- The position of education
By: Tahir Khan
Education is the backbone of any nation, for, if you want to destroy any nation, destroy its education system. It is education that bifurcates between right and wrong and between a human and beast. It is the mantle that leads one to conquer the forces of darkness. But in Pakistan, it is treated as a stepchild. Pakistan, even in 21st century, has not been able to achieve its set educational goals. It faces problems ranging from poor budget allocation to the large number of out-of-school children. No any effort has been taken to bring these children back to school. Education continues to suffer and the country’s literacy rate has remained below 60 percent.
According to a recent report published by UNICEF, Pakistan has the second highest number of out-of-school children in the world, and is only behind Nigeria. The estimated number of out-of-school children in Pakistan, according to the same report, is 22.8 million, aged between 5 to 16 years. However, Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan binds the state to provide basic education free of cost to children aged between five and 16. This state of affairs keeps on worsening when one follows an upward trajectory.
There are many factors behind the deteriorating conditions of education. The most harmful is the low budget allocated. Less than two percent of the GDP is spent on education. Due to this low budget, students are neither provided uniforms, nor do they receive books or stationery. The situation in many rural schools of the country is pathetic. The schools in those areas lack basic facilities of clean drinking water, toilets and boundary walls, while furniture and buildings are not under discussion. Some schools even does not have roofs and children study in open sky, under a tree.
Finally, a mechanism should be devised to provide platform to students to present their issues and discuss future prospects. In this way, institutions would be streamlined and would create a youth that would meet economic and market expectations of the world and create a good place for Pakistan in the comity of nations. Because, “Education is the passport to future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”.
Moreover, there are thousands of ghost schools in every province of Pakistan. These schools cause a severe burden on the already strained education budget. A handsome amount from that budget is wasted in paying salaries to ghost teachers. Additionally, there are many colleges in Pakistan which become functional only during exams and many vocational institutes exist in official papers only. To make this situation worse, the local fuedals occupy school buildings forcibly and convert them into stables, storehouses or into meeting venues. They prohibit children from getting an education.
Another cause of the deteriorating standard of education is the high fee in most of the institutions of Pakistan. Private institutions that impart a certain quality of education, charge an amount which is unaffordable for the majority of students. Meanwhile, government institutions do not lag behind and charge in lakhs, if not in millions. For instance, the Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, charges more than Rs 60.000 at a time of admission, plus an extra amount of Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 for hostel accommodation, for one semester only. Mess and laundry charges are taken separately. Hence, in Pakistan where the majority of people live from hand to mouth, education has become a dream for their children.
Actually, the government of Pakistan is directly responsible for that state of affairs. It neither allocates the required amount of money needed by Education Ministries, the Higher Education Commission and related institutions to run their affairs smoothly, nor does it keep a proper check on education policy formulation and its implementation. The government even does not spend the money given to it by donor countries for the promotion of education. A glaring example of such negligence was seen in the previous year when the Sindh governmentcould not spend the amount given to it by a Canadian organization to improve education in the rural areas.
However, still there is time to direct the ship of education in the right direction. The best way is to revive and update syllabi throughout the country and to make them standardized; so that every student may avail an equal opportunity and may compete equally. Examinations should be conducted at the same time, and admissions should be announced at the same time throughout the country. This would create uniformity throughout the country.
Another solution to this imbroglio is to allocate required funds to education ministries, departments and HEC; keep a check over it as to how and where that budget is being utilized; to find out ghost schools, and teachers, and bring them to justice. Subject specialists should be inducted into institutions, and as they have command over their subjects and teach their students in an innovative way; hence, they will produce good results.
Besides, people are in great need of awareness regarding the miracles of education. Therefore, education awareness campaigns should be launched in every nook and corner of the country with especial attention to female education, as ‘female covers half the sky’. NGOs working on education mission should be regulated, their policies be checked and they be asked to contribute in awareness campaigns.
Finally, a mechanism should be devised to provide platform to students to present their issues and discuss future prospects. In this way, institutions would be streamlined and would create a youth that would meet economic and market expectations of the world and create a good place for Pakistan in the comity of nations. Because, “Education is the passport to future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”.
The writer can be contacted at [email protected]
