The period of the first six-year National Plan of Educational Development was:
The period of the first six-year National Plan of Educational Development was:
Options:
(a) 1947–53
(b) 1948–54
(c) 1950–56
(d) 1951–57
✅ Correct Option: (d) 1951–57
Explanation (200+ words):
The first Six-Year National Plan of Educational Development covered the period 1951–1957. Its duration of six years allowed the government to systematically implement recommendations from the 1948 educational conference. The plan aimed to improve literacy rates, expand primary schools, increase secondary education enrollment, and develop teacher training infrastructure.
It also attempted to integrate rural and urban education strategies, emphasizing female education, vocational training, and adult literacy. Administrative and financial challenges were present, but this period marked Pakistan’s first organized attempt at long-term educational planning. The plan also laid the groundwork for the subsequent First Five-Year Plan (1955–1960) by establishing baseline data, institutional frameworks, and implementation methodologies.
The 1951–57 plan is historically significant because it institutionalized national education planning for the first time, creating mechanisms for monitoring, evaluating, and expanding the education system systematically.
10 PPSC Facts:
- Period: 1951–1957.
- First long-term national education plan.
- Targeted literacy improvement.
- Emphasized primary school expansion.
- Increased focus on secondary education.
- Teacher training programs initiated.
- Included rural and female education.
- Laid foundations for First Five-Year Plan.
- Attempted structured monitoring of implementation.
- Precedent for long-term planning in Pakistan.