The condition of government primary schools and the quality of education in rural areas is going from bad to worse. Many government schools exist on paper only. Mostly in rural areas, school buildings have been converted to farms or cattle sheds for local landowners while the children are forced to study under trees in the open.
These schools lack infrastructure. Many schools have broken or no furniture. Most importantly they lack teaching staff. As a result of these conditions, poor parents have found alternatives. Most of the children studying in these schools are moved to madrassas as they offer food and accommodation in addition to religious education.
The government is clearly not interested in improving the education system in rural areas. According to the constitution of Pakistan, free elementary education is the state’s responsibility. But unfortunately it has never been the top priority. There is only a small share for ministry of education in the budget. The present government is no different than previous ones, spending a large chunk of the budget on defence. The government must concentrate on the education sector and take revolutionary steps to improve it. The primary education sector needs to be standardised according to modern education system.
ERUM ZEHRA
Karachi
