Short interview with Mr. Abdul Aziz Khan, Principal of Muslim Public School, Peshawar Cantt., Saddar Road, Peshawar.

21 October, 2002
By Bastienne Wentzel

SCHOOL/CLASSES

-Private school?
Yes, although the school operates according to government rules and regulations. This includes books, fees, subjects etc.
-Separate classes boys/girls?
The 'right' side of the school is pre-school (4 years) and 1st to 9th class mixed students, and higher classes (10 to 12th) girls only. The 'left' side is a boys' high school, class 9 to 12.
-Pay fee?
Yes (500 Rp per month according to Bahadar Khan of Tourists Inn). Families who cannot afford this may be alleviated or don't have to pay at all, up to the principal's decision. Admission of students is decided individually. The school is quite full and cannot admit all.
-Books included?
All students buy their own books in normal shops. These are also used for public schools, although these sometimes provide books at a fee (rent or buy). If they cannot afford this they may be provided by the school.
-How many years, primary/high school?
Pakistani education knows a nursery (below 4 years old) but not in this school. Then it is pre-school (KG or kindergarden), for 4 year olds. The learn to write Urdu and English alphabets, and some basic reading. Then matric is class I to IX, starting no younger than 5 years old. After that there is High School or FA (used to be Faculty of Arts), class X to XII. They choose 8 subjects out of a total of more than 30 (see below). Next, students may go to university and get the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master degrees (four subjects). Finally the PhD degree is one subject.
I do not know of different levels in High School (don't think there are any).
-Wich subjects? Compulsory?
All through the 12 years, Urdu, English, Pakistan history and Islam are compulsory subjects, several classes per week. Additionally, they get science classes: chemistry, biology, mathematics and physics, one class per week. Then from a total of 22 arts subjects the students choose four. Which ones are offered depends on the school, it is impossible for one school to have teachers for all these classes. They include social studies, psychology, household, etc. Technical subjects are not offered, these are saved for college (engineering etc.). The subjects are for boys and girls the same, they share classrooms up to IXth grade.
-"Leerplicht?"
There is no law to make children attend school. Mr. Khan relates:"Just this week, one of our girls in 10th class is getting married. She will leave school when she is married. We cannot do anything about this." When asked whether he agrees with this or tries to talk to the family he repeats:"We cannot do anything about this."

SCHOOL ORGANIZATION

-How many teachers/students? 22 teachers, about 500 students. This makes around 40 per class (same as I observed in the boys' school).
-How many hours per week?
Pre-school is short. After, the students go 6 days per week. They have 8 classes of 40 minutes per day (8:00 to 14:00 h by my own observation) and 5 classes of 40 minutes on friday, after which they go for friday prayers (12:00h).
-Holidays?
The school year is from 1 april to 31 march (the calender year is the Western: 1 january to 31 december and the financial year is 1 july to 30 june). The summer holidays are three full months: june, july, august because it is too hot to teach/learn. Furthermore there are some isolated holidays such as No Ruz (end of March), I estimate about 7 or 8. They also have a spring holiday (one week or so) and something like a fall holiday.
-Describe an average school day?
Not known. Observation: Most kids arrive between 7 and 7:30h by scooter, minibus or car, or are brought in by parents. If they are late the get a note but no punishment, since most are relying on others to get to school. They have a lunchbreak around 12:00h, but do not leave the premises as far as we know. Bahadar's grandchildren visit the motel regularly during lunch so leaving is probably allowed. Otherwise, the students attend classes all day.
-Where do books and paper/pens come from? 
See above: the students buy this themselves.
-Available facilities?
There is a lab for chemistry and biology, since students must also pass a practical test when they graduate from high school. I did not ask to see it.

TEACHING

-How to teach e.g. English?
4 year olds learn the alphabet so they are prepared to read their books when they go to matric school (1st class). Mr. Khan showed me the homework notebooks of 1st graders (five and six year olds). These were full of very neatly written English text ('blokletters'): days of the week, numbers, short sentences. Much clearer than 1st graders in Holland... Mr. Khan says most students can read and write English very well, but they never speak it. Mostly they are the only person in their home who speaks English so they do not practise. The teaching method relies mostly on repetition and studying of lists of words as far as I can see.
-How to teach e.g. history?

-What happens if a student is not fast/good enough?
The teachers can give some, but not much individual help because of the size of the classes. More homework is given often. If this doesn't help the teacher speaks to the parents. The problem is often that the child comes from a poor family where nobody is literate. 99% of women in small villages or poor areas are illiterate and many men. Students from educated families are generally good students without problems.
-How to test abilities of students?
Every year the ability of the student is tested to see whether he or she should move on to the next class. Repetition of classes happens (how often?)
At the end of high school all students take a government test. If this is failed, the student cannot attend any school anymore. It is up to them how to proceed. A possibility is hiring a private teacher and try again the next year. Without passing it is not possible to attend a college or university.
-What is a good student?

-What are common problems in class?
Before the prayers started this morning, a boy, 8 or 9 years old, went crying to the gate accompanied by a girl. The gatekeeper held him back and sent him back to his row, the principal also talked briefly to him. Later Mr. Khan tells me that this boy wanted to go home immediately. What happened he did not say. When asked, he tells me that the boy is the brother of a girl who won second prize in september this year, in an essay contest organized by Amnesty International over all Pakistan. He is one of seven kids in the family and the parents are naturally very proud of their daughter. He might feel lost or put behind his big sister and therefor does not want to go to school anymore.


PERSONAL/TEACHING

Mr. Khan is a teacher of English. He joined the Muslim Public School in 1965 as a principal and teacher and still teaches 9 'hours' per week.
-Why did you become a teacher?
This question is not clearly answered. It amounts to: 'teaching is my favorite thing to do'. When asked whether he enjoys his job, the answer is basically the same.

-What education did you follow?

-What type of education is required for teaching high school? primary school? public/private school?

While we are talking a lady drops in. When she leaves Mr. Khan says that she is the owner of the schools, the girls and the boys school and a third one about 3 km further down in Peshawar. She is a Master of arts and a Bachelor in Education. She does not teach.

-Is teaching an honorary job? Well paid?
Surprisingly, Mr. Khan says: "During British rule, teaching was NOT an honorary job. After the reforms and when Pakistan became independent, there is more respect and honor for teachers. But money counts, money counts a lot", he says. He quotes a Pashto saying which amounts to something like: "When you have money in the home, you have money in the bazaar, and this gains you respect" (very freely interpreted by me). The salary is reasonably good, nothing to complain about. But of course teachers complain sometimes, he says when asked about the news I read in the papers that teachers were complaining about salary. "When you are content, it is a full stop", he says. "When you are content, you do not try to develop yourself anymore, and you will not improve."

-What do you like/dislike about this school? Other schools?


-What do you think needs to be improved, in Pakistani education in general?
Mr. Khan says: "Education in this country has improved, it has improved very much already. Standards (of education) are improving, facilities are improving compared to the West. But these things can improve more. In Europe, there are more facilities, higher standards of education, better results (percentages of students who pass and high grades)."

-How should these improvements be made? Government, money, foreigners?

-How do you feel about teaching methods in Pakistan? Effective? 

-Are there schools with different methods?


Halfway through the last section of questions, about the teachers ambitions and goals, a (very fat!) lady comes in. It is clear that the principal needs to talk to her and he is also quite clear (although polite) that he does not have time anymore. He says: "Do you have any more questions?". I think I'll leave it at this, and after thanking him I leave. He seemed to be quite happy to talk to me though, at least when I showed more than simple interest. About halfway through the interview I asked him whether he has time for this or should I leave. He says: "It's also my job to tell about my school. If you have a good picture of my students I am also satisfied and did a good job." After this he appeared to be more open to questions.