Abstract

The quality of education is becoming important in this age of progress. This study investigated the situation analysis of quality education at the secondary level in Pakistan. The sample of the study was 306 teachers working in the school education department in tehsil Haroonabad and Bahawalnagar. Teachers were asked to fill out a questionnaire to gather information. The data was analyzed using SPSS. A t-test and a one-way ANOVA were used to indicate how teachers' views differed depending on their demographic features, and frequencies and percentages were utilized to show demographic items and questions. Based on the data, it can be stated that obtaining high-quality secondary education is not difficult. There are some ways to improve education in Pakistan that are discussed in this study. It was a good conversation amongst scholars and specialists in education on this issue. It was proposed that the government should make policies according to the needs of the moment so that secondary-level education difficulties may be reduced.

Key Words

Quality Education, Secondary Level, Pakistan, Educators Narrative

Introduction

Quality education may be defined as substantial, appropriate, and responsive education that meets the needs of individuals and society. Quality education is required to build a long-term system that fosters meaningful learning in students. Providing a high-quality education to all students helps them learn the skills they need to become economically productive, construct sustainable lifestyles, contribute to peaceful and democratic societies, and improve their overall well-being (Ahmed, 2019). The learning goals that must be completed vary depending on the setting, but at the end of the basic education cycle, there must be threshold levels of reading and numeracy, as well as life skills such as knowledge and illness prevention. To be successful, a good education must be inclusive, relevant, and democratic (EdQual, 2010). Three critical pillars support excellent education: ensuring access to trained teachers; providing access to quality learning instruments and professional development; and providing quality learning settings that are safe and supportive for students. These elements are necessary for the establishment of a good educational system in schools (Agnihotri, 2017). 

School education gives a route to higher education. A student's high school education serves as a foundation for further study in college or university. A student's knowledge gained in elementary and secondary school may be used to more advanced versions of the same courses in schools. Students will benefit from challenging material at this grade level as they prepare for college and beyond. This is attainable only by a quality education. Today, high-quality education is essential (Strayhorn, 2018). In Pakistan, the quality in school education is declining due to numerous issues. A child's education is directly correlated to the quality of its teachers, curriculum, and facilities, all of which are under threat in Pakistan. On the other hand, the government of Pakistan is attempting to fix these issues to provide its citizens with a high-quality education. The Pakistani government is making efforts in this area and using both national and international resources. This study aimed to examine the need analysis of quality education indicators at the secondary level in Pakistan. Documents were reviewed for knowing obstacles and strategies to tackle these issues.

Global Perspective of Quality Education

Quality is concerned with the satisfaction of stakeholders, both now and in the future, and is tied to customer needs, wants, and expectations. In certain circumstances, having a broad customer viewpoint is critical. The present and future competencies of students are at the core of outstanding education, which implies that stakeholders such as parents, schools, and businesses, as well as society at large, must be considered when defining customers. Defining and measuring educational quality is difficult in a continually changing context where future demands are unknown. Efficacy, capacity enhancement, added value, and equality are only a few of the issues considered by David Stephens in his 2003 report to UNESCO (especially regarding gender gaps). When we say 'excellent education,' we mean an atmosphere in which both the learner and the learned are joyously involved in learning and sharing via the process of knowledge creation. The emphasis is on the learner." As a consequence, education is considered to be of high quality when resources are utilized in a manner that benefits both students and society as a whole (Stephens, 2003).

Furthermore, in an information-based culture, education should include or embrace a learner's whole life cycle, from birth to death, and so include a broad variety of ages. "It's never too late to learn," as the saying goes, has never been truer. To put it another way, people only have a limited amount of time to profit from and give to education. Even with the growing popularity of interactive learning methods, the availability of access to internet knowledge, and the growth of flipped classrooms and blended learning approaches, this distinction is no longer as clear as it once was. Consider training and teaching, with a focus on quality improvement principles, as an important component in the development of educational quality at all organizational levels. Projects aimed at increasing educational quality will most likely be scattered over many of these areas. Furthermore, democratic principles, openness, cooperation, entrepreneurship, innovation, quality concepts, and creativity should all be incorporated into all curricula, regardless of educational level (Bergman, 2018).

 

Education System in Pakistan: A Quality Perspective

Pakistan's educational system no longer reflects the Islamic and British legacies that formed it. No matter how far we've come in the last century, rote memorization and antiquated assessment methods remain significant in our educational system. Even though literacy and participation rates have increased significantly, the educational system is still primarily elitist. The best educational opportunities are only available to those who can afford them or have connections to them. A structure with more advanced teaching and evaluation techniques has become the norm in Pakistan in recent years, following the global trend. Even though 96% of the population is Muslim, most of whom are Sunnis, Islamic traditions continue to be practiced. Up to lower-secondary school, Islamiyat (Islamic studies) is seen as essential to the inculcation of Islamic ideas in both personal development and national identity. In recent years, Islamiyat has been replaced in school curricula with civics for religious minorities (Zafar & Ali, 2018).

Educating and training Pakistan's growing young population might assist the country's economy to improve and modernize, which would be a large youth dividend. Lack of educational and employment opportunities for Pakistan's growing education could turn it into a "disaster in the making," as reported by the Washington Post, "putting catastrophic pressure on water and sanitation systems, swamping health and education services, and leaving millions of people jobless" (Salkowitz, 2010).

These concerns are well-founded, given Pakistan's dismal educational system and the country's rapidly rising young unemployment rate. Commonwealth's Global Youth Development Index (which looks at civic engagement, education, employment and opportunity, health and well-being, and political participation among young people worldwide) places Pakistan at 154th place overall, far behind countries in sub-Saharan Africa such as Africa, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia. Among school-age children, Pakistan has the world's second-highest rate of non-enrollment, behind only Nigeria alone in this regard. About 22.7 million Pakistani children between the ages of five and 16 or 44% of the population — did not attend school in 2017. In the table below, you can see how attrition rates rise as students go up the educational ladder (Pradhan et al., 2018).




 

Table 1. Out of School Children by Stages of Education (in Millions)

Grades	Enrolled Students	Out of School Children	Percentage of Out of School
Elementary	18.4	5.0	21.3
Middle	6.3	6.5	50.9
Secondary	4.8	11.3	70.0

Source: Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Pakistan. 2020. World education service.

 




Gender and socioeconomic level differences exacerbate the problem. Men outweigh women at every level of schooling, illustrating the pervasiveness of gender inequality. According to Human Rights Watch, 32 percent of girls and 21 percent of boys in primary school are not attending school. Sixth-graders are just 41% female and 51% male. By ninth grade, the female dropout rate is even lower, at only 13% (Pradhan et al., 2018).

The focus on quality assurance in education was emphasized in Pakistan's national education policy for 2009, with a particular chapter dedicated to quality and its components. The policy focuses on six key components that account for the majority of its influence. Curriculum, textbooks, tests, instructors, the learning environment of an institution, and the link between education and the workforce are examples of these. According to the national education policy, "national standards for educational inputs, processes, and results should be specified" (2009). There will be the establishment of a national standard-setting body. Provincial and municipal governments and organizations may establish their own standards in addition to the legally mandated minimums. The provincial and district governments should also put in place monitoring and inspection processes to ensure that all institutions provide high-quality education and services (Ahmed, 2014).

It has initiated new initiatives in curriculum design and revision, textbook and instructional materials creation and revision, teacher training and certification, exam and assessment testing, and monitoring and evaluation as part of this endeavor. Future aims include the development and implementation of a National Curriculum Framework and National Standards for each subject from Grades 1 to 12, as well as the recruitment of competent, talented, and motivated scholar-teachers. Furthermore, the 2017 Draft National Education Policy proposes increasing education expenditure to 4% of GDP from the existing 3% level (Usman, 2019).

The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training's 2018 National Educational Policy Framework focuses on four key areas: enrolling 25 million out-of-school children, providing high-quality instruction, enhancing students' professional abilities, and ensuring a consistent curriculum across all of the country's educational institutions. To begin, during the following two years, the Ministry wants to enrol 27,000 out-of-school children in formal and non-formal educational institutions in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). As part of the policy, public education, madrassah schooling, and English-medium or private schools would all be phased out. As a consequence of the new policy's emphasis on market-oriented education, students will find it easier to obtain jobs. Middle school activities will be given after school in elementary schools to assist fill the void caused by the country's lack of middle schools. The Smart Schools System will be used in schools where there is a lack of professors, with online lectures supplied. To fulfill the need for teachers, an educational volunteer program would be formed. Under this program, educated young people would offer their time to teach children in their local schools. There will be a National Curriculum Council made up of educational experts whose task it will be to agree on a standard curriculum (Usman, 2019).

Because of the poor level of learning in the country's public and low-cost private institutions, the national education plan framework for 2018 prioritizes quality education. Science, math, and language skills have continuously remained low in national student evaluation surveys throughout the years. Teachers who give inadequate instruction have a direct influence on their pupils' learning outcomes. Teachers in Pakistan have a lack of subject comprehension and pedagogical ability. There is also a scarcity of teachers who are certified to teach certain subjects like as mathematics, physics, and English across all provinces. A survey of teacher education degree holders found that less than 10% of the teaching force had a degree in science or mathematics. The quality of pre-and in-service teacher training remains inadequate, and the absence of an effective accreditation and certification structure is a key contributor to this issue. In present teacher development programs, there is a lack of criteria and incentives for instructors to advance their qualifications. Some schools have less than five pupils per instructor, while others have more than 100 kids per teacher. The misalignment is the result of political interference in the selection and transfer of teachers (MOFE&PT-NePF, 2018).

 

Quality Education Indicators in Pakistan

The federal ministry of federal education and professional training in Pakistan has devised a set of criteria for assessing the country's educational system, which it refers to as the "minimum requirements of good education in Pakistan." The MSQE (Minimum Standards for Excellent Education in Pakistan) is a collection of requirements that apply to students, teachers, curriculum, and textbooks and is designed to ensure that every student has access to high-quality education. Minimum quality standards are criteria for determining the expected level of education in a certain country. Certain criteria and indicators are used by these frameworks to measure progress toward objectives. These criteria and indicators are linked to the monitoring and oversight processes in place in each country (Ahmed, 2019).

The conceptual framework proposed for analyzing the national requirements for high-quality education in our educational system is based on three factors: input, process, and output. To produce high-quality educational outcomes, multiple stakeholders in the education system must contribute ideas and carry out processes. The surrounding environment has a direct impact on the classroom. Two examples are exercise books and other school materials. Parents may immediately contribute to the classroom by supporting their children with their homework. In its framework for determining educational excellence, UNESCO (2004) emphasized the importance of the context. As a consequence, through providing suitable learning environments, the environment has a huge influence on education (Scheerens, 2004).

Some people associate academic achievement with educational quality, although this is not always the case. Individuals' rights to education, as well as the effectiveness of quality standards, are crucial to reaching the desired level of education quality. Quality may be accomplished when it is recognized throughout the education process, from enrollment to assessment, training and monitoring programs, and effective learning environments are all thought vital for improved learning outcomes (UNESCO (2005).

Researchers split all factors into input, process, and output frameworks in light of the need for high-quality education. These criteria are classified into the following categories: 1. Learners' Expectations 2. Professional Expectations for Teachers, 3. School Curriculum and Textbook Requirements Standards 4. Accreditation Criteria for the Environment Curriculum and textbook standards are also input standards, 5, while school environment standards are directly tied to process standards, and assessment standards, which are associated with both student and instructor standards, are at the conclusion of the process. Qualifications of teachers, class size, method, teaching and learning materials, curriculum, facilities and resources (learning, physical, fiscal, and others) needed for school upkeep are all factors that contribute to educational quality. As a result, the quality of the inputs determines the quality of the outputs. The quality of the result is exactly proportional to the quality of the input. The curriculum is both a product and an input in schooling. The curriculum's nature and design influence the educational process in order to attain the intended goals or standards (MoFE&PT-NePF, 2018).

 

Secondary Education in Pakistan

After Pakistan's independence, the Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) were founded. They were responsible for devising and giving final exams at the end of grades 9 through 12. A passing grade 8 provincial school score may be necessary for admission to secondary schooling in certain jurisdictions. As of 2017, around 68 percent of students in lower secondary school and 88 percent of students in upper secondary school were enrolled in public schools. Even Attendance at private secondary schools is on the increase, with private school enrollments accounting for as much as 60% of overall registrations in wealthier city areas. Lower secondary education lasts for two years (grades 9 and 10) before moving on to upper secondary education, also known as intermediate education, for a further two years (grades 11 and 12). Secondary education consists of three main areas of study: science, humanities, and technical. The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) is granted to students who complete the exam after grades 9 and 10. The test is rated on a scale of 0 to 100, with a maximum score of 100. A rise of at least 33 percent is required to pass for each course. In most circumstances, students get a letter grade for their final grade. Everything on the list of the eight most often examined subjects may be found on a single exam. Students who fail more than two classes in a year must start again at the beginning of the following year. FBISE reports that just 84% of pupils passed their secondary school exams in 2019. Still, the Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) notes that 96% of test-takers scored at or above on their final exams in 2019 (Amin & Soomro, 2021).




 

Table 2. Secondary Grading Scales in Pakistan

Grade	Range	Description	Equivalency
A+	80-100	Exceptional	A
A	70-79	Excellent	A
B	60-69	Very Good	B+
C	50-59	Good	B
D	40-49	Fair	C
E	33-39	Satisfactory	C-
F	0-32	Fail	F

 




Students who did not get a passing score on their high school exit exams may attend upper secondary schools, often known as intermediate colleges, for a two-year study program (grades 11 and 12), only around a quarter of Pakistani pupils in grades 10 and 11 graduate from high school. According to UNESCO, Pakistan's upper-secondary NER rate in 2017 was 23%, compared to 38% in Nepal and 46% in Bangladesh. The arts, sciences, pre-med, engineering, and health-related vocations, including nursing and home economics, are among other options for postsecondary study. Non-Muslim students must take both required and optional courses in Islamic studies, civics, and Pakistan studies in addition to Urdu and English. Those preparing to be doctors, on the other hand, must fulfill additional requirements in the sciences such as biology, physics, and chemistry before graduating. Two portions of the HSSC exam (sometimes known as the "intermediate exam") are administered at the end of grades 11 and 12, much like the SSC test. One of the Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) administers the tests (BISE). There is a grading system and minimal passing criteria like the SSC exams (Pradhan et al., 2018).

Challenges at Secondary School Education

Despite its high ideals and ambitious goals, Pakistan's educational system is plagued by the problems listed below.;




Poor Supervisory Standards

Despite the fact that there are no supervision activities in schools, the monitoring process itself provides no benefits to either instructors or pupils. Teaching staff members are subjected to continual monitoring and harassment by the supervisory system, rather than getting direction and support to help them improve their job performance (Memon, 2007).




Outdated Education Curriculum

The curriculum of Pakistan does not stimulate the learner's enthusiasm for practical labor, study, scientific understanding, or careful observation; instead, it emphasizes memorization and theory (Ahmad et al., 2014).




Poor Teachers' Professional Development

Training standards at the country's public training institutes are insufficient. Several educational institutions have been closed in order to save money. Teacher education programs provide outmoded and traditional curriculum that do not improve instructors' abilities, motivation, or quality (Saeed et al., 2013). 




A Scarcity of Qualified Instructors 

Teachers and instruction in schools are of poor quality, according to a UNESCO assessment. It deteriorates significantly in the distant districts of Punjab, Sindh, and Baluchistan (Memon, 2010).




Education without a Strategy

Pakistan's education system has been unable to grow and lead its people on a stable political and social basis as a result of its lack of direction and a lack of resources (Ahmad et al., 2013).




Disturbing Dropout Rates

Management is to blame for the absence of discipline in schools and other educational institutions. As a result, a significant proportion of students drop out. More than 40 million Pakistani children are no longer enrolled in school (Mughal, 2020). 




Corruption

Transparency International has placed Pakistan

 as one of the most corrupt nations in the world, according to the organization. In order to maintain a fair level of living for themselves and their students, instructors’ resort to unethical techniques of getting certificates and degrees for themselves and their students (Roof, 2015).




System of Examination

Students' performance is the primary goal of assessment. As being outdated, Pakistan's examination system cannot adequately evaluate students' performance. Students' long-term memory isn't tested in Pakistan's exams (Yadav, 2011). 




Lack of Uniformity

There are no commonly agreed rules for education in Pakistan. The country has a variety of educational systems operating at the same time. In addition, the curriculum is not standardized, which has led to a wide range of viewpoints (Ahmad et al., 2013).




Internal and External Influences

Pakistan's educational system is not immune to external and internal forces. Politicians and bureaucratic intrigues have enslaved the institution both outside and inside (Memon, 2007). 




Lack of Resources

Every educational institution in the nation lacks access to books, libraries, or reading materials, and this is especially true for public schools. In addition, courses are overcrowded, there is a scarcity of faculty, and the labs are understaffed, among other things. As a consequence of this unfortunate condition of things, a gloomy and low-quality educational system has developed (Memon, 2010). 




Policy Implementation

Since the establishment of Pakistan, there have been several educational policies. A lack of political will on the part of consecutive administrations has prevented the strategy from being implemented to its full potential. Despite their grandiosity, these measures were unable to be fully implemented (Saeed et al., 2013). 




Low Budgetary Allocation for Education

According to the International Crisis Group (GDP), one of twelve countries globally with an education expenditure of less than 2% of GDP in Pakistan according to the International Crisis Group (GDP). It would be difficult for the government, which signed the MDG goals of the Dakar Conference, with this bit of economic allocation to accomplish universal primary education by 2015.




Objective of the Study

The main objective of the study was need analysis of Quality Education Indicators at Secondary Level in Pakistan by exploring the education structure at secondary level, highlighting the challenges faced at secondary level and Quality Education Indicators at secondary level. 

Research Methodology

The present study was quantitative in nature and a survey was conducted as a research design.




Research Population

The research population was secondary school teachers in Haroonabad and bhawalnagar. 306 secondary school teachers (in which male and female are 99 and 207 respectively) are working over there are taken as population of study.




Sampling Procedure

Census sampling technique was used and as a sample, 306 teachers were taken for data collection from Haroonabad and Bahawalnagar.




Instrument of the Study

As a data collecting tool, a self-created questionnaire was employed. The questionnaire was split into three sections: characteristics defining educational quality, problems in secondary school education, and potential solutions to increase educational quality. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by education experts, and the reliability of the questionnaire was assessed at SPSS, and it was 0.93 (>.70) against 33 items.




Data Collections

Data was collected through personal requests of teachers, AEO’s and DEO’s. Social groups were also used to collect the data from secondary school teachers. 

Data Analysis

The SPSS application was used to examine the data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to derive the conclusions. The demographic elements and questions are shown using frequencies and percentages. To demonstrate the variations in attitudes among instructors based on various demographic factors, an independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were performed. Conclusions and suggestions were given based on the findings.




 

Table 3. Sample Description based on Demographics

S. No	Description	Frequency (f)	Percentage (%)
Gender
1	Male	99	32.4
2	Female	207	67.6
	Total	306	100
Are
1	Rural	188	61.4
2	Urban	118	38.6
	Total	306	100
Experience
1	1-5 Years	148	48.4
2	6-10 Years	88	28.8
3	11-15 Years	33	10.8
4	16-20 Years	25	8.2
5	21-25 Years	5	1.6
6	26-30 Years	2	.7
7	Above	5	1.6
	Total	306	100
Qualification
3	Bachelor	23	7.5
4	Masters	220	71.9
5	M.Phil.	61	19.9
6	Ph.D.	2	.7
	Total	306	100

 

Table 4. Section-1: Factors Defining Quality of Education

S. No	Statements of Questions	Strongly Agree f (%)	Agree f (%)	Undecided f (%)	Disagree f (%)	Strongly Disagree f (%)	M	S.D.
1	Teaching Aids Availability	70(23)	199(65)	19(6)	8(3)	10(3)	4.02	0.83
2	Educational Content	106(35)	173(57)	13(4)	2(1)	12(4)	4.17	0.86
3	Learning Environment	70(23)	182(59)	30(10)	18(6)	6(2)	3.95	0.86
4	School Management	75(25)	195(64)	23(8)	4(1)	9(3)	4.06	0.80
5	Student’s Precondition	144(47)	143(47)	7(2)	3(1)	9(3)	4.34	0.83
6	Funding & Organization	82(27)	188(61)	23(8)	5(2)	8(3)	4.08	0.80
7	Academic Achievements	60(20)	195(64)	34(11)	11(4)	6(2)	3.95	0.79
8	Size of Classroom	52(17)	209(68)	36(12)	5(2)	4(1)	3.98	0.69
9	Contact Hours of Class	53(17)	206(67)	30(10)	11(4)	6(2)	3.94	0.77
10	Qualification of Teachers	45(15)	192(63)	43(14)	19(6)	7(2)	3.81	0.84
11	Education System	59(19)	199(65)	29(9)	12(4)	7(2)	3.95	0.81

 

Table 5. Section-2: Challenges at Secondary School Education

S. No	Statements of Questions	Strongly Agree f (%)	Agree f (%)	Undecided f (%)	Disagree f (%)	Strongly Disagree f (%)	M	S.D.
1	Lack of Uniformity	68(22)	202(66)	21(7)	10(3)	5(2)	4.04	0.75
2	Education without Direction	64(21)	201(66)	26(8)	10(3)	5(2)	4.01	0.76
3	Outdated Curriculum	31(10)	192(63)	55(18)	20(7)	8(3)	3.71	0.84
4	Lack of Professional Development of Teachers	41(13)	221(72)	33(11)	5(2)	6(2)	3.93	0.69
5	Lack of Quality teachers	60(20)	214(70)	17(6)	8(3)	7(2)	4.02	0.75
6	Alarming situation of dropouts	58(19)	209(68)	28(9)	6(2)	5(2)	4.01	0.71
7	System of examination	68(22)	202(66)	19(6)	11(4)	6(2)	4.03	0.78
8	Poor supervisory standards	44(14)	208(68)	32(10)	18(6)	4(1)	3.88	0.77
9	Internal and external influence	52(17)	210(69)	25(8)	10(3)	9(3)	3.93	0.80
10	Lack of resources	50(16)	213(70)	29(9)	8(3)	6(2)	3.96	0.73
11	Poor policy implementation	45(15)	209(68)	34(11)	12(4)	6(2)	3.90	0.76
12	Insufficient budget allocation for education	39(13)	216(71)	37(12)	10(3)	4(1)	3.90	0.70
13	Corruption	63(21)	202(66)	22(7)	14(5)	5(2)	3.99	0.78

 

Table 6. Section-3: Quality Education Indicators based on Minimum Standards for Quality Education

S. No	Statements of Questions	Strongly Agree f (%)	Agree f (%)	Undecided f (%)	Disagree f (%)	Strongly Disagree f (%)	M	S.D.
1	Students may be creative using a research-based method.	30(10)	187(61)	54(18)	29(9)	6(2)	3.67	0.85
2	The goal of the curriculum is to create social cohesiveness.	56(18)	200(65)	26(8)	15(5)	9(3)	3.91	0.85
3	Up-to-date textbooks in accordance with international standards	38(12)	169(55)	59(19)	31(10)	9(3)	3.64	0.93
4	Teachers' professional development	32(10)	182(59)	55(18)	28(9)	9(3)	3.65	0.89
5	Student’s additional workshop.	30(10)	143(47)	73(24)	44(14)	16(5)	3.42	1.02
6	The students learning outcomes determine student performance.	42(14)	200(65)	40(13)	16(5)	8(3)	3.82	0.83
7	trained assessors to prevent prejudice.	64(21)	203(66)	30(10)	4(1)	5(2)	4.04	0.71
8	Children treated with respect in school	30(10)	187(61)	54(18)	29(9)	6(2)	3.67	0.85
9	School co-curricular activities	56(18)	200(65)	26(8)	15(5)	9(3)	3.91	0.85

 

Table 7. Comparison of Opinion at the Base of Gender (Independent Sample t-test)

Gender	N	M	S.D.	df	t	Sig.
Male	99	122.45	20.93	304	-5.019	.000
Female	207	132.61	14.01

*P < .05 Level of Significance 

 




An independent sample t-test was conducted to compare the opinions of male & female respondents. There was a significant difference (t (304) -5.019, P<.05) in the scores with the mean score for females (M=132.61, S.D.= 14.01) was higher than Male (M=122.45, S.D.= 20.93). The magnitude of the differences in the means was also significant.




 

Table 8. Comparison of Opinion at the Base of Area (Independent Sample t-test)

Area	N	N	S.D.	df	t	Sig.
Rural	188	127.96	18.60	304	-1.756	.080
Urban	118	131.50	14.53

*P > .05 Level of Significance

 




An independent sample t-test was conducted to compare the opinions of rural & urban area respondents. There was no significant difference (t (304) =-1.756, P>.05) in the scores with the mean score for the urban area (M=131.50, S.D.= 14.53) was higher than rural area (M=127.96, S.D.= 18.60). The magnitude of the differences in the means was significant.




 

Table 9. The difference in the Opinion among Teachers is based on Participants' Experience (one-way ANOVA Test).

Experience	Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	Sig.
Between Groups	388.987	6	64.831	.216	.972
Within Groups	89946.334	299	300.824
Total	90335.320	305

*P > .05 Level of Significance 

 




One way ANOVA test was conducted to compare the opinions of teachers based on their experience. There was no significant difference (F (305) = .216, P>.05) in the scores with the mean score for within groups (Sum of squares=89946.334) was higher than between groups (Sum of squares=388.987). The magnitude of the differences in the means squares was also not significant.




 

Table 10. The Difference in the Opinion among Teachers based on the Qualification of Participants (one-way ANOVA Test).

Qualification	Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	Sig.
Between Groups	2484.461	5	496.892	1.697	.135
Within Groups	87850.859	300	292.836
Total	90335.320	305

*P > .05 Level of Significance 

 




One way ANOVA test was conducted to compare the opinions of teachers based on their qualifications. There was no significant difference (F (305) = 1.697, P>.05) in the scores with the mean score for within groups (Sum of squares=87850.859) was higher than between groups (Sum of squares=2484.461). The magnitude of the differences in the means squares was significant.

Findings and Conclusions

The purpose of this study was to investigate the situation analysis of quality education at the secondary level in Pakistan. The first part of the questionnaire in this study focused on the factors that influence educational quality. Quality education depends on the availability of teaching aids, educational content, the learning environment in which students are taught, school administration, financing & organization, and academic results. Respondents in the second part of the questionnaire agreed that lack of uniformity, education without direction, outdated curriculum, lack of professional development for teachers, lack of quality teachers, alarming dropout situation, examination system, poor supervisory standards, internal and external influence, lack of resources, poor policy implementation, insufficient budget allocation for education, and corruption are the main challenges at secondary school education.

In the third section, respondents also agreed that enough financing for education was needed. Professional development institutions of high quality, improved accountability systems, professional ownership of obligations, annual curriculum evaluation, minimal political interaction, timely implementation of educational policy, examination system free of mafia and corruption, and promotion of education research culture are the most effective ways to improve education. Respondents' opinion was significantly different according to gender, position, education, and the districts in which they resided.

Based on these findings, it can be stated that there are distinct challenges with acquiring high-quality secondary education, but there are also methods accessible to enhance high school education. A strong accountability structure, educational policies, and research culture might all help to ameliorate the problem. 

Discussion and Recommendations

This study aimed to look at the current state of high-quality secondary education in Pakistan from a global perspective. In Pakistan, researchers presented their results to education experts at the Situation Analysis of Quality Education at Secondary Levels. For example, the lack of a rigorous testing system, a curriculum that hasn't been updated in decades, a teacher shortage that's outpacing supply, a dropout rate that's more than alarming, a lack of resources, ineffective policy implementation, inadequate educational funding, as well as corruption were all mentioned as significant problems in secondary schools by Memon (2007)'s research. We then discussed various remedies to these issues, such as ensuring that an adequate education budget is dedicated to education, ensuring that excellent institutions are accessible for professional growth and development, and improving the accountability system. On top of that, we spoke about empowering educators to take responsibility for their work and the need to do yearly curriculum evaluations. These difficulties are also addressed in Riaz's research (2008).

The GDP of the country should adequately fund education to improve the quality of education. This will give the system a fresh lease of life by providing it with the necessary resources. Second, quality institutions for teachers' professional development should be available at all levels of education. There must be enough money and qualified human resources available to the present system of teacher education institutions to provide monthly training programs for instructors. If we are serious about improving educational outcomes, we need to ensure that everyone involved in the system is held accountable, personally and collectively. This helps promote a sense of pride in the system's capabilities and design. It is vital to evaluate the curriculum every year. Using this strategy, a comprehensive survey of teachers, parents, and community members might be conducted to gather their expectations and observations. According to education specialists, a new curriculum should be produced to meet the demands of society, and this new curriculum should be created without regard to race, ethnicity, or religion. Political interference should be limited, according to this recommendation. Thus, the system will perform more smoothly and consistently due to this change. Corruption and other issues have arisen due to frequent political meddling in the system. In light of the limited time and resources available, policies should be implemented as quickly as feasible. The government should have a solid political will to implement new policies rapidly. The public and government agencies are losing faith in one another due to policy implementation that has been found wanting. Unethical methods, corrupt practices, or unethical incentives should not be tolerated in exams. Physical and conceptual improvements to the monitoring and inspection system might help achieve this aim. The government should enhance teachers' salaries and give more significant benefits to deter educators from using unethical methods to get favors and education. Schools should cultivate a research-oriented culture. Most famous colleges and universities should speed up their research-based teaching and learning initiatives. For this, government funding for the Higher Education Commission should be increased (Riaz, 2008). The suggestions provided for future researchers are presented below;

1. Government should make policies according to the need of time so that all the challenges in education at the secondary level can be confronted. 

2. Data was collected from teachers of tehsil Haroonabad and Bahawalnagar. The population must also be increased to other areas to get more accurate and diverse results.

3. Although the findings may be more reliable if data could be collected more freely by visiting schools, due to COVID-19's restrictions, data were also gathered via social media.

References

• Agnihotri, A. K. (2017). Quality In Primary And Secondary Education. Scholarly research journal for humanity science and English language, 4(21), 2348-3083.
• Ahmed, H. (2019). Effectiveness of minimum quality standards for primary education in low and lower middle-income countries. K4D, Knowledge, Evidence, and Learning for Development.
• Ahmad, I., Rehman, S., Ali, S. I. S., Ali, F., & Badshah, R. (2013). Problems of government secondary school system in Pakistan: Critical analysis of literature and finding a way forward. International journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 3(2), 85.
• Ahmad, I., Ur Rehman, K., Ali, A., Khan, I., & Khan, F. A. (2014). Critical Analysis of the Problems of Education in Pakistan: Possible Solutions. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 3(2). 79-84.
• Amin, R. U., & Soomro, K. A. (2021). Decentralization of Education: The Affective Role of Fiscal Decentralization in Pakistani Education System (s). FWU Journal of Social Sciences, 15(01).
• Aziz, M., Bloom, D. E., Humair, S., Jimenez, E., Rosenberg, L., & Sathar, Z. (2014). Education system reform in Pakistan: why, when, and how? (No. 76). IZA policy paper.
• EdQual. (2010). A framework for education quality. EdQual policy brief, 10.
• Memon, G. R. (2007). Education in Pakistan: The key issues, problems and the new challenges. Journal of Management and Social Sciences, 3(1), 47-55
• Memon, G. R., Joubish, M. F., & Khurram, M. A. (2010). Education in Pakistan: The key issues, problems and the new challenges. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research, 6(6), 672-677.
• MoFE, & PT-NePF. (2018). National Education Policy Framework Pakistan. Ministry Of Federal Education & Professional Training: Government of Pakistan. Islamabad
• Mughal, A. W. (2020). Secondary school students who drop out of school in rural Pakistan: The perspectives of fathers. Educational Research, 62(2), 199-215.
• Pradhan, N. A., Jamali, T., Bhamani, S. S., Ali, T. S., & Karmaliani, R. (2018). Out-of- School Children: Examining the Reasons in Semi-urban Setting in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Educational Research and Evaluation, 5(2),
• Qadeer, M. (2006). Pakistan-social and cultural transformations in a Muslim Nation. Routledge.
• Riaz, I. (2008). Schools for change: a perspective on school improvement in Pakistan. Improving schools, 11(2), 143- 156.
• Roof, D. J. (2015). Problems of common interest: The shaping of education in Pakistan, 1970 2014. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS), 9(1), 35-51.
• Saeed, M., Ahmad, I., Salam, M., Badshah, R., Ali, S., & Haq, S. (2013). Critical analysis of problems of school teachers in Pakistan: Challenges and possible solutions. Journal of education and practice, 4(4), 169-175.
• Salkowitz, R. (2010). Young world rising: How youth technology and entrepreneurship are changing the world from the bottom up 13, John Wiley & Sons.
• Scheerens, J. (2004). Perspectives on Education Quality, Education Indicators and Benchmarking. European Educational Research Journal, 3(1), 115-138.
• Sefton-Green, J. (2012). Learning at not- school: A review of study, theory, and advocacy for education in non-formal settings (p. 100). The MIT Press.
• Stephens, D. (2003, Nov). Quality of basic education. UNESCO.
• Strayhorn, T. L. (2018). College students' sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students. Routledge.
• UNESCO (2005). EFA Global Monitoring Report 2005 UNESCO,
• Usman, A. (2019). Consultancy to explore structural bottlenecks for inculcating/mainstreaming quality in the existing public /private education system in Pakistan: UNDP. Ministry of Education Planning and professional training Islamabad.
• Usman, S. (2014). Governance and Higher Education in Pakistan: What Roles Do Boards of Governors Play in Ensuring the Academic Quality Maintenance in Public Universities versus Private Universities in Pakistan?. International Journal of Higher Education, 3(2), 38-51.
• Yadav, S. K. (2011). Comparative study of pre- service teacher education programme at secondary stage in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Educational Research and Reviews, 6(22), 1046- 1050.
• Zafar, Z., & Ali, S. (2018). Education System of Pakistan: Social Functions and Challenges. Journal of Indian Studies, 4(1), 31-51.