International Day of Education: Where does Pakistan stand?

The United Nation General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as the International Day of Education in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. Different seminars are arranged throughout the world for celebrating the World Education Day. However in Pakistan,  the education sector is still facing a major crisis.

The right of education is enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Education. It has also become a key to sustainable development. Yet Pakistan still stands as an illiterate nation in 2020. But why?

Why is Education important?

The great leader Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Education offers children a ladder out of poverty and a path to a promising future. It plays a major role in a person’s career growth as well as in their personal growth. Education is necessary for each and everyone to improve their standard of livings as well as social and economical status. However, education is not only about doing a degree. It is also about how you can stand on your own feet. Education is the only thing that can remove corruption, unemployment, and environmental problems.

Education System of Pakistan           

At present, education is one of the biggest problems in Pakistan. The education system of Pakistan is divided in to three broad categories: Government, Private and Madrasah system.

In Pakistan, one can easily become a Mufti or a Maulana from Madrasah but will remain in trouble when it comes to generating an income. There is also a significant difference of teaching quality between government and private sector education in Pakistan. In government education system, an outdated curriculum is being taught to the students and the teachers are not properly trained. The teachers in the government schools are mostly appointed by politicians in favoritism or bribery.

Public education system is facing paucity of resources as 89% educational budget is allocated for salaries of teachers and staff and only 11% is left for development, which is not sufficient to raise the quality of education. The economic cost of the private school is higher, that’s the reason everyone can’t afford quality education. Students who reach university level lack certain qualities like research-oriented approach and creativity. This situation has been aggravated by poor examination systems of Pakistan.

Statistics of Education in Pakistan

According to a UN Report, currently, Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children with an estimated 22.8 million children aged 5-16 are not attending schools. In Sindh, 52 percent of the poorest children (58 percent girls) are out of school, and in Balochistan, 78 percent of girls are out of school. Nearly 10.7 million boys and 8.6 million girls are enrolled at the primary level and this drops to 3.6 million boys and 2.8 million girls at the lower secondary level. Pakistan’s overall literacy rate stood at 70 percent with 71% male literacy and 72% female literacy rates,  which includes PHD holders and people who can only their names.

Solutions for Improving Education system in Pakistan

The current situation of the education system needs much more attention than one can even imagine. In order to accelerate progress and ensure the equitable expansion of quality education, there is a need for implementation of national education policy. There must be qualified teachers and proper training should be given before allowing them to teach. One syllabus should be made for country-wide schools to avoid disparities and the curriculum should be updated.

Government and Private sectors both should sit together and draft a master plan for the right education and then the government should follow this plan sincerely. The government should take measures to get school buildings vacated which are occupied by feudal lords of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab.  Government allocates only 2 or 2.5 percent of GDP for education, while the rate should be increased by 4 to 6 percent.