Education Reform and Conflict Prevention- Perspectives from Pakistan

Reform of Pakistan's education system has been the subject of much attention since 9/11 as a critical source of instability in the country and the region. Faced with a collapsing public school system and the rapid growth of private secular and religious schools, the Federal Ministry of Education has launched a review of existing education policies and an ambitious reform agenda. Earlier this year, a White Paper was released to serve as the basis for a public debate and policy formulation but it appears to be at odds with current policies and practices in a number of areas. Points of contention include the treatment of Pakistani minority groups in the educational system and curricula, and the balance between Islamic education and secular knowledge necessary to compete in a global economy. This roundtable will discuss the current state of education reform in Pakistan with a particular focus on conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts to bridge ethnic, religious, gender, economic and geographic divides in Pakistani civil society.

Speakers

• Baela Raza Jamil
  Chairperson of the Centre for Education and Consciousness Public Trust, and former Advisor to the Federal Ministry of Education, Pakistan
• Anila Asghar, Commentator
  Assistant Professor, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University
• Qamar-ul Huda, Discussant
  Senior Program Officer, Religion and Peacemaking Program, U.S. Institute of Peace
• Carola Weil, Moderator
  Senior Program Officer, Grants and Fellowships Program, U.S. Institute of Peace