Unfortunately, the gender disparity has been further affected by politics. The Taliban enforcement on the complete ban on female education in the Swat district, as reported in a January 21, 2009 issue of the Pakistan daily newspaper The News. Some 400 private schools enrolling 40,000 girls have been shut down. At least 10 girls’ schools that tried to open after the January 15, 2009 deadline by the Taliban were blown up by the militants in the town of Mingora, the headquarters of the Swat district. “More than 170 schools have been bombed or torched, along with other government-owned buildings.” (Gender disparity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Pakistan , retrieved 2 April 2011.)
Education in Pakistan is overseen by the Ministry of Education. Academic institutions are the responsibilities of the provincial governments. The federal government assists in the curriculum development, accreditation and the financing of research. There have been positive changes and through the ensuing years the female to male ratio of enrollment has improved.
The group of Dr. Irshad Hussain, Muhammad Safdar, Dr. Muhammad Aslam Adeeb, and Miss Sabiha Hameed Rahmanai studied the role of distance education in addressing the issue of gender disparity in Pakistan. “gender disparity in Pakistan. The study aimed to (a). analyze the present situation of gender disparity in education sector at different levels in Pakistan. (b). examine the role of distance education in eliminating gender discrimination in Pakistan. (c). evaluate the impact of distance education on gender empowerment. (d) identify the problems in addressing gender issues through
distance education in Pakistan. (e). suggest an appropriate strategy for eliminating gender disparity through distance education in Pakistan. This study
was conducted in Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan Regions. The study
consisted on three populations: (i). B.A level female students, (ii). their parents
and (iii). academicians of Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad. Researchers
adopted stratified sampling technique for collecting data from students & their
parents and administrators/tutors. The researchers used questionnaires (for 600
students, 60 parents and 60 administrators/tutors) developed on five point rating
(likert) scale and semi-structured interview schedules as research tools to collect
data. Researchers interviewed 60 students, 15 parents and 15
administrators/tutors (20 students, five parents and five administrators/tutors from
each region respectively). The data collected was analyzed through quantitative
(mean score) as well as qualitative approaches. The data supported by the
interviews were analyzed and included in the tables. The study concluded that
distance education is being extensively used in Pakistan. It provides equal
opportunities to all individuals of the society to “Education for All”. It is feasible for
female population catering their academic needs particularly those of the
culturally restricted areas. It is an appropriate strategy to address the issue of
gender discrimination in Pakistan.” (Adeeb, Dr. Muhammad Aslam; Hussain, Dr. Irshad; Rahmanai, Miss Sabiha Hameed; and Safdar, Muhammad. [electronic version] Distance education as a strategy for eliminating gender disparity in Pakistan. https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwikieducator.org%2Fimages%2F8%2F86%2FPID_609.pdf , retrieved 2 April 2011.)
Dr. Hussain’s group came to the conclusion that via distance education it is feasible to provide education to the female population even in the culturally restricted sectors where women are not allowed to go out of their homes, i.e. the tribal areas of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Balochistan, Sindh and southern Punjab. Distance education through its unique instructional strategies allows the educational needs of the society to be fulfilled on an equal basis and at the same time frees the students from time and place restrictions. The “Education for all” adage of distance education is a suitable method to address the gender discrimination in Pakistan.
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