The Education Emergency in Pakistan

Education is defined as “the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially in a school or university.” Education has become a primordial need to survive in the modern world. The State is responsible for providing the respectable means of being for each individual. The education of each individual is its direct responsibility as well. Throughout the world, different countries have achieved different systems of providing this type of education for their people.

Islamic Republic of Pakistan has also tried to provide education to its people. But the invested funding is insufficient and the management of the education system is poor. In a country where the literacy rate is defined as the ability to “read the newspaper” and write one’s own name, only 46% of the population knows how to read and write. This system of education in Pakistan has slowed the wheel of progress in this country exponentially. It has resulted in a broad but unskilled labour force.

Education in Pakistan

According to UNESCO’s report:

“There are 163,000 primary schools in Pakistan, of which only 40,000 are serving girls. Of these, 15,000 are in the province of Punjab, 13,000 in Sindh, 8,000 in KPK and 4,000 in Balochistan. Similarly, out of a total of 14,000 lower and upper secondary schools to 10,000 secondary schools, 5,000 and 3,000, respectively, are for girls, in the same decreasing proportions as previously in the four provinces. There are around 250 girls’ colleges and two medical colleges for women in the public sector of 125 districts. Some 7 million girls under the age of 10 go to primary schools, 5.4 million people between 10 and 14 years go to lower secondary school, and 3 million go to upper secondary schools. About 1.5 million and 0.5 million girls respectively to the largest schools / high schools and universities. “

A Flawed System

Keeping this alarming situation in view, system of education in Pakistanis need a revolution. Most rural areas lack adequate education due to the lack of qualified professionals. In some places, the institutes are not established due to lack of funds, and even if they are, administrative errors result in a general system failure. One of the main flaws in our educational system is the transition from “cramming” to conceptualized learning.

Children are forced to memorize and enter data and study programs are not reviewed for a test that examines their ability to retain. Memorizing a certain piece of information for a few hours remains the only scale to judge their ability. As soon as students graduate from university level, they face a rapid transition in learning methodology. They face the need to learn conceptually and practically. The political leadership does not want people to get education because if the people develop an intellect, they will become an obstacle in their rule

Multiple Standards of Education in Pakistan

If all these statistics are not confusing enough, the government has divided the country’s education system into numerous bodies at provincial and district levels, so no two provinces share the same curriculum. Some study programs are considered better than others due to evident biases or failures. Our children lack meaning and proper guidance from a very early stage, and certain stigmas are associated with the fields of their choice; Each individual has faced the dilemma of choosing between “medicine”, “Engineering” or “Finance”, which leads to the marginalization of brainwashing and the cruel potential of youth. Our people are very talented, but their talent is not encouraged in our current educational system.

An educational emergency should be declared for education in Pakistan and ad-hoc reforms should be taken to save the future of the country. The revolution, we propose is the one that has already established its framework.

Suggested reforms for Education in Pakistan

The government can make use of its national television for professional orientation sessions in real time, where children are exposed to different fields of work, at each stage of life. If a rural area lacks the framework of schools, the government can conduct online conferences live from the competent faculty to be attended from the comfort of their homes. In the same way, students need to be trained at a school level through career counselling by appropriate faculty at least two or three times a year, so that they can realize their dreams through the channels provided by the government. There should be a proper system of learning and understanding rather than judging students on the capability of cramming. The teachers should be trained regularly in order to keep them up to date with latest techniques.

Education in Pakistan can do wonders if a uniform curriculum for the whole nation is followed, eliminating any prejudice or discrimination on the basis of one’s Institute. This reform can reinforce the competition among the masses that will lead to the improvement of the proposed central system. There is a huge difference between public and private institutes. The public institutes have a low standard of education whereas the private institutes are after money. This difference should be ended and a common curriculum should prevail. Education should be totally free from primary to matriculation. Poverty should not become a reason for illiteracy.