First, the basics

Our flawed primary education system

The current government in Pakistan has constantly sought praise for the insertion of Article 25-A in the Constitution of Pakistan. The right to education provided in the said article states that “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law”. However, the ground realities are very different. The primary education of Pakistan is treated as a joke for the basic education standards and the growing control of private sector has defamed the public education system at primary level. Similarly, the Higher Education Commission is left with no choice but to constantly warn the government about the deteriorating situation of education system in Pakistan.

The irony is that President Zardari, in his recent participation to the UNESCO event in France for supporting Malala, started a fund for the global cause of providing education to children while the current government, his party PPP’s government, in Pakistan has done nothing to work for primary education in the country. The presence of thousands of ghost schools in the country is a real shame. Sindh’s education minister recently confessed the presence of thousands of ghost schools in Sindh only, while the Punjab government is more focused on creating a parallel education system through a new network of schools; thus, ignoring the issue of ghost schools. Similarly, the Balochistan government is a mystery and is better off left unsaid while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is also facing criticism due to its badly structured primary education system.

Punjab is treated as one of the developed provinces of the country where the provincial government is very strong and actively engaged in working for youth. The establishment of Danish School system, laptops scheme, internships and other such privileges to the students are a constant reminder of the willingness of the Punjab government to work for the betterment of youth. However, leaving aside the above mentioned achievements of Punjab government, no work has been done for redefining the curriculum at primary level. The government in Punjab has taken no step towards the introduction of a uniform syllabus for the children. As a matter of fact, the syllabus introduced in Danish Schools is different from the other public schools.

Pakistan bears the burden of one of the most illiterate countries of Asia. The majority of youth in Pakistan do not have the opportunity to experience a good childhood. The education at all levels is getting costly with each passing year while the government is ignoring the needs of public education sector in the country. The education sector in Pakistan, especially in Punjab, has emerged to be a very trendy business with very lucrative aspects. The competition in the market is getting stiffer with every passing day and the costs are reaching records heights due to this soaring competition among the investors with the best produce of educated youngsters in the market. The only difference being the inability of these youngsters to find suitable environment to utilise their skills. Thus, thousands of trained doctors, engineers, lawyers and other professionals have left the country for good and have settled down in Europe, America or other developed countries due to better employment opportunities and sound environment for progress and prosperity.

The current education budget of Pakistan states an amount of Rs 4670 million being proposed for Pre-Primary and Primary Education Affairs Service while an amount of Rs 5,699 million being earmarked for Secondary Education Affairs and Services. Similarly Rs 35,675 million has been allocated for Tertiary Education Affairs and Services, Rs 53 million for Social Welfare and Special Education Division and an amount of Rs 135 million has been allocated for Subsidiary Services to Education. In addition to this, an amount of Rs 963 million has been fixed for administration and Rs 679 million has been earmarked for Education Services. The aforementioned plan clearly lays out the spending on education sector with one major issue of curiously unsolved myth of moving forward in the years to come.

The question herein comes with multifold problems. The federal and provincial governments try to avoid answering the needs of the public due to inherent internal and external threats. Thus, the demolishing of hundreds of schools in Swat or tribal areas or the presence of ghost schools is taken as a routine matter by the concerned corners of the government. The issue of conflict of interest is also relevant in such circumstances. Private education system has invested a lot to be taken seriously by the people of this country and without doubt, private education industry, with its growing infrastructure and a high target market, is one of the biggest in the country now. Thousands of private schools and colleges are flushing down education by applying cramming and other methods in order to keep their records clean and make them more covetable.

The approach adopted by the current government towards education is very passive. The federal government has claimed itself devoid of any responsibility after the passing of 18th amendment while the provincial governments have also not been able to lay down any plan for a consistent organisation of education system in the respective provinces. The creation of parallel school systems is not the solution to the problems. The government needs to realise that the purpose of literacy will not be served without creating better employment opportunities for the youngsters and promoting technical education sector in the country. The progress and prosperity of Pakistan depends on its youth.

Both the federal and provincial governments in Pakistan have proved to be wrong on many issues. The recognition of right to education was a brave step but a lot is yet to be done to move forward. The approach needs to change and the democratic set up of this country must realise the fact that a strong primary education system will mean a stronger and prosperous nation in the years to come.

The writer can be reached at [email protected]