Abstract

This study explored the class level equivalent to the national literacy definition of public and private education systems in Pakistan. The main objective was to assess whether different class levels of primary education meet the national literacy standards in reading, writing, and arithmetic. A total of 1,000 students made up the sample of this research, including students from public, private, non-formal, and Madaris education systems in both rural and urban areas of District Bahawalpur. A test was initially administered on a small scale to check its validity. After validating the test, it was administered on a larger scale. The data concluded that the achievement of grade five students in reading, writing, and arithmetic skills was much higher in reading skills and slightly higher in writing and arithmetic skills. Based on these results, grade five met the national literacy standards.

Key Words

National Literacy, Class Level, Modes of Education 

Introduction

This Inquiry presents the historical, theoretical, and conceptual backgrounds of the system of education that is working in Pakistan with its literacy definition and literacy rate. Currently, various educational systems are being run in Pakistan (Aly, 2007). These different modes of education provide education through different types of curriculums, and textbooks with different physical facilities. These different systems not only seem to affect the level of education but also provide different levels of achievement. Similarly, the definition of literacy has been undergoing changes, with the result that the literacy figure has wavered irregularly during the different times of censuses and surveys.




The detailed summary of the last censuses is as under

Year of census or survey	Total Literacy rate	Male	Female	Urban	Rural	Definition of being "literate"	Age group
1951(West Pakistan)	17.9%	21.4%	13.9%	N/A	N/A	One who can read a clear print in any language	All Ages
1961 (West Pakistan)	16.9%	26.1%	6.7%	34.8%	10.6%	One who is able to read with understanding a simple letter in any language	Age 5 and above
1972	21.7%	30.2%	11.6%	41.5%	14.3%	One who is able to read and write in some language with an understanding	Age 10 and above
1981	26.2%	35.1%	16.0%	47.1%	17.3%	One who can read the newspaper and write a simple letter	Age 10 and above
1998	43.92%	54.81%	32.02%	63.08%	33.64%	One who can read a newspaper and write a simple letter, in any language	Age 10 and above
2021	62.8%	73.4%	51.9%	77.3%	54%	"Ability to read and understand simple text in any language from a newspaper or magazine, write a simple letter, and perform basic mathematical calculation (i.e., counting and addition/subtraction)."	Age 10 and above

The diverse literacy rate of the Province of Pakistan represents the different modes of education, curriculum, and physical facilities regarding the quality and literacy rate.

Literacy rate by Province

Province	Literacy rate
	1972	1981	1998	2021
Punjab	20.7%	27.4%	46.56%	66.3%
Sindh	30.2%	31.5%	45.29%	61.8%
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	15.5%	16.7%	35.41%	55.1%
Baluchistan	10.1%	10.3%	26.6%	54.5%




In developed countries, the concept of schooling is different as compared with that of Pakistan. In developed countries, students at the primary level go to well-equipped school buildings where classrooms are fully furnished and equipped with audio-visual aids. Curricula are designed to fulfill the needs of the students (Akhter, 2013). Students spend about 900 hours a year in learning and the state spends $ 52 per student in a year on Non-Capital Material Inputs in contrast in developing countries like Pakistan, students spend only 600 hours a year of learning time, and the state spends $ 1.70 per student a year of Non-Capital Material Inputs (Memon and G. R., 2007). The total expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Pakistan varies from year to year. According to data from the World Bank, in 2019, Pakistan's total expenditure on education was around 2.8% of GDP. The figure shows the interest of the government of Pakistan in the field of education. It is an alarming situation for the prosperity of the nation of Pakistan (Ahmad, Ali, Khan, & Khan, 2014).

The government had recognized that the increase of human capital is as important as the accumulation of physical capital for sustaining development and that in the absence of an educated nation, it will be difficult for Pakistan to bring about a real increase in productivity. There has now been a paradigm shift in the development strategy and policy in Pakistan (Easterly, 2001). The Government is committed to ensuring improved access to physical assets, education, vocational skills, training, and other education services that enhance the human capital of the poor nations and enable them to generate income through this asset utilization and gainful employment. It is quite evident that education is being given second priority in our country but it is realized that education is the first priority of any country because without education nobody is able to contribute to the development of a nation as well as a country (The Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Washington, DC. Education Sector Reforms (ESR) 2001-2005) (Hoodbhoy, 2014).

Basic education not only contributes to the economic development of a country but also raises the status of a country among the comity of nations. It also develops the civic sense of a society. Through education, a lot of positive and constructive aspects can be achieved. The aim of basic education is to develop good values and common sense in the people. It is a source that produces a lot of change in a man and it produces an adjustment in man with society. Basic education helps a person to contribute his/her efforts to the progress of his/her country in a better way. The societies tend to change their people with the basic education that is imparted by the Government. It is a transmission of knowledge that has an impact on the minds, senses, and character-building of the people (James, 1987).   

Education is considered the key to human development. According to Ghafoor and Khan, "Education has been recognized as an essential element of human resource development. It is an instrument of stability within and among countries, and thus may prove an indispensable means of effective participation in the economics of the 21st century, which is affected by rapid globalization.". Science and technology have opened up new horizons for learned people but the poor and illiterate people cannot enjoy the benefits of modern life due to poverty and the non-availability of basic education. Literate persons are able to use modern life communication with ease; through symbols, numbers, alphabet, and signs. While the illiterate person cannot satisfy these basic needs without having a basic education (Farooq, Feroze, & Ka?, 2017).

According to Matsuura, K. it is not surprising that it is thought that basic education is the opening of those windows of light and space of boundlessness. Literacy cannot be detached from opportunity and an opportunity cannot be detached from literacy. Basic education promises liberty from ignorance, tyranny, and poverty and liberty to address new issues and to make new efforts to learn. It is generally agreed that basic education uplifts the standard of living to some extent and this thing links a person to social norms. He/she is thus able to observe cultural activities in a complete manner. A literate person is able to achieve the maximum benefits in society and he/she can avail new opportunities that are not open to illiterate persons. Basic education is a driving force that makes people work within the bounds of their interests. It picks them up from the lowest level of poverty and unawareness to a well-off life. Developing countries are suffering from the curse of low rate of literacy and this scourge is still continuing with its bad effects on the economy and the life of people in developing countries (Stone, 1969).

In Pakistan, different systems of education are providing education in different situations with different environments. The most common system of education is called the "Formal System of Education". This system is run under the supervision and administration of the Government. Its curriculum has been designed on a conventional pattern and maybe it is not able to meet the needs and current demands of society as it is based on conceptual information and knowledge (Freebody, 2007). The teaching methodology and strategy are not appropriate to meet the desires of the students. Similarly, the teachers do not show their full interest and dedication so their performance and achievement are not at a satisfactory level. This study identifies the gaps existing in the developing countries. However, in Pakistan, the situation of schools is very poor having minimum teaching facilities and even outdated curricula & teacher commitment. With recent reforms, the situation in Public Schools is becoming better but still, more output is required (National Literacy Curriculum, Draft (Scribner, 1984).

Literacy is the basic factor for checking the progress and civilization of any country. The governments present their literacy rate in different ways and manners (Yeoh & Chu, 2012). Contrary to this the government of Pakistan has no clear standard to judge the literacy rate. The present study will be helpful in developing literacy standards. It would also help in measuring the literacy rate in the entire Pakistan, especially in the province of South Punjab (Pakistan) (Mustafa, 2012). It will enable the Bureau of Statistics, the Federal Government as well as the Provincial Government to contrive specific standards to measure the literacy levels of a literate person according to the national literacy definition. In this way, it may be important to produce a national literacy standard level. The parameters that are given in this study may possibly contribute to the uplift of the literacy standard in the country.  This study would also contribute to enhancing the capacity of literate persons (Shah, Ghazi, Shahzad, & Ullah, 2015).

So, on the whole, this study would be useful in the improvement of literacy level as well as enhancing the quality of Education in Pakistan with special reference to the South Punjab and greater contribution of this study would be to make possible the measurement of literacy level (Lieven, 2011).

Objectives of the study

The main objective of the study was to assess whether different class levels of primary education in public, private, non-formal, and Madaris systems meet the national literacy standards in reading, writing, and arithmetic. 

Research Method

It was decided that the sample of this research would consist of 1000 students. The subjects were equally divided into classes three, four, and five and data were collected almost equally from the male and female students belonging to urban and rural areas. The population of this study consisted of male/female students of primary classes that were class three, four, and five. These students belonged to Public, Private, and Non-formal schools and the Madaris system of education working in urban and rural areas and providing basic education in the Bahawalpur, province of south Punjab (Pakistan). Districts Bahawalpur was selected from the province of the South Punjab (Pakistan). In the present study, primary-level classes were included in the data collection.




Table 1

Sample of the study

Name of District	No. of Schools	No. of Govt. Schools	No. of PVT Schools	No. of Madaris	No. of Non-Formal Schools	Total Respondents
Bahawalpur	46	14	12	08	12	1000

Table 2          

Sample of the study (Grade wise)

Name of Districts	No. of grade three students	No. of grade four students	No. of grade five students	Grand Total
Bahawalpur	316	319	298	933




The survey method was adopted for the data collection. A test was administered on a small scale to check the validity of the test. After adjudging the validity of the test, it was administered on a large scale. The researchers visited the selected schools of district Bahawalpur several times for the collection of information.

Analysis of Data

The test scripts were marked and then results were tabulated in the MS-SPSS and Excel. The data collected through tests were analyzed by applying the Mean Score for each skill level of the class. A comparison of public, private, and non-formal schools and Madaris male/female and urban/rural areas of the Bahawalpur district in detail was conducted. Later, the same was presented in tables. The achievement scale adopted in this study was similar to other achievement studies and based on the performance levels used in the Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education in Punjab (Pakistan). The level that was considered Good (Accepted Level) was 66 % and above.

Primarily this study was an inquiry the focus of which was to measure the achievement of the Grade 3, Grade 4, and Grade 5 only and to identify the level that was equal to the level aimed at by national literacy definition. However, the analysis by its design was to identify the areas of the weak level of achievement of each skill i.e. (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic).  

A detailed description of the analysis can be viewed as under:




Table 3

Achievement of Grade Three Students on Reading Skill in District Bahawalpur

Variables	Task	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Test Value	Sig. (2-tailed)
Class Three	Overall Reading	316	34.9	12.5	33	.006
Private		58	41.8	8.7		.000
Govt.		136	29.8	11.3		.002
Madaris		44	44.6	7.6		.000
Non-formal		78	33.3	13.5		.802
Male		171	35.3	12.3		.014
Female		145	34.4	12.6		.169
Urban		167	35.7	13.8		.011
Rural		149	34.0	10.8		.252




The data indicated that in class three the highest mean score of Madaris and private school students of Bahawalpur district was much higher than the test value, while the non-formal school students of grade III achieved reading skills equal to test value and the attainment of government school students was below literacy standard that was 29.8. It was concluded on the basis of the comparison of four types of institutions that the reading skill of private and Madaris students of grade III was higher than literacy standards and non-formal students achieved equivalent to literacy test value. On the other hand, the reading skills of Grade III students studying in government schools were below the literacy standard that was 29.8. However, the overall achievement of grade three students of district Bahawalpur in reading skills was slightly higher than literacy standards i.e., 34.9.

The achievement of male and female students of grade III in reading skills was slightly higher than literacy standards. Similarly, the table shows the performance of urban and rural students of grade three which was also slightly higher than the test value. There may be different factors that might have contributed to variation in different types of institutional achievement and literacy skills of the Grade III students. These may include Quranic Literacy, media literacy, and the habit of reading newspapers.




Table 4

Achievement of Grade Three Students on Writing Skill in District Bahawalpur

Variables	Task	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Test Value	Sig. (2-tailed)
Class Three	Overall writing	316	24.7	12.3	33	.000
Private		58	35.1	7.7		.043
Government		136	19.5	12.2		.000
Madaris		44	31.0	8.4		.122
Non-formal		78	22.5	10.8		.000
Male		171	24.1	13.		.000
Female		145	25.4	11.2		.000
Urban		167	26.5	12.8		.000
Rural		149	22.7	11.5		.000




The data showed that in grade three students of private schools of district Bahawalpur were slightly above the test value which was 35.1. The rest of the three types of institutions i.e., Government, Madaris, and Non-formal indicated students' achievement in writing skills below the literacy standards. A comparison of the four types of institutions concluded that the writing skills of only private school students were slightly above the literacy standards, while the achievement of Government, Madaris, and Non-formal school students was below the test value. Similarly, the overall achievement of grade III students of district Bahawalpur in writing skills was below the literacy standard which was 24.7.

The performance of grade three male and female students of district Bahawalpur in writing skills was below the test value. Similarly, the achievement of urban and rural areas students of all types of institutions was below the literacy standards. Lack of practice/exercise might be the cause of poor performance of different types of institutions in the writing skills of grade III students of district Bahawalpur.




Table 5

Achievement of Grade Three Students on Arithmetic Skill in District Bahawalpur

Variables	Task	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Test Value	Sig. (2-tailed)
Three	Overall, Math	316	45.9	18.5	60.06	.000
Private		58	52.7	14.4		.000
Government		136	40.2	19.9		.000
Madaris		44	57.0	15.3		.192
Non-formal		78	44.6	15.9		.000
Male		171	46.9	18.7		.000
Female		145	44.7	18.1		.000
Urban		167	48.8	17.9		.000
Rural		149	42.6	18.6		.000




The data elaborated that the achievement of arithmetic skills of district Bahawalpur students of grade three was much below the test value that was 45.9. Similarly, the performance of all four types of institutions which were Private, Government, Madaris, and Non-formal was much below the literacy standards. The comparison of male and female students of grade III in Arithmetic skills shows that it was also much below the literacy standards. Similarly, the overall achievement of urban and rural grade three students of all types of institutions was much lower than the test value.

There might be different factors that could play an important role in causing low achievement. These factors might include inappropriate curriculum, incompetent teachers, and lack of exercise and practice.




Table 6

Achievement Comparison of Grade Three Students on Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic Skills in District Bahawalpur.

Variables	N	Task	M. Score	T. Value	Task	M. Score	T. Value	Task	M. Score	T. Value
Class III	316	Reading Skill	34.9	33	Writing Skill	24.7	33	Arithmetic Skill	45.9	60.06
Private	58		41.8			35.1			52.4
Govt.	136		29.9			19.6			40.2
Madaris	44		44.6			31.0			57.0
N. Formal	78		33.4			22.6			44.6
Male	171		35.4			24.2			46.9
Fe-male	145		34.4			25.4			44.7
Urban	167		35.7			26.6			48.8
Rural	149		34.1			22.7			42.6




Table: 6 shows reading skills of class three had the highest mean score of Madaris and private school students of district Bahawalpur which was much higher than the test value. However, the non-formal school students achieved equivalent literacy test values. Similarly, the male/ female and urban/rural areas students' achievement was higher than literacy standards but not much higher. The overall class three students' performance in reading skills was higher than literacy standards, which was 34.9. In writing skills, the achievement of private school students only was higher than the test value which was 35.1. The rest of the three types of education institutions which were Government, Madaris, and Non-Formal had students who achieved less than literacy standards. Similarly, the overall achievement and male/ female and urban/ rural areas school students in writing skills is less than the literacy standards. In arithmetic skills, the performance of grade three students of all four types of education of district Bahawalpur was below the literacy standards. Similarly, male/ female and urban/ rural areas school students achieved less than the test value. The comparison of four types of institutions concluded that the class three students achieved higher in reading skills but in writing and arithmetic skills their performance was below the literacy standards. There may be different types of factors that might have played a role, such as variation in different types of institutions in the literacy skill of grade three students. These might include Quranic Literacy, and media literacy contributed to reading skills, while achievement in writing and arithmetic skills was lower than literacy standards perhaps due to lack of practice, inappropriate curriculum, and teacher competency.




Table 7

Achievement of Grade Four Students on Reading Skill in District Bahawalpur.

Variables	Task	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Test Value	Sig. (2-tailed)
Class Four	Overall Reading	319	41.9	9.1	33	.006
Private		56	44.7	7.4		.000
Govt.		131	38.6	10.7		.000
Madaris		40	48.5	1.9		.000
Non-formal		92	42.1	7.1		.000
Male		168	41.3	9.8		.000
Female		151	42.6	8.1		.000
Urban		173	44.0	7.3		.000
Rural		146	39.5	10.3		.000




The data indicated that in class four the highest mean score of Madaris, Private and Non-formal school students of district Bahawalpur was much higher than the test value, while government school students of grade IV achieved higher than literacy standards but below the other three types of institutions. The comparison of four types of institutions concluded that in reading skills the achievement was higher than literacy standards. Similarly, the overall performance of grade IV students of district Bahawalpur was higher than the literacy standard i.e., 41.9. On the other hand, the comparison of male/female and urban/rural areas of student achievement was also higher than the test value. There may be different factors that might have contributed to the higher achievement in the reading skills of four types of institutions of class IV students of district Bahawalpur. These may include Quranic Literacy, media literacy, and the level of the test.  




Table 8

Achievement of Grade Four Students on Writing Skill in District Bahawalpur.

Variables	Task	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Test Value	Sig. (2-tailed)
Four	Overall writing	319	32.8	9.7	33	.835
Private		56	37.1	8.2		.000
Government		131	29.6	11.7		.001
Madaris		40	37.2	4.2		.000
Non-formal		92	33.0	7.1		.976
Male		168	31.4	10.6		.062
Female		151	34.4	8.3		.031
Urban		173	35.5	6.6		.000
Rural		146	29.6	11.6		.001




The data showed that in class four the high mean score was of Madaris and Private school students' which were higher than the test value, while non-formal school students' achievement was equal to literacy standards. However, the grade IV government school students achieved below the test value. The comparison of all four types of institutions concluded that the writing skill of private and Madaris students was higher than literacy standards, while the non-formal school students of grade four achievement in writing skills was equal to the test value. On the other hand, in writing skills, the achievement of grade four students who were studying in government schools was below literacy standards which was 29.6. However, in the overall comparison of grade four students of all four types of institutions female and urban areas students achieved slightly higher test values, while the male and rural areas students achieved below the literacy standards. Further, the overall achievement of class four students was slightly below the test value. There may be different factors that might have contributed to variation in different types of institutional achievement and literacy skills of the grade IV students. These may include the commitment of the teacher to the teaching profession, the interest of male students, and low physical facilities in rural area schools.




Table 9

Achievement of Grade Four Students on Arithmetic Skill in District Bahawalpur

Variables	Task	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Test Value	Sig. (2-tailed)
Four	Overall Math	319	58.0	18.3	60.06	.048
Private		56	64.1	17.4		.081
Government		131	52.6	20.7		.000
Madaris		40	71.2	15.1		.000
Non-formal		92	56.1	11.2		.001
Male		168	59.8	19.2		.866
Female		151	56.0	17.1		.004
Urban		173	65.0	14.8		.000
Rural		146	49.6	18.5		.000




The data in Table shows that the achievement of grade IV students of madaris and private schools of district Bahawalpur in arithmetic skill was higher than the test value, while the students who were studying in government and non-formal schools achieved below the literacy standards. The comparison of all four types of institutions showed that grade four students of Madaris and private schools achieved higher than the test value. While the government and non-formal schools' students' achievement was below the literacy standards. However, the overall performance of grade four students of district Bahawalpur in arithmetic skills was slightly below the literacy standards i.e., 58.0. Similarly, the performance of male students was slightly below the test value i.e., 59.8. Only in urban areas grade four school students' achievements in arithmetic skills were higher than literacy standards. On the other hand, the performance of grade four female and rural area students in arithmetic skills was below the literacy standards. There might be different factors that could play an important role in causing grade four students' variation in achievement and literacy skills. These factors might include inappropriate curriculum, incompetent teachers, and lack of exercise or practice.




Table:10

Achievement Comparison of Grade Four Students on Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic Skill in District Bahawalpur

Variables	N	Task	M. Score	T. Value	Task	M. Score	T. Value	Task	M. Score	T. Value
Class IV	319	Reading Skill	41.9	33	Writing Skill	32.8	33	Arithmetic Skill	58.0	60.06
Private	56		44.7			37.1			64.1
Govt.	131		38.6			29.6			52.6
Madaris	40		48.5			37.2			71.2
N. Formal	92		42.1			33.0			56.1
Male	168		41.3			31.4			59.8
Fe-male	151		42.6			34.4			56.0
Urban	173		44.0			35.5			65.0
Rural	146		39.5			29.6			49.6




The data in Table 10 elaborated that in class four the highest mean score of Madaris students of district Bahawalpur in reading skills was much higher than the test value which was 48.5. While the achievement of private and non-formal school students was also higher than literacy standards. The students of government schools achieved higher than the test value but it was below the other three types of institutional achievement. The comparison of all four types of institutions concluded that in reading skills, the achievement of all types of institutions was higher than the test value. Similarly, the performance of male/ female and urban and rural areas school students was also higher than literacy standards. In writing skills, the achievement of Madaris and private school students was high and same that was above the test value and students who were studying in non-formal schools were equal to the test value. The achievement of government school students of district Bahawalpur was below literacy standards. The comparison of all four types of institutions concluded that the performance of Madaris, private and non-formal school students was higher than the test value and the students who were studying in government schools were below the literacy standards. Similarly, the achievement of four-class male and rural areas students in writing skills was below the test value while the female and urban areas students' performance was higher than literacy standards. The overall class four students of Bahawalpur district achievement in writing skills was slightly below the test value which was 32.8.

In arithmetic skills, the achievement of Madaris and private school students was higher than the test value, and government and non-formal school students' performance was below the literacy standards.  Similarly, male/female and rural areas students' achievement was below the test value. On the other hand, the achievement of grade IV students in arithmetic skills who were studying in urban areas was also higher than the literacy standards. The overall achievement of grade four students in arithmetic skills was slightly below the literacy standard which was 58. There might be different factors that could contribute to variations of achievement in different types of institutions and literacy skills of the grade IV students. In reading literacy, Quranic literacy, media literacy, inappropriate curriculum; lack of proper training, the competency of teachers, and exercise/practice of students.  




Table 11

Achievement of Grade Five Students on Reading Skill in District Bahawalpur

Variables	Task	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Test Value	Sig. (2-tailed)
Class Five	Overall Reading	298	45.5	7.6	33	.006
Private		65	47.9	5.3		.000
Govt.		143	43.7	8.5		.000
Madaris		50	49.6	.7		.000
Non-formal		40	43.1	8.8		.000
Male		168	45.3	8.1		.000
Female		130	45.8	6.8		.000
Urban		170	45.9	8.1		.000
Rural		128	45.0	6.8		.000




The data indicated that in class five the highest mean score than the test value of all types of institutions. Similarly, the overall achievement in reading skills of grade V students of district Bahawalpur was higher than literacy standards i.e., 45.5.  The comparison of male/female and urban/rural areas students of grade five in reading skill achievement was higher than the test value.

There might be different factors that could contribute to the best achievement of all types of institutions and similarly male/ female, urban and rural area grade five students. It might be the level of the test according to the mental level of grade five students.




Table 12

Achievement of Grade Five Students on Writing Skill in District Bahawalpur

Variables	Task	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Test Value	Sig. (2-tailed)
Five	Overall writing	298	38.6	7.7	33	.000
Private		65	42.2	5.4		.000
Government		143	36.4	8.6		.000
Madaris		50	42.6	3.6		.000
Non-formal		40	36.1	7.2		.010
Male		168	38.4	7.8		.000
Female		130	38.9	7.6		.000
Urban		170	39.8	7.4		.000
Rural		128	37.2	7.9		.000




The data elaborated that in grade five the highest mean score was of Madaris and private school students of district Bahawalpur in writing skills was much higher than test value and the government and non-formal school students achieved in writing skills little higher than the test value. Similarly, the performance of male/female students and urban/rural area students of grade five was slightly higher than the test value. Such as the overall grade five students achieved writing skills slightly higher than literacy standards. There might be different factors that could contribute to achieving writing skills in all types of institutions and similarly, male/ female, urban and rural area grade five students. It might be the level of the test according to the mental level of grade five students.




Table 13

Achievement of Grade Five Students on Arithmetic Skill in District Bahawalpur

Variables	Task	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Test Value	Sig. (2-tailed)
Five	Overall Math	298	70.4	15.8	60.06	.000
Private		65	77.2	10.0		.000
Government		143	67.4	17.1		.000
Madaris		50	78.2	10.2		.000
Non-formal		40	59.8	15.7		.949
Male		168	74.2	13.5		.000
Female		130	65.5	17.3		.000
Urban		170	71.5	14.8		.000
Rural		128	69.0	17.1		.000




The data in Table: 13 explained that in grade five the highest mean score was of Madaris and private school students of district Bahawalpur in Arithmetic skills was higher than the test value. While the government school students achieved arithmetic skills slightly higher than literacy standards the performance of non-formal school students in arithmetic skills was slightly below the test value which was 59.9. The comparison of four types of institutions concluded that the Arithmetic skills of private, government, and Madaris students of grade five were higher than the test value. While the performance of non-formal school students was slightly below the test value. However, the overall achievement of grade five students in arithmetic skills was higher than the literacy standards. The data showed that the overall district Bahawalpur male achievement in arithmetic skills was higher than females. Similarly, the performance of urban area students was slightly higher than that of rural area school students. There might be different factors that could contribute to variations in different types of institutions achievement in arithmetic skill of grade five students. It might be the incompetence of female teachers in arithmetic skills and level of the syllabus and inappropriate training of the teachers in arithmetic skills.




Table 14

Achievement Comparison of Grade Five Students on Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic Skill in District Bahawalpur

Variables	N	Task	M. Score	T. Value	Task	M. Score	T. Value	Task	M. Score	T. Value
Class V	298	Reading Skill	45.5	33	Writing Skill	38.6	33	Arithmetic Skill	70.4	60.06
Private	65		47.9			42.2			77.2
Govt.	143		43.7			36.4			67.4
Madaris	50		49.6			42.6			78.2
N. Formal	40		43.1			36.1			59.8
Male	168		45.3			38.4			74.2
Fe-male	130		45.8			38.9			65.5
Urban	170		45.9			39.8			71.5
Rural	128		45.0			37.2			69.0




The data in Table: 14 indicated that in class five the highest mean score in Reading skills was of Madaris and private school students of district Bahawalpur was much higher than the test value. While the government and non-formal school students achieved also higher than the literacy standards. The comparison of all four types of institutions concluded that the achievement in reading skills was much higher than the literacy standards. Similarly, the overall achievement of grade five students in reading skills was also very high and above the test value that was 45.5. The performance of all types of institutions male/female and urban/rural students of district Bahawalpur in reading skills was also much higher than the literacy standards and their achievement was almost the same. In writing skills, the achievement of Madaris and private school students was higher than the test value and the achievement of government and non-formal school students was a bit higher than the test value. On the other hand, the overall achievement of grade five students of district Bahawalpur was found a little bit higher than literacy standards which was 38.6. Similarly, the data showed that male/female and urban/rural area school students' performance in writing skills was slightly higher than literacy standards.

The data explained that in Arithmetic skills the highest mean score was of Madaris and private schools' grade five students of district Bahawalpur was higher than the test value. While the government schools' students achieved arithmetic skills slightly higher than literacy standards the performance of non-formal school students in arithmetic skills was a little below the test value that was 59.9. The comparison of four types of institutions concluded that Arithmetic skills of private, Madaris, and government schools students of grade five achieved higher than literacy standards. While the performance of non-formal school students was slightly below the test value. However, the overall achievement of grade five students in arithmetic skills was higher than the literacy standard which was 70.4. The data showed that the overall district Bahawalpur male achievement in arithmetic skills was higher than female students. Similarly, the performance of urban area students was higher than that of rural area school students. There might be different factors that could affect the variations attainment of grade five students of district Bahawalpur. The cause of better achievement in reading skills was due to Quranic literacy, Media literacy, and advertisement. While in writing skills the achievement was not better as compared to reading skills due to less availability of writing opportunities. This deficiency occurred cause of shyness in spelling mistakes and pronunciation.

In arithmetic skills, the achievement was also not much better like in writing skills, here was the reason due to less use of the opportunity and daily usage. The data showed the overall attainment of reading, writing, and arithmetic skills of grade five students of district Bahawalpur was higher than the test value.




Table 15

Overall Achievement Comparison of Grade Three, Four, and Five Students on Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic Skill in District Bahawalpur

Classes	N	Reading Skills	Test Value	Writing Skills	Test Value	Arithmetic Skills	Test Value	Result
Grade III	316	34.9	33	24.7	33	45.9	60.6	Lower than the Test value except for Reading
Grade IV	319	41.9		32.8		58.0		Lower than the test value except for Reading
Grade V	298	45.5		38.6		70.4		Higher than the test value




The data in Table: 15 illustrates that in class three the achievement in reading is slightly high which is 34.9 while in writing and arithmetic skills was below the test value. While the grade four students attained in reading, skills higher than literacy standards but slightly below in writing and arithmetic skills. Similarly, the achievement of grade five students in reading, writing, and arithmetic skills was much higher in reading skills but slightly higher in writing and arithmetic skills. Different factors might have caused variations in achievement in different types of institutions and literacy skills of grade three, four, and five students. These might include Quranic literacy, media literacy in reading skills and deficiency in writing skills might be due to lack of exercise and practice, regional language, and pronunciation of the words. Similarly, deficiency in arithmetic skills might be due to less use of slate, and lack of exercise and practice.

In the light of tables and interpretation of this chapter, the findings, conclusions, and recommendations are being presented as under: 

Discussion

Literacy is considered a key component for sustainable development and peace. It is said that no nation in the world can achieve its higher progress work without literacy. In other words, basic education is an essential tool for the advancement of mankind. Therefore, it was most important to identify the class level equal to the level aimed at by the national literacy definition in the public and private systems of education so that it would be helpful at this stage to mark the literacy rate correctly. It was the main purpose of this inquiry (Chance & Sheneman, 2012). District Bahawalpur was included in the present inquiry, Pursuing the above-mentioned objectives of the research and the basic questions, the same test was used for gathering the information from class three, class four, and class five of the primary male/female, and urban/rural schools of the district Bahawalpur of the South Punjab. Following the research procedure data was collected personally from District Bahawalpur (Brandt, 2003). 

The population of the study was the students of classes three, four, and five of primary-level schools that are working under the Public, Private, Non-Formal, and Madaris systems of education. The total population of the present inquiry was fixed at 1000 respondents which was almost equally divided into Class three, four, and five at the primary level of male/female and urban/rural primary schools. One thousand respondents were included almost equally from classes three, four, and five of primary schools. Sixty-seven tests were rejected on the basis of incomplete attempts. The data were properly marked and fed into the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) spreadsheet. The data were analyzed in the light of national, and international studies and Punjab Educational Boards' criteria (Mackh, 2003). The literacy standard/test value was set in a way that the respondents who got 66% marks in each literacy skill i.e., reading, writing, and arithmetic would be considered literate persons (Raphael, 2001). 

Conclusion

The data presented in the below table shows that the achievement of class three in reading is slightly high while in writing and arithmetic skills was below the test value. Similarly, the grade four students in reading skills achieved more than literacy standard marks but slightly below in writing and arithmetic skills. While, the achievement of grade five students in reading, writing, and arithmetic skills was much higher in reading skills but slightly higher in writing and arithmetic skills. On the basis of the above class five stood equal to the literacy standard. 

Recommendations

The study presents several recommendations to improve primary education. Newly inducted primary teachers should be initially placed in High or Elementary Schools, with annual increments based on performance. Incentives should favor teachers over students, and teachers should not be burdened with extra duties like national census or polio day activities. School heads must act promptly on any teaching inefficiencies or misconduct, and educational officers should be permanently appointed. Headteachers in primary schools should come from higher cadres, and AEOs and elementary school heads should regain DDO powers. Workshops to enhance teaching quality and consulting teachers in syllabus settings are crucial. Physical facilities should be provided without discrimination, and teachers should utilize vacant periods for lesson preparation and checking notebooks. Rural teachers should receive additional allowances, and underperforming teachers should be demoted. The examination system should be improved, with 40% objective and 60% subjective papers. Government-supervised primary schools should be transferred to the Punjab Education Foundation. Political interference should end, and decentralization in education administration should be introduced. Better support and coordination at district and provincial levels are needed, with decisions based on educational rather than political considerations. Expanding information and research-based education at all levels is essential. A study should identify literacy levels among graduates of NCHD and other literacy centers, and further research should verify Pakistan's actual literacy rate. 

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