Shahid Waheed Qamar. The Handbook of International School Psychology. Editor: Shane R Jimerson, Thomas D Oakland, Peter T Farrell. Sage Publications. 2007.
Context of School Psychology
In 1947, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan emerged as an independent state. Pakistan has some of Asia’s most magnificent landscapes; it stretches from the Arabian Sea in the south to spectacular mountain ranges in the north. Pakistan also is home to sites that date back to the world’s earliest settlements, rivaling those of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Located in South Asia, it shares its eastern border with India, its northeastern border with China, its southwestern border with Iran, and its western and northern borders with Afghanistan. A 1,064-kilometer coastline along the Arabian Sea forms Pakistan’s southern boundary. The country’s total area, 796,095 square kilometers, is nearly four times the size of the United Kingdom. From Gwadar Bay, at its southeastern corner, the country extends more than 1,800 kilometers to the Khunjerab Pass on China’s border. Pakistan’s climate is variable. Temperatures in the high mountain ranges in the north and northwest are extremely cold in winter but pleasant in the summer (i.e., April through September). The vast plains of the Indus Valley are extremely hot in summer and cold in winter. The coastal strip in the south has a temperate climate. Rainfall also is variable, generally sparse (13-89 centimeters), and monsoonal, principally in late summer. Pakistan is divided into four provinces: the North West Frontier, Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan. The tribal belt (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) adjoins the North West Frontier Province. Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas are separate politically and administratively. Some Pakistanis in these areas receive assistance from the federal government through the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas.
Pakistan’s population increased rapidly from 1947 to 2005, growing from 32.5 million to 162 million. The average growth rate from 1951 to 1983,3%, has declined to its current 1.9%. All but 3% of its population is Muslim. Pakistan’s rural population decreased from 71% in 1981 to 68% in 1998, and its urban population increased from 29% to 32% during the same period. Provisions for health and educational services generally are marginal. Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, suffers from internal political disputes, low levels of foreign investment, and a costly, ongoing confrontation with neighboring India. Pakistan’s economic prospects, although still marred by poor human development indicators, improved in 2002, following the unprecedented inflows of foreign assistance that began in 2001. Foreign exchange reserves have grown to record levels, supported largely by rapid growth in worker wages.
Trade levels rebounded after a sharp decline in late 2001. Since 2000, the federal government has attempted to improve the country’s economy and infrastructure through instituting macroeconomic reforms. However, economic progress is slow. Moreover, long-term prospects remain uncertain due to low levels of spending for development, high levels of regional tensions, and weak commitments to institute lender-recommended reforms, due to internal political tensions. Economic growth will be contingent on the success of the country’s agricultural productivity, the price of foreign oil (which weighs heavily on Pakistan’s economy), and the success of efforts to open and modernize its market economy. The country is in the second year of its $1.3 billion International Monitory Fund Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program. The gross domestic product in 2004 was US$347.3 billion, US$2,200 per capita. Yearly program goals have been waived in recognition that political and economic reforms initiated by the federal government are difficult to implement.
Pakistan has three parallel yet completely separate education systems. All but some private schools are devoid of the basic meaning and concept of education in its sense of human development. Pakistan not only lacks the resources to use modern education methods, but it also lacks the desire. Its three-part education system consists of Madrasah System schools, in which mosques play the vital role, public schools under federal management and control, and private institutions. Each is discussed in the following paragraphs.
Students between the ages of 4 and 12 commonly attend Madrasah schools. These schools comprise a traditional and customary system that emphasizes religious education. It is devoid of qualities commonly found in a modern education system. For example, physical punishment is used to enhance learning. Its use is most common among orthodox religious scholars. The Madrasahs are numerous (approximately 13,763) and widespread across the country, and they have vigorous national support and the financial and other resources needed to grow. This system is oblivious of the content and methods common to school psychology. The government-supported public school system is a legacy from the British occupation of the subcontinent. The British changed an existing system to be consistent with methods used in their country. Successive Pakistani governments maintained the British system, one that has deteriorated over time, so that now it has a low status, lacking in both quantity and quality. Although this system is somewhat available throughout the country, it is most common in urban areas.
Primary schools, for children ages 5 through 9, number 251,299 (Ministry of Education, 2005). Among the total population in this age range (21,540,445), only 3,523,497 (16.71%) are enrolled in primary schools. Middle schools, for children ages 10 through 13, number 12,473. Among the total population in this age range (20,243,442), only 1,693,990 (8.3%) are enrolled in middle schools. High schools, for students ages 15 through 17, number 8,698. Among the total population in this range (18,400,873), only 1,218,653 (6.2%) are enrolled in high school. Thus, few students attend public schools, and the percentage declines as students’ ages increase. The public education system is oblivious to school psychology. Nevertheless, public education leaders continuously criticize its antiquated nature, one hindered by a lack of financial, professional, and technical resources; lack of enthusiasm among poorly paid teachers; and an attitude of indifference by the federal government.
Private educational institutions have recently been established, and their numbers are increasing. Students come from a select class, commonly called high gentry, who can afford luxuries and will spend handsomely to attain high quality educations for their children. Significant differences exist between the public and private schools in reference to class size (e.g., 50-60 vs. 20-25, respectively), salaries paid to teachers, and other qualities that affect teaching and learning. Although private institutions are advancing the cause of education, their impact is limited to a few students, which does not erase the larger impact of the generally low level of education students receive in public schools. A very few private schools recently recognized the importance of school psychology.
Origin, History, and Current Status of School Psychology
School psychological services are not in demand. Thus, no universities provide academic and professional programs to prepare school psychologists. Punjab University’s master’s-degree program in counseling and guidance, introduced in 1982, is one of the few that provides specialists with some background in applied psychology for work in education. Because school psychology and student counseling have been only recently and poorly recognized, the few jobs available in these fields are poorly paid positions (i.e., US$70-US$100 monthly) in public schools.
The profession of school psychology is in its introductory stage. Some professionals attempt to provide services typically performed by school psychologists. However, they generally lack proper academic and professional preparation and do not have links with psychology. They generally have only a working experience of general psychology. Those pursuing careers in psychology should anticipate a lack of job security. As a result, the immediate future of psychology in Pakistan, including school psychology, appears to be dim.
Infrastructure of School Psychology
There is only one viable professional association for psychologists in Pakistan, the Pakistan Psychological Association. It mostly conducts workshops on issues important to clinical and social psychology. It seemingly has little interest in school and counseling psychology. Only one department of psychology, at Punjab University, offers a program for practitioners. Psychologists in Pakistan are not licensed. Thus, the profession is largely unregulated.
School psychology is not represented by a professional association, nor are its services regulated. Furthermore, plans for such regulation are unlikely in the foreseeable future. Postgraduate continuing education programs in school and counseling psychology are not available nor are professional journals that disseminate research and other forms of scholarship related to school psychology. Lack of resources for school psychology, due to lack of interest and awareness among governmental leaders and indifference from others, severely limits its development. Government, individual, and group efforts directed to prescribe a format to regulate school psychology and its professional roles are needed.
Preparation of School Psychologists
No public or private sector university prepares school psychologists. Some universities are introducing some elective subjects or courses at the master’s level that may be relevant to the preparation of school psychologists. Compulsory subjects include the history and system of psychology, experimental psychology, social psychology, abnormal psychology, research methods, clinical psychology, child and educational psychology, and psychological measurement and testing. Optional subjects include cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, counseling psychology, industrial psychology, and military psychology.
Those preparing for careers as school counselors must take courses in child and educational psychology and counseling psychology. The courses identified in the preceding paragraph are taught within Punjab University’s 2-year master’s degree in psychology program. Various universities offer undergraduate degree programs in psychology, including Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, Jamia Karachi, Agha Khan University Karachi, Bahauddin Zakaria University Multan, and G. C. University Lahore. Thus, given an absence of school psychology programs, interested students are advised to specialize in school counseling.
Roles, Functions, and Responsibilities of School Psychologists
School counselors attempt to facilitate the learning process by promoting student achievement and guiding students through target-oriented goals. Goals are established, in light of students’ inherent abilities, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and aptitudes, to prepare them for careers consistent with their talents and interests. In this role, a school counselor conducts assessment and organizes testing of students, in part to identify gifted students. After identifying student talents, the counselor conveys this information and its implications for schooling and work to students. School counselors can be an integral part of a triangle linking parents, teachers, and students as they organize meetings with them to facilitate understanding of a student’s abilities. School counselors also may suggest remedial measures for students with learning problems. School counselors may arrange for students to work in pairs and groups so as to enhance their social skills. Additionally, school counselors may organize in-service teacher training programs to address general issues important to their responsibilities as teachers.
Current Issues Impacting School Psychology
The need to initiate social reforms favorable to psychology and to promote awareness of school and counseling psychology is obvious. In reference specifically to school psychology, government schools cannot afford to employ school psychologists, and private schools are unwilling to pay for their services. Thus, there is little incentive for students to choose school and counseling psychology as a career. Nongovernmental agencies can be helpful in promoting psychology and school/counseling psychology. Research on the potential impact of school psychology on Pakistani education also is needed. One bright spot is the government’s establishment of the Student Counseling Center at Punjab University. Another is planned for implementation at G. C. University.