Pakistan is among those countries in which nearly one-quarter of the population is poor. Poverty can be seen partially determined by the society in which a person lives. Lack of financial resources may limit school attendance.
Budget allocation is another important issue. The government allocates less than 3 percent of the total annual budget for education. The condition of government schools all over the country and the quality of education being imparted there are going from bad to worse, day by day. Thousands of government schools are “ghost schools”, existing on paper only. Thousands of “ghost” teachers have been drawing salaries.
Educated people have a greater probability of being employed, economically more productive, and therefore earn higher incomes. Steps should be taken for making people aware about the benefits of education and its impact on their life. More schools should be established. The quality of government schools should be improved. There should be regular check on the staff by the government so that it should be ensured that the teachers actually attend the schools. Government should invest in raising educational standards as well as providing equal opportunities to the educated poor in getting appropriate jobs. Educating the women is also very necessary. Throughout the world it has been found that the probability of finding employment rises with higher levels of education. A better educated household is less likely to be poor. There is clear evidence that education can reduce poverty. However, poverty is just one of several factors that prevent access to a quality education.
AMNA ZAHID
Lahore
