Role of Education Planning in Promoting Social Sciences in Pakistan

Abstract

Social Science disciplines have always been considered the second choice as compared to the hard sciences in the academic institutions of Pakistan. Does this apply to the national education policy as well, where the state intervention is catalytic in setting up the academic choices of the people? This study, by critically reviewing the national education policies and plans, endeavors to address this important question to understand the role of education planning in promoting/demoting social science academic disciplines in Pakistan. Education policy in Pakistan has been predominantly proposed through eight national five-year plans between 1955 and 1998, to primarily focus on increasing the national literacy rate, and promoting hard science education and vocational training. After the creation of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan in 2002, the policy significantly shifted to Higher Education, yet to focus (natural/computer) science, and technology. Social science is at the periphery of the knowledge mission in Pakistan. The paper concludes that even the long-awaited recent quantitative growth of social science disciplines fails to produce significant impact on national education policy that almost unanimously seeks their economic worth, instead of their inherent social value.

Keywords: Education Policy, Social Sciences, Pakistan, Five-Year Plans, HEC