It is a bitter truth that education has always been at the lowest rung of the ladder in our agenda for national development. No doubt, successive governments that came to power during the country’s 65 years of existence have rendered great lip service vis-à-vis the promotion of education, at all tiers, but in effect this vital tool of knowledge and development has been a victim of utter neglect, always. It is indeed a matter of shame that education continues to be the lowest priority in the roster of priorities of the government, as according to available figures we, at the moment, are spending only about 1.8 percent of our Gross National Product (GDP) on education. This abysmally low allocation made by the exchequer to education, in the national budget, is truly unfortunate. Eminent Scientist and former Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC), Prof Dr Ata-ur-Rehman in one of his recent articles wrote ‘the education policy approved by the incumbent government envisaged an expenditure of 7 percent of the GDP on education, with one-fifth of this (1.4 percent of the GDP) being spent on higher education. That policy, he said, has been abandoned by the rulers’. History stands testimony to the fact that no nation has ever been able to achieve significant progress without giving education the priority that it unquestionably merits in its roster of national priorities. Had those who have been at the citadel of power, over the past 65 years, known the value and importance of education in every sphere of national development be it social, political or economic, education would not have met the fate that it unfortunately has in our part of the world. Callousness on the part of successive governments towards education, and their failure to appreciate the value of education in a nation’s progress and prosperity compels one to think if they at all knew what education was all about. They, perhaps, do not know that the success of a nation lies in fostering education in the society. Nations which have realised the importance of education and made sustained investment in this vital sector are today reaping the benefits of phenomenal progress and prosperity. They are not only self-sufficient but are also sharing the benefits of their success with countries which are lagging behind in all spheres due to lack of education.
A quick glance through statistics reveal that neighbouring India is currently spending 4.1 percent of its GDP on education, Sri Lanka is spending 5 percent and Bangladesh 2.4 percent. According to World Bank data, the expenditure on education in countries like sub-Saharan Ethiopia is 4.6 percent of GDP, 5.3 percent in Ghana and 4.6 percent in Bhutan. Pakistan’s current spending on education at 1.8 percent of GDP is indeed pathetic. Experts believe, and it is also the need of the hour, that this meagre volume of spending on education should be urgently raised to at least 4 percent of the GDP. Would the government in power and the government in waiting give any serious thought to this vital issue for the sake of this country and this nation?
