural Context. Answer: Introduction As per the Sustainable Development Goal Four, Target One, it has been stated that by the year 2010, every students should ensure free, equitable and quality education that would lead to relevant and effective learning results. Accordingly the historical, cultural and the structural factors in the context of Pakistan prevent the country from achieving the goals of the sustainable development. As per the United Nation Organization, education should be provided to every individual for the development of personality and also for strengthening the respect for the human rights and for fundamental freedoms (Dogar, Butt, Butt Qaisar, 2015). By applying the sociological imagination template and by addressing the educational problems in Pakistan, it is required that the country should apply methods to progress in education before the country achieves the Sustainable Goal four, target one. The thesis statement is that based on the historical, structural factors, there are barriers for achievin g SDG 4, T.1 by 2030 in Pakistan. Discussion Historical Factors In the context of history, Pakistan in its last decades encountered political disrupt, social instability, gender biased. In the year 1947, when Pakistan was established as a separate country, it had very weak administrative system with very little financial resources that could not able to provide education to the children. Therefore, the Government of Pakistan recommended free and compulsory education for all students (Aziz et al., 2014). It has also been stated that in the year 1971, education was being made universal right for all students in Pakistan, but because of inequality among boys and girls, girls were deprived from getting the education. Moreover, many schools were constructed but the quality of education remained poor and schools in the rural areas are deprived of all the facilities such as basic infrastructure, training facilities, teachers and more. This had hinders Pakistan from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals Four, target one. As per the report, it has b een stated that out of the overall population in Pakistan, only 48% of the population is literate that is not the half of the population (Akram, Afzal Ramay, 2017). Moreover, internal conflicts within the country also have a negative impact on the education system in the country. In the context of Pakistan, the country believes in its ideologies that derived from their Islamic religion and or them the fundamental source of education derives from the fundamental source of Islam. Apart from this, the country mainly focussed on the madressas system of education, which is basically attached to the mosque and provides education based on religion (Malik, 2017). This type of education is basically for the low income families that struggle to meet their basic daily needs. All these factors act as a barrier from achieving the targets of SDG 4, Target 1. Cultural Factors In the context of cultural factors, the traditional concept and the Islamic religion mainly influences the educational system in Pakistan. Apart from this, Pakistan mainly believes in providing education through Madressas system of education that is totally based on religious ideologies. Apart from this the country Pakistan is considered as a nation of gender inequality where the women are deprived of getting the basic education especially in the rural areas (Butz, 2015). Women in Pakistan also being dominated by the male culture and are also impeded their freedom and other rights. Moreover, in the rural areas women are not being allowed to go out of the house without any male person, and getting education outside their place is out of the context. Women also have a very low rate of percentage in participation in any societal context and in the areas of the northern parts mainly in the tribal areas; the people are against providing education to their girl children. However the situat ion is more critical in the areas of NWFP and in Baluchistan and literacy rate in that particular area is between 3-8%. This hinders the country from achieving the SDG four, Target one (Hk, Janoukov Moldan, 2016). One of the critical factors is that Government in that particular area did not take any measurable steps to promote education for all children and this had lead to the unequal treatment of boys and girls in Pakistan. In the year 2005, the Government of Pakistan decided to review to educational policy so that the basic education could be provided to all the students of Pakistan, but because of the cultural and social obstruction, the Government of Pakistan was not being able to achieve their targets mainly in the rural areas (Rabia, Rab Shahzadi, 2016). Structural factors In the context of Pakistan in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals four, target 1, there are large numbers of factors that are obstructing from achieving their goals and objectives. Various factors include basic infrastructure, social status and most important the educational system in Pakistan. It is important to note, women in Pakistan had to face many socio-cultural obstruction in terms of acquiring basic education (Mak, 2017). One of the major structural factors that obstructed the basic education in Pakistan is the lack of providing quality education to the students that is the schools in Pakistan is crowded with larger number of students that becomes difficult to provide the basic education. As per the World Bank, it has been stated that in a small classroom more than 80 students tend to study and it also becomes difficult for the teachers to give individual attention to the students (Hammad Singal, 2015). Apart from this, the teachers are not well educated or they do n ot have any proper training to teach the students that result in poor quality of teaching methods. This problem mainly faces by the students in the rural areas and this creates a major barrier from achieving the SDG 4, target 1. As per the report, it has been stated that in the year 1995, majority of the teachers were not being able to answer the basic question that was based on the grade four textbooks (Binzel Carvalho, 2017). Large number of school dropouts is one of the major structural factors that hinder the educational system in Pakistan and also obstructing the country from achieving the target. The basic reason behind the drop out of students is the increase in the family pressure to assist the family in order to increase the income of the family. Other factor that also includes in the obstruction of education includes unsatisfactory relations between the student and the teachers, poor economic condition in families and more. Apart from this, in the year 1970, the schools h ave been made nationalised without any involvement of the overall community has deteriorated the quality of education in Pakistan (Khan, Rehman Rehman, 2015). As per the UNESCO, it has been stated that all the developing countries should be provided with 4% of the GNP to be used for the purpose of education. In the case of Pakistan, it uses only 2.2% of the GNP on the education; this remains a crucial factor that obstructs the education system in Pakistan (Vandekinderen, Roets, Keer Roose, 2018). Moreover social status that is inequality between male and female also creates a barrier in the educational system that is in many parts of the countries, males are dominated by the female and people in the rural areas are mainly against women education. Critical Analysis The historical factors such as mainly the weak administrative system and less developed infrastructure mainly remains a strong barrier from achieving the sustainable development goals four, target 1 that ensures every children should be provided with free basic education by the year 2030 (Qazi, Raza, Jawaid Karim, 2018). However, the younger generation in Pakistan value for better quality education for women and moreover as Pakistan is an Islamic country, they mainly follow Islamic ideologies and also prefer their children to get education from the Madressas schools that follow Islamic principles. Apart from that, lack of educational infrastructure such as no proper educational system, untrained professionals provides a hinder in the educational system (Durrani Halai, 2018). Moreover, Pakistan is a male dominated country, where the women are being suppressed and dominated by the males and therefore in majority parts women are suppressed from getting the basic education. However, in the rural areas women are meant to stay at home and should do the household chores, therefore education is not required for women, and therefore only the male children should get the basic education (Durrani et al., 2017). This traditional and conservative thinking of the people in Pakistan hinders the country from achieving its main target related to education. However, despite the unlikelihood in achieving the SDG 4, Target 1, there are some successful stories that inspires that there is still hope Pakistan would be able to achieve their goals (Antoninis, Delprato Benavot, 2016). There is an increase in the number of private schools in Pakistan that ensures that about one-third of the children are going to school and beside that private schools have also been introduced in the rural areas. In the year 2011, the Prime Minister of Pakistan considered the year as Pakistan Year of Education that aims to give priority to education for better causes. Conclusion From the above report it could be concluded that Pakistan being a low income country lacks behind in providing basic education to the children and moreover, this has been an obstacle from achieving the SDG 4, T. 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