Education: Agent of Change

by
Dr Shahid Siddiqui
Pakistan Today 1 May, 2011
In the 9/11 commission report it was recommended that Pakistan should be given more financial
support in order to improve its education. A concern was shown that madrassahs were generating
potential terrorists through indoctrination and constructing tunnel vision. It is important to
understand the term terrorism before we explore the proclaimed causal relationship between
education and terrorism.
According to the dictionary, extremism is a tendency or disposition to go to extremes or an
instance of going to extremes. Each expression, however, has a connotative meaning. This
connotation, according to the French scholar Foucault, is provided by power. According to him
power constructs, popularises, and legitimises certain discourse that in turn justifies the actions of
that power. So while we know the literal meaning of extremism it is important that what meaning
is given to this expression by the ruling power and who according to that power can be dubbed as
extremists. It is interesting to note that the same set of people is considered terrorists by one
group and freedom fighters by the other group. In the end, however, the meaning of that group
dominates who has possession of the sources of production of knowledge. The definition of
extremism and extremists keep on changing as and when interests and needs of the powerful
groups change.
Extremism has various faces e.g. religious or political. It also has multiple manifestations: a. it
could be intellectual extremism when a person has extreme views about a certain issue, b.
extremism may entail action when extreme views are put into practice, c. extremism, at times,
can use violent means. Having looked at the types and faces of extremism, it is important to
explore the potential causes.
The most important factor seems to be the denial of rights. This means the refusal of
opportunities in the existing political, economic, educational and legal systems of the country. This
amounts to the closure of all doors to the access to social justice and economic parity. Here, we
will be focusing on the educational system that theoretically claims to realise the goals of
emancipation, development, freedom, and social justice.
The formal means that has been used to dispense education is schooling. Thus, traditionally,
schools were considered to be a powerful social institution to impact the societal thinking. These
expectations have been associated with school keeping as it used to enjoy the support of two
other powerful social institutions i.e. religion and family. We shall return to the changed status of
school in cotemporary times later.
For now, let us look at the disturbing figures showing how educational opportunities are denied to
a sizeable portion of our population. According to the recent education emergency report, seven
million children in Pakistan cannot make it to school. Twenty eight percent of the students who do
make to school drop out by the time they reach class five. This is the second highest dropout rate
in the world.
According to this report, the Millennium Development Goal of education for all whose deadline
was set as 2015 is impossible to achieve by the given deadline. According to the existing pace
now this goal may be achieved by Punjab in 2041, Sindh in 2049, KPK in 2064, and Balochistan
in 2100. This scenario owes to the low priority given by the state to education. This is evident
from the fact that the allocation for education is on decrease for the last three consecutive years.
What happens to those who make it to schools? In most of the mainstream schools, they are

exposed to obsolete curriculums, uninspiring textbooks, transmission oriented pedagogy, and

memory based assessment system. Thus the narrowness of thought cannot be just associated
with madrassah education but another kind of narrow mentality is being developed in the
mainstream schools as well.
If we really want to use education as a tool for development and achieve the dreams of
emancipation, we need to bring revolutionary changes which requires an educational system that
is based on transformation based pedagogy, aiming at developing thinking, peace loving, and
tolerant human beings. The central question is, can our schools confront the challenge of
eradicating social injustice and economic disparity which are major causes of turning people to
extremism? The answer to this question is not positive.
The reasons are multiple. First, the school has lost it strength as a strong social institution.
Second, media has emerged as a potent social institution that is capable of influencing minds in
less time and on a larger scale. This has further dwarfed the role of the school. Third, the
tremendous role of external social, economic, and political forces that contribute to the imbalance
of the socio-economic parity.
Therefore, if we want to combat extremism just formal education is not sufficient; it is important to
explore the non-formal and informal means of education and link school pedagogy with other
social institutions including media. The most important initiative to ensure eradication of
extremism, however, is provision of equal opportunities to all through political, economic,
educational and legal systems to access social justice.
The writer is Professor & Director of Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences at Lahore School
of Economics and author of Rethinking Education in Pakistan. He can be reached
at: shahidksiddiqui@yahoo.com

Higher education dept to set up quality support unit for

varsities, colleges
MOHAMMAD ASHFAQ P UBLIS HE D FEB 29, 2016 06:39AM
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PESHAWAR: The higher education department has initiated work on establishment of
quality support unit to improve research, curricula and management quality in the public
sector universities and colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to officials.
They said that the unit would be also entrusted with responsibilities of conducting
academic, financial and research evaluation of the 23 universities and around 200
colleges to guide the provincial government about the status of higher educational
institutions.
Officials said that the quality support unit would work independently with academics
heading the respective section of the unit. The unit would consist of three major wings
including research and quality enhancement wing; coordination wing and curricula; and
academics and management wing, they added.

We have no future planning for our future generation. Our graduates are without jobs for
years after getting degrees from these universities and colleges, an official said.

The unit will help improve research, curricula and management

He said that in the past, the heads of the universities and rulers never bothered to develop
curricula according to the demand of market for the higher educational institutions to
save youth from joblessness after getting master degrees.
In such a scenario, he said, the master degree holders were forced to apply for clerical
jobs. The core function of the quality support unit will be to provide assistance to higher
education department in development, coordination and integration of policies for higher
education in the province.
It would be also responsible for commissioning and encouraging special studies for
promotion of higher education and coordination of curricula development, syllabi and
designing and printing of textbooks.
The concept note on quality support unit says that it will also responsible for creation of
linkages for higher studies abroad and preparation of schemes for taping opportunities in
the sector with scholars exchange programs, grants of scholarships and coordination and
integration of students support system.
The unit will work for the promotion of research, innovation and marketing. It will make
arrangements for the review and revision of instructional techniques for effective social
and societal issues as well as promotion of educational interest in the under-developed
section of the society.
The objections and goals, to be achieved through this unit, include enhancing role of
higher education as engine of growth, improving access/quality relevance, promotion of
research, analysis and innovation, strengthening of regulatory mechanism and improving
employability uplift of all sectors bringing in line with international standard.
The unit would also help the higher education department to fulfil the enhanced
responsibilities entrusted to it after passage of 18th Amendment and implement the
education reforms agenda of the government.
An executive director will head the quality support unit while three directors would be
appointed to look into the affairs of its three sections including research and quality
enhancement; coordination and curricula; and academics and management audit.

The higher education department has initially estimated Rs215 million to run quality
support unit for three years, officials said. They added that higher education department
had sent a summary to finance department for approval.
Officials said that a steering committee would oversee and review activities of the unit.
The secretary of higher education department will be chairman of the steering committee
while representatives of higher education commission, finance department, expert
academician, chief of education section in planning and development department, vicechancellor of University of Peshawar and executive director of the quality support unit
will be its members.

Higher education dept to set up quality support unit for

varsities, colleges
MOHAMMAD ASHFAQ P UBLIS HE D FEB 29, 2016 06:39AM
WHATSAPP
0 COMMENTS
EMAIL
PRINT
PESHAWAR: The higher education department has initiated work on establishment of
quality support unit to improve research, curricula and management quality in the public
sector universities and colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to officials.
They said that the unit would be also entrusted with responsibilities of conducting
academic, financial and research evaluation of the 23 universities and around 200
colleges to guide the provincial government about the status of higher educational
institutions.
Officials said that the quality support unit would work independently with academics
heading the respective section of the unit. The unit would consist of three major wings
including research and quality enhancement wing; coordination wing and curricula; and
academics and management wing, they added.
We have no future planning for our future generation. Our graduates are without jobs for
years after getting degrees from these universities and colleges, an official said.

The unit will help improve research, curricula and management

He said that in the past, the heads of the universities and rulers never bothered to develop
curricula according to the demand of market for the higher educational institutions to
save youth from joblessness after getting master degrees.

In such a scenario, he said, the master degree holders were forced to apply for clerical
jobs. The core function of the quality support unit will be to provide assistance to higher
education department in development, coordination and integration of policies for higher
education in the province.
It would be also responsible for commissioning and encouraging special studies for
promotion of higher education and coordination of curricula development, syllabi and
designing and printing of textbooks.
The concept note on quality support unit says that it will also responsible for creation of
linkages for higher studies abroad and preparation of schemes for taping opportunities in
the sector with scholars exchange programs, grants of scholarships and coordination and
integration of students support system.
The unit will work for the promotion of research, innovation and marketing. It will make
arrangements for the review and revision of instructional techniques for effective social
and societal issues as well as promotion of educational interest in the under-developed
section of the society.
The objections and goals, to be achieved through this unit, include enhancing role of
higher education as engine of growth, improving access/quality relevance, promotion of
research, analysis and innovation, strengthening of regulatory mechanism and improving
employability uplift of all sectors bringing in line with international standard.
The unit would also help the higher education department to fulfil the enhanced
responsibilities entrusted to it after passage of 18th Amendment and implement the
education reforms agenda of the government.
An executive director will head the quality support unit while three directors would be
appointed to look into the affairs of its three sections including research and quality
enhancement; coordination and curricula; and academics and management audit.
The higher education department has initially estimated Rs215 million to run quality
support unit for three years, officials said. They added that higher education department
had sent a summary to finance department for approval.
Officials said that a steering committee would oversee and review activities of the unit.
The secretary of higher education department will be chairman of the steering committee
while representatives of higher education commission, finance department, expert
academician, chief of education section in planning and development department, vicechancellor of University of Peshawar and executive director of the quality support unit
will be its members.
Education enables a man to acquire virtue, by making him social, interactive, and
disciplined; it opens the vistas of learning by helping him better absorb information and
sharing the same, thus making him humane, and the central element in the social

structure. Maclver (1959) asserted that social change happens as a response to many
types of social and nonsocial environment. Education is considered the most important
ideological state apparatus devised by the ruling classes to ensure that the society
largely conforms to their ideas and interests. In the traditional educational system the role
of education was to transmit a fixed way of life to the students as society itself was an
unchanging and static entity. However, in this modern context, education is seen as an
instrument of social change brought about by changing mans attitude and outlook. In this
paper, the authors tried to display the importance of education as an agent of change in
this rapid changing world as well as the relationship between education and the social
change. The paper concludes by discussing the importance of training faculty members in
higher education institutions to cope with the change and teach their students soft skills
that are required for students success in the 21st century.
An Insight into the Role of Education as an Agent of Change in the Social Development
(PDF Download Available). Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268226453_An_Insight_into_the_Role_of_Edu
cation_as_an_Agent_of_Change_in_the_Social_Development [accessed Apr 14, 2016].

AN INSIGHT INTO THE ROLE OF EDUCATION AS AN AGENT OF

SOCIAL
CHANGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Abdulghani Ali Al
Hattami,
Assistant Professor, University of Dammam
Arif Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Al
Ahdal,
Assistant Professor, Qassim University
Abstract
Education enables a man to acquire virtue, by making him social,
interactive, and disciplined;
it opens the vistas of learning by helping him better absorb
information and sharing the
same, thus making him humane, and the central element in the
social str
ucture. Maclver
(1959) asserted that social change happens as a response to
many types of social and
nonsocial environment. Education is considered the most
important ideological state

apparatus devised by the ruling classes to ensure that the society l

argely conforms to their
ideas and interests. In the traditional educational system the role of
education was to transmit
a fixed way of life to the students as society itself was an
unchanging and static entity.
However, in this modern context, education
is seen as an instrument of social change brought
about by changing mans attitude and outlook. In this paper, the
authors tried to display the
importance of education as an agent of change in this rapid
changing world as well as the
relationship between e
ducation and the social change. The paper concludes by discussing
the
importance of training faculty members in higher education
institutions to cope with the
change and teach their students soft skills that are required for
students success in the 21
st

c
entury.
K
eywords
:
education, social change, agent,
21
st

century, information technology.

2
INTRODUCTION
Education is a never
ending process; it starts with the birth of an individual and continues
till
the life lasts. Education makes a man a
real
human being. It is an essential human virtue.
Education equips the individual with social, moral, cultural and
spiritual aspects and thus

makes life progressive, cultured and civilized.

P. C. Banerjee
(1947)
de
fined education:
It is
the
development of the power of adaptation to an ever changing social
environment.
Culturally, the material and non
material aspects depend upon the needs of the society.
Change occurs in these with the passage of time. New challen
ges are there before every
society. The structure and functions of different social orders change
as a result of a number
of inter
related and inter
dependent
factors. In
addition, n
ew technologies
are
develop
ed
for
the benefit of mankind.
This paper will
discuss the human development, education, social
change, and the role of education in building well
being societies.
SYNOPTIC VIEW OF HUM
AN DEVELOPMENT
A peep into the human history will illustrate how man has
progressed to date. There was a
time spanning millions of years when man walked erect, lived
in caves and in groups but

could not communicate except through cries, shrieks and howls.

Body language d
eveloped to
facilitate some communication which remained, for the most
part, vague. Anatomically, the
voice box had not developed. Then, there was sudden change in
anatomy

the brain size grew

from 650 cc to about 1,500 cc
and with this development, the
power to think grew manifold.
The voice box developed and various kinds of cries developed
as a result of voice
modulation. Slowly, pictography and pictorial language
developed. With the passage of a
long time, language took a crude form and, with it, writ
ing developed. Variety came about in
language and grammar was evolved to arrive at exact
meanings. After the invention of the
wheel, printing was a revolutionary change. It made it possible
to store knowledge and
preserve it for future generations. In the
last 150 years, man has invented telephone,
telegraph, radio, television, satellite and digital communication
systems and the latest is the
mobile phone technology. This brings to light the fact that
education

passing of
information, invention and innova
tion from one person to the other, from one generation to
the next, through the spoken and the written word

facilitated spread of new knowledge and

learning. It may be emphasized here that in the past, this was
possible only by using archives,
libraries

and other modes of recording. It proves the hypothesis that

education is the tool of
social change which includes change in other aspects of life, such as,
cultural, economic and
structural sub
systems of social system.
DEFINITION OF EDUCAT
ION
Various edu
cationists and philosophers have defined education as a process of
development.
The meaning of education is manifold. It not only encompasses
the all
round or holistic
development of the child, but also includes teacher education
as an independent field of
study. Further, it has an intrinsic economic value (and hence its
nickname as an
investment
)
and is also, at the same time, a veritable instrument of social change
and control. Education is
a creation of the society and, equally, a creator of it as well.
In fact,
Education
is
not only
relevant in the present time but, is also, the means for
preparing one for the future. M. K.
Gandhi
(
1969
)
said,
By education, I mean all round drawing the best in a child and which
means body, mind and soul.
3
The basic obje

ctive of education is to get knowledge, skill and values (ethical,

moral,
spiritual and professional
)
as well as to learn desirable behavior in societal institutions
that
make up the structure of society. Socialization process helps
man to adapt to the div
erse
behavior patterns and changing situations in diverse role contexts. As
far as the application of
philosophy of education goes,
education helps in reduction of poverty by mitigating its
adverse effects on population, health and nutrition.
W
hile change
s in social, economic and political environment take place due
to various
factors, the human resource has to adapt to those changes for
stability of society, economy
and relationships. Similarly, science and technology introduce
inventions into the methods
and processes and so, education has to be re
oriented to respond to those changes.
Thus education is a dynamic, continuous (lifelong),
purposeful or objective
oriented process.
Education is, therefore, a tool of individual and social
transforma
tion. Historically
considered, during ancient times, in very remote past, social
change was brought about by
social wars and battles. Civilizations died and new ones
emerged. Science
and
Technology
ushered in (and continue to do so) changes in methods, cul
tures, systems and structures of

society. Nowadays, therefore, changes can be made by

changing education. It would be
appropriate to discuss the subject at this stage in a historical
perspective.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTI
VE
ABOUT EDUCATION
Education among the masses in
the world
, was extremely restricted
for the elite, very poor in
content and coverage. Further, education as a part of th
e entire culture of the society
was
controlled and administered by a specific section, and was
used as an instrument of training
with a specific aim in sight. It
taught the pupil the virtue of unconditional allegiance to elders,
to parents, to teachers, and to the king. It was a means of
making the individual accept and
conform to hierarchical struc
tures of the society and completely subordinate his individuality
to it.
Modern education has a fundamentally different orientation and
organization as
compared to traditional education. Its content is liberal and exotic and
it is steeped in modern
world
v
iew. Modern education is not contained in water
ti
ght compartments. It encourages
an inter
disciplinary approach. In the present time, our social and
professional problems are
very complex. They cannot be solved by the experts of any one
discipline. It req

uires experts
of various disciplines to work jointly to find workable solutions.
S
ocial change
happens as a
result of t
he fast changing world of the 21
st

century.
CONCEPT OF SOCIAL CH
ANGE
Parsons (
1937
) believe in the existence of structural and
functional
sub
systems within the
social system. The change in structural and functional sub
systems of the social system is
called
social change
. According to
Jenson
(cited in
Jadhav
, 2012)
, social change may be
defined as
modification in the ways of doing and thinking of people. As
per t
he views of
Dawson
,
cultural change is the social change. Cultural change can be
grouped into two
categories: material and non
material. Material aspects of culture deal with the materials of

utility while the non

material part constitutes habits, ideals, beliefs, attitudes
and values. State
of social development is called
civilization
. In the light of the above facts, social change
means change in material and non
material aspects of the society. According
to McIver
(1920), change in social structure is called social change.
Peter McLaren
defines
it as the
process through which students learn to critically appropriate
knowledge
existing outside
their immediate experience in order to broaden their understanding of
themselves, the world,
4
and the possibilities for transforming
the taken
for
granted assumptions about the way we
live
(as cited
in Shor, 1992, p.16).
Education and Social change
There is hardly anything in our midst which is static. Everything
changes, just as every
organism grows. The society composed of human be
ings also undergoes changes. These
changes occur in the societys cultural pattern and its structure and,
consequently, cast an
impact on its members. This process of change is quite complicated
and needs careful and in
depth study. Education has to change

its direction in response to the changes in environment.

The institutional framework in society is geared towards improving the
quality of life and this
is brought about by changes in production patterns, which, in turn,
influence the consumption
patterns
, and that leads to change/shift in relationships. The structure
of society undergoes
change and such changes are a continuum.
Education is considered as the most powerful social change
instrument. Through education,
any society can bring desirable change
s that can cope with the rapid development of
technology. Education, no doubt, can help the process of social
change as a necessary and
vitally important collateral factor. It can help to stimulate,
accelerate and work out that
process by disseminating and
inculcating
knowledge, information, skills and values
appropriate to the changing socio
economic issues. Education may help the process of far
reaching social change by using its liberating role of examining
and analyzing the existing
social situation.
Th
e relation between education and social change has been examined
in
rural contexts
, where
rigid class systems have proved as barriers to education as well as
agricultural changes. Some
research studies are mentioned below:
Lerner
(
1958
) stated that the
key

to modernization lies in the participant society

one in
which people go through school, read newspapers, are in the
wage and market economy,
participate politically through elections and change opinions on
diverse matters. He also
posted that education
is the pivotal agent in the transition to a fully participant society.
Theodore
Schultz (1982) has p
ointed out that with economic development and the
requirement for highly educated and trained manpower,
parents become increasingly
concerned with the quality of their children, as against the number of
children emphasized in
traditional societies. Therefo
re,
parents invest in childrens education more as it is investment
in growth agent
(education); it has twin advantage
s of stimulating the process of
development
and lowering fertility thus accelerating the process of development.
Marion Levy (1972) has in
dicated that the aspects of social relations of people may be
discussed in terms of
(i)
rationality and traditionalism;
(ii) universalism and particularism;
(iii) functional specificity and functional diffuseness and (iv) avoidance
and intimacy. As the
lev
el of modernization of a society increases, the emphasis shifts on to
explaining ones
reasons for doing a given thing in scientifically defensible terms.
Education can be viewed as
investment, an instrument of economic stability, and a discipline.
Educati
on as Investment

In modern economic thought, the concept of education as investment

in human capital and as
a critical factor in economic development is of recent origin. The
Prime Minister of India in
his foreword to the Seventh Five
Year Plan emphasized
human factor in development process
in the following words:
In the final analysis, development is not just about factories, dams
and roads. Development is basically about people. The human
factor, the human context, is
5
of the supreme value. We must pay mu
ch greater attention to these questions in future..
Therefore, the human factor is an important correlate of socio
economic development.
Productivity is not a simple consequence of economic resources
and inputs. Economic
resources are manipulated by the human factor which serves as a
critical variable in t
he input
output analysis.
Education for Economic Stability
In the modern society where specialized workforce is the need to
attain economic power, the
acquisition of special knowledge and education has assumed
economic significance. These
are in great measure economic investment and, combined with
other human inve
stment,
predominantly account for the productive superiority of the
technically advanced countries.
Nicholson (1990) has given a beautiful example to illustrate the
superiority of human skill.
He says that Germany had been devastated by pestilence,
famine,
civil and foreign wars in

almost every century but it has regained its power quickly every time,
while rich and mighty
Spain enjoying comparative internal peace had sunk deeper into
poverty and misery. The
same sun still shines on the Spaniards, they have
been endowed with rich minerals but that
nation has gradually lost powers of production and has become poor
and miserable. It is due
to immaterial products of human industry. Thus, a country is required
to sacrifice and give up
measures of material povert
y in order to gain culture, skill and powers of limited production;
it must sacrifice some present advantage in order to ensure
future ones. Human capital is,
therefore, a joint product with the commodity being produced and this
capital formation aids
furt
her developments in both the protected industry and the
economy as a whole. The
description above boils down to the stark truth that for economic
stability, the human capital
has to the sustained, further trained in the latest methods and
technology and ke
pt happy and
contented; these steps will keep the human capital (work
force of the country) motivated and
committed.
Education as a discipline
Education has general and professional aspects. As a general
discipline, it teaches desirable
attributes to deve
lop well groomed or rounded personalities, makes
students
(children/disciples) values and build strong characters. Education
removes ignorance and
creates awareness of subjects, sets the aim of life and as a short
term objective, prepares one
for survival

and for making a positive contribution to the society through the

process of
socialization and assimilation. Education polishes manners, develops
the spirit of service and
enquiry; makes the individual a true citizen, an informed and
responsible parent, pr
oficient
worker and efficient professional. The education system provides
alternatives in choosing
professional courses as per aptitude or taste or interest. Thus,
education does not only make
an individual a good human being, but, also, makes him a
worthy
member of the society, a
proficient or expert professional.
Education has three components: knowledge, skills, attitude.
While knowledge of content is
provided in all kinds of education (general or specialized), skills
are imparted and practiced
more in p
rofessional/vocational courses. Attitude is tackled in all courses and
at all levels in
all disciplines. Without a positive attitude, knowledge and training
remain idle rather only in
store (tacit knowledge) which loses relevance and may fade away to
a deg
ree.
In the 21
st

century, the core strength of any country can be natural and

human resources.
Change in employment pattern, industry, business, services
through the adoption of an
education system which is in sync with the Information &
Communication Tech
nology will
make a country a financial (Economic) superpower. The US and
its allies fought two world
6

wars because of money power and the longest sword they

possessed. Now, economics will
rule the world. Time has changed. Good and relevant education
creates
specialized and
skilled manpower. To cite an example, India changed its
education policy and supported
technical education. The result is a large specialized and professional
human resource called
human capital
. The result is that Indians have occupied a
good percentage of highly skilled
jobs in the most advanced countries. Domestically, technology
was upgraded and India is
now among the few advanced nuclear powers, included in the
exclusive nuclear club of six
members. This is the miracle achieved through
education.
SAUDI GOVERNMENT RES
PONSE TO SOCIAL CHAN
GE
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the government has set high
expectations from its higher
education institutions. It indicated that the education system remained
insufficient to meet the
requirements of
the rapid changing society. It thus recommended that new
mechanisms that
would respond to the demands of the economy and the labor
market and, particularly,
increase the employability of young people in different majors,
medical, science, engineering,
adm
inistration, computer science, and information technology are
crucially needed. One of
the most important initiatives designed to pursue drastic reforms
in the sector of higher
education is the National Commission for Academic
Accreditation and Assessment

(NCAAA), which came into being in 2003 with the aim of

improving the quality of higher
education provision through determining standards and criteria for
academic performance and
accreditation of academic programs. The NCAAA has set eleven
key quality sta
ndards for
higher education institutions the most relevant of which to the
professional training program
is Standard 4. Standard 4, which deals with aspects of teaching and
learning, focuses on five
broad areas known as learning outcomes domains. These are
knowledge, cognitive skills,
interpersonal skills and responsibility, communication, information
technology and numerical
skills, and psychomotor skills (National Commission for
Academic Accreditation and
Assessment, 2009).
Although each college has a str
ong cadre of qualified faculty, intended learning outcomes do
not cover the five domains specified in the National Qualification
Framework stated by the
NCAAA as well as the other important skills that are considered
crucial for students to cope
with the 2
1
st

changes. This might due to the fact that faculty members lack
the necessary
educational competencies and skills mentioned above.
Current university teaching is
problematic because faculty members tend to teach the way
they were taught with the
inherent
dangers of proliferating uninformed, outdated, and/or
inappropriate teaching and
assessment practices.
IMPORTANCE OF
TRAINING FACULTY MEM
BERS

A teacher has to be taught how to use the knowledge of psychology

and sociology along with
the knowledge of the subject
content while teaching a student to make him or her understand
the material easily, fully and without the fear or inhibition of any kind
. The teacher has to be
so trained as to develop the right attitude, understanding and
commitment. The teacher should
also have access to resources and technological tools to
smoothen the process of teaching
learning. For this, appropriate training is impa
rted before taking him on rolls, retrained in
service. They should be encouraged to develop
reflective analysis
to think of new ways,
methods and content to improve the quality of his output as per the
needs of the students.
Teacher training is a process t
hat involves inputs from three disciplines: Education,
Sociology and Psychology. The solution found to any problem will be
a confluence of these
7
disciplines. We may term this as
social psychology of education.
A teacher has to play his
role effectively b
y first updating himself through reflective teaching, identifying
classroom
problems/situations where experience
based decisions will have to be taken. Experience does
not come naturally; it has to be acquired by research, seeking
the feedback of peers and
having open discussions. The teachers lessons should be intelligible,
clear and clothed in
simple language. He/she should generate a classroom discussion
and encourage questioning.

His behavior should inspire the students and thus promote human
values in
them. The teacher
has to be innovative and creative to identify student
related activities to engage them in
community service to sensitize and guide them on the path of
righteousness and truth (Al
Hattami, et al., 2013).
Higher education institutions sh
ould provide regular training workshops for faculty members.
The importance and effectiveness of faculty training programs is
to enhance and elevate
faculty members' professional abilities in teaching. Faculty
professional development should
be looked at a
s a lifelong learning process. Based on a number of in
depth interviews, Gibbs
and Coffey (2000) developed a framework that lays out the rationale
for conducting a faculty
training program. Their rationale is based on the improvement
of teachers' skills, t
he
development of teachers' conceptions of teaching and learning, and
the consequent changes in
students' learning.
There is no doubt that the teacher plays a crucial role in the
transformation of individuals and
society. Teachers are the people who can af
fect the childs eternity. Teachers are the role
models for young students. They continue to influence their wards
some inspire them to the
extent that they make their mark and excel. As students are
the future of a country, the
models they follow should
be absolutely exemplary. Teachers are one single community of

elders who can have very far reaching effects on the younger
generation; they have broader
spectrum of influence on the students, even more than the
parents. Teachers should be
properly educate
d, made aware of contexts, enabled to be up to date with the subject
matter
and audio
visual and tech
savvy. They can deliver the goods, present their lessons well
and
create perfect understanding in their students. They must
generate discussions, sharpen
intellects and help the learners relate their lessons to real life
situations. Such a divine job can
be done by a teacher who is passionate about teaching, who
is professional to the core.
Teacher
training is the most important subject that must attract se
rious attention of the higher
education institutions, governments and administrators (Al
Hattami et. al., 2013). The power
of individuality makes a grain of mustard into a mountain.
CONCLUSION
Education is a dominant factor which affects the social and cul
tural behaviors of individuals
directly or/and indirectly. The effect of education is discernible
in: (a) standard of life and
living; (b) resources; (c) population situation; (d) environmental
problems; (e) existing socio
cultural patterns, etc.
In fact,
education is fundamental to bring change in the socio
cultural behavior of people.

People are constructively engaged and are trying to improve

their standard of living. The
awareness component as well as development component is the
function of education
with
specific reference to social change in the area of standard of living.
Not only this, education
affects the development of resources which leads to a significant
change in the material and
non
material aspects of the culture of any society. This paper
discussed, briefly, the role of
education as an agent of change in the social development and
how it contributes to human
resource development and human capital formation. The latter is the
sum total of knowledge,
8
skills, initiative, resourcefulness, capa
city for sustained work, right interests, attitudes, values,
aptitude and all the other human qualities conducive to higher
output and accelerated
economic growth. Human resource development and human
capital are non
material
components of culture.
Furthe
r, technical education is the tool to develop technological
resources owing to
researches. Education makes it possible to capacitate people to
use natural resources like
forests, water, air, petroleum, metals and minerals, etc.
Education helps reorient att
itudes
towards environment, nationalism, modernization,
internationalism, westernization, etc.
Above all, it is through education that we learn to cooperate,
collaborate, be humane and

uphold human rights and respect human dignity as well as dignity of

lab
or. Education teaches
us the lessons of peace and harmony, overcoming strife and conflict
and working for a better
future.
To sum up, education is a necessity for all irrespective of caste, creed
color or gender. Every
country should be concerned about ed
ucation. Computer power, Technology, and
Telecommunication technology and technology in relation to activities
(in industry, business,
services and home) have converged and, therefore, education
system has to adapt to them to
develop the education methods,
practices and procedures. Case study method, storytelling
method, experience sharing, group discussions, exercises and role
play are now the tools used
to teach and learn without strain and stress.
Education develops the individual: it makes him civilized
and sophisticated, and a competent
professional capable of coping with difficult situations and ultimately
an expert with the
qualities of a good human being and a responsible citizen.
Education effects changes in thinking, ideology, culture and
interacti
on and this is what
makes society dynamic, vibrant and prosperous. There is an
undeniable link with personal
development, social and economic development and ultimately,
national and international
development. Education removes all kinds of barriers and he
lps in establishing peace,
harmony and happiness. Teachers are the kingpins for
growth, development and
empowerment good governance is the driver.
Amna
Super Moderator

Join Date: Aug 2005

Location: Desert of Dream
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Repeated Essay Topics

POVERTY

Progressive alleviation of poverty in Pakistan - an overview.(2000)

Strategies for the alleviation of poverty. (2005)
Moral depravity is the root cause of poverty. (2008)

DEMOCRACY

The Future of Democracy in Pakistan. .(2009)

Democracy is a culture rather than a process .(2012)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Advancement in science and technology is the gateway to the economic

prosperity of a country.(2000)
The Suffering Soul in the Scientific Age (2012)

ISLAM

Pluralistic vision of Islam.(2004)

Islam versus the West (2005)
The image of Islam in the western world and responsibilities of the Muslim
Ummah (2007)
Peace the essential message of our religion (2008)

ECONOMICS

Higher Economic problems in Pakistan and how to meet them. .(2002)

Economic prosperity of a nation is directly proportional to the level of literacy
in it. (2001)

EDUCATION

Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive, easy to govern,
but impossible to enslave. (2000)
Education ahs for its object the formation of character (2002)

Need for serious planning in technical education in Pakistan. (2002)

Reforms in Examination systems (2005)
The present system of Education must assume some of responsibilities of
our failure (2007)
Co-education , Merits and Demerits (2009)
A Critical Analysis of Education Systems in Pakistan (2012)
Meaning and purpose of education(2013)
There should be colleges and schools just for men/boys and some just for
women/girls (2013)

HIGHER EDUCATION

Higher Science Education in the developing countries. (2002)

Higher Education as an agent of change (2007)
Privatizing higher education-generating knowledge or making more money
for the opulent. (2014)

Justice delayed is justice denied.(2001)

Without independent truth-finding commission, accountability is
unachievable. (2010)

National integration.(2001)

JUSTICE/ACCOUNTABILITY

NATIONAL INTEGRATION

OIL AND GAS

The end of cheap oil.(2004)

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.(2000)

WATER

ENERGY

Dilemma of the water and energy crisis in Pakistan.(2003)

Energy Crisis in Pakistan: Causes and Consequences.(2012)

The purification of politics is an iridescent dream (2000)

Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought
necessary. (2002)
Personalization Of Pakistani Politics (2006)
Politics is the art of possible (2007)
The world politics stands more derisive than it was ever before due to the
specific imperialist designs (2010)
Not economy but politics is a key to success. (2013)

POLITICS

MORAL-ETHICAL STANDARDS

Moral standards in international relations. (2000)

The barbarity of ethnic cleansing(2000)
Humanism (2004)
Estrangement from our own culture is driving us on the verge of collapse,
not just our identity but also morality. (2005)
All humans are born equal in dignity and rights but they are in shackles
everywhere.(2011)
Great nations win without fighting. (2014)
Post-modern ethos - a challenge to the west. (2014)

COMMUNICATION

Without good communication skills, life becomes impossible in the modern

world.(2011)
Modern Day Communication Via Social Networks Puts an End of True and
Sincere Relationships. (2013)

LIBERALISM

Liberalism (2006)

TRUTH

The search for truth.(2005)

Truth In Short Supply .(2006)
Truth is a rare commodity despite the freedom by the print and electronic

media.(2011)

GOOD GOVERNANCE

Good governance and the role of the public servant. (2000)

Public office is a public trust. (2001)

PAKISTAN

Devolution of power in Pakistan. (2001)

World scenario in 21st century and Pakistan's Role in it. (2002)
Austerity as a solution of all our economic problems. (2002)
Socio-Economic Challenges faced by Pakistan.(2005)
Foreign Direct Investment in Pakistan. (2005)
The food crisis: problems, challenges and opportunities for Pakistan.(2009)
English as the Medium of Education in Pakistan.(2009)
Pakistan is rich in natural resources but very poor in their
management. (2010)
Why is there no status of the third gender in Pakistan? (2010)
What Are the Hurdles in Our Way to Becoming a Truly Independent
State? (2011)
In this country reason does not apply to anything. (2011)

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Disaster management and government preparedness. (2011)

Globalization and electronic media (2007)

International Crisis in Terrorism. (2002)

Terrorism as a new threat to the contemporary world (2007)
Pakistan's War on terror and its impact on our psyche and politic-socioeconomic fronts. (2009)
Dialogue is the best course to combat terrorism. (2010)

Global Warming (2006)

GLOBALIZATION

TERRORISM

GLOBAL WARMING

The future of mankind in a global warming perspective. (2007)

Global Warming, fact or fiction? (2008)

Of all the needs a book has, the chief need is that it be readable (2003)
The pleasures of reading (2011)

Self-conceit may lead to self destruction. (2001)

Existentialism. (2003)
Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change. (2003)
We Grown Too Old Soon And Too Late Smart (2006)
Materialism Is the Death of Spirituality (2008)
Fair play and life, as it is lived, in the land of the pure. (2011)
Let me take care of today, tomorrow shall take care of itself. (2013)
If gold rust what shall the iron do. (2013)
Can meaning be fixed? (2014)

Persecuted poor woman.(2005)

The state of women rights in Pakistan (2007)
Status of Women in Islam (2009)
Can women be equal to men in Pakistan? (2010)
Does Pakistan society regard woman as the angel in the house or source of
all evils? (2011)
Social and Economic Securities for Women in Islam(2012)
Women sportspersons are new ambassadors of the soft image of
Pakistan. (2014)

BOOKS AND READING

PHILOSPHY

WOMEN

NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Nuclear Waepons Are 'not Only A Great Peril, But A Great Hope'(2006)

MANAGEMENT

Lots Of Folks Confuse Bad Management With Destiny.(2006)

Time management is the key note of success.(2008)

TOLERANCE

On tolerance.(2001)

Lack of discipline - a national disaster.(2008)

DISCIIPLINE

LIFE

Country life is better than city life.(2013)

Health is not a condition of matter, but of mind.(2009)

Obesity is the root cause of all disease .(2012)

Power of Media in the Modern World.(2009)

The Emerging Power of Public Opinion. (2012)
Free speech should have limitations. (2013)

HEALTH

MEDIA

LITERARY

Sweet are the uses of adversity

Humor in Urdu Literature (2006)
Literature is the best criticism of life. (2010)
Literature as a great cultural artifact. (2014)

Art and Morality (2001)

Art Critics and reviewers (2001)
Every art is an imitation of nature. (2014)

Poetry is the highest form of expression - the greatest proof is the Holy
Quran.(2008)

ART

POETRY

HISTORY

All Recorded History Is Contemporaneous (2004)

The future of UNO, Hopes and Hurdles .(2009)

The U.N.O has failed to measure up to the demands of its charter.(2010)
The United Nations in the 21st Century: Obligations and Limitations .(2012)

UNO

PSYCHOLOGY/BEHAVIOUR

Personal liberty is the paramount essential to human dignity and human

happiness.(2000)
Attitude of indifference. (2003)
Young habits die-hard. (2003)
A long Dispute means that both parties are wrong.(2004)
Longing for Love. (2004)
There Comes A Time To Put Aside Principles And Do What's Right. (2006)
There is no great genius without a mixture of madness. (2009)
Insanity in individuals is something rare but in groups, parties and nations it
is the rule. (2011)
Beggars cannot be choosers (2012)
Brain, Like Hearts, Go Where They Are Appreciated (2012)
The traditional male role changed in the last 20 years. (2013)
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. (2014)
The character of a nation can be judged by its symbolic narratives. (2014)

Gender equality is myth (2013)

GENDER EQUALITY

MISCELLANEOUS

If you wish the sympathy of broad manes, then you must tell them the
crudest and most stupid things. (2000)
Hero-worship is the strongest where there is least regard for human
freedom. (2002)
Modern Banking, finance and employment are part of one single
paradigm. (2004)
Peer Pressure. (2004)
Every Solution Breeds New Problems (2006)
A country is backward because it's people are backward. (2007)
Dreams for future rely on the work of today. (2008)
Can be prevent the Third World War? (2008)
Religion has done more harm than help to human relations in the
world. (2010)

The time we live in is the winter of the world (2011)

Language is a fit data for research in humanities and social science. .(2014)

Look to the east for a holistic progress. .(2014)