PESHAWAR: The Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development in its recent study has found that more than 90% of primary and secondary school students in Pakistan are weak in math and science subjects.
The Aga Khan University said that more than 15,000 5th, 6th and 8th graders in 153 public and private schools took part in the study and completed standardized tests in math and science subjects. The University said that all the tests were prepared according to the national curriculum.
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The study found that the average score in math was 27% while it was 34% in science. However, in both subjects, only 1% students scored more than 80 marks, which is what researchers call “excellent understanding.” The average score in Punjab was highest than other parts of the country but did not exceed 40 in any subject.
A total of 78 government and 75 private schools participated in the study and 80% of participant students’ parents had a high school certificate or less. Only one out of twenty 8th graders could answer this question correctly: ‘There are 30 students in a class. The ratio of boys to girls in the class is 2: 3.
Assistant Professor Nusrat Fatima Rizvi, who co-authored the study, said there is an urgent need for practitioners and policy makers to focus on science and math education. Researchers also visited the classrooms of 589 teachers to assess the quality of their education and found that about 9 out of 10 teaching exercises were rated as weak and one in 10 were rated as average.
Research Investigator Associate Professor Saadia Bhatta, Principal of the research, said that in most classrooms, teachers spend their time reading and explaining words from the textbook instead of encouraging students to ask questions or participate in activities to understand the basics.
The study urged for an urgent need to provide teachers with professional development opportunities so that they can improve their knowledge of the subject and their teaching capabilities.