Why Education is important in Pakistan?

 

Education not only increases one's chances of securing a good job but also their capacity to view things differently. A good education opens up a variety of career options. One key statistic for assessing educational attainment is the literacy rate. Its consolidation significantly affects other crucial prosperity indices. Education always paves the road for justice by assisting individuals in recognizing the lines between right and wrong. History demonstrates that one of the main causes of destruction is incompetence and incapacity in the sphere of education.

The district-level survey of Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLSM) for 2019–20 shows that the population's literacy rate (10 years and older) has remained constant at 60% from 2014–15. The combined federal and provincial government spending on education in FY2020 was 1.5 percent of the GDP, falling from 2.3 percent in FY 2019–20. Education spending had been continuously increasing up to 2018–19, but in 2019–20, it fell by 29.6 percent, from Rs. 868 billion to Rs. 611 billion.

According to UNICEF, Pakistan currently has the second-highest number of out-of-school children (OOSC) in the world, with an estimated 22.8 million children between the ages of 5 and 16 not attending school. This represents 44% of the total population in this age range, along with 5 million children between the ages of 5 and 9 who are not enrolled in school. The government of Pakistan is required by the country's constitution to provide free education to children in this age group, however, this was not able to be achieved. This year, Pakistan's literacy rate is close to 58.7%, which is even lower than Bangladesh's and Nepal's, which are 61.5% and 64.7%, respectively. One of the main causes of Pakistan's poor growth and the damaging economy is that it is one of the countries, along with Sri Lanka and the Maldives, that fall behind most other nations in terms of education.

In comparison to other countries, it would not be incorrect to say that Pakistan's education system has not received much attention since its independence. Even the few government schools that are now operating lack the necessary infrastructure. In Pakistan, almost 50% of schools lack access to clean water and restrooms, and some government schools have been observed to be utilized as livestock stables or to be outside. This is true across the board, not just in one province. All political parties pledge to impose an educational emergency in order to win votes, but once in power, they break their promises and are unable to make meaningful attempts to provide their citizens with high-quality education, opting instead to make neutral claims.

Even though Pakistan devotes a very small portion of its GDP to education compared to certain other Asian nations, corruption is a major factor in the country's inability to provide its citizens with a high-quality education. While the federal and provincial governments are under pressure from abroad to take appropriate action in the area of education, it has recently been noticed that they have made some changes in the direction of quality education and have also announced various schemes and scholarships to incentivize Pakistanis. At a 70% attendance rate, all of these scholarships will be awarded biometrically. Recent initiatives by the federal and provincial governments in support of reading and education are to be applauded; in fact, they will help many poor people enroll their children in school. Such actions may result in changes for the nation. In Pakistan, various educational systems are being taught. The national education system was announced by the federal government; however, the Sindh government has concerns. The federation, Sindh, and all other provinces should receive education policy instruction for restructuring the entire educational system, increasing GDP nominally, taking precautions against corruption, providing high-quality education, and improving future generations.

Best Regards,

Arooj Aftab, Karamat Ali, Usama Khan Niazi