Sir: No nation can claim to be sovereign and independent in the true sense unless its population is educated and literate. An uneducated populace can neither understand national interest nor can play an active role in nation building. The only way to gain success and glory is to get education both at individual and national level.
Pakistan came into being on 14 August, 1947 and since that day, our successive governments focused on defence needs of the country as their first priority because our eastern border was quite vulnerable to Indian aggression. So, it was the need of the hour to raise a strong defence force to counter the nefarious designs of the enemy against dear motherland. For this, every government allocated huge funds from the budget to meet the defence requirements of the country. As a result, from day one, the government was compelled to shift its focus on the defence of the country neglecting the foremost need of the country to adequately educate the people of the country. The government of Pakistan has failed to implement uniformed education system all through the country and as a result, we see mushrooming growth of educational institutions beyond the purview of the state policies. It is sad and tragic to note that our education system is creating divides, injustice and inequality in the society instead of acting as a catalyst for unification of the society.
Unless and until we reform our education system and policies, Pakistan will keep lagging behind in the comity of advanced and developed nations. We will have to enforce uniformed education system for the whole country. We will have to promote our national language as a tool for change. The government should declare education emergency and allocate maximum resources for educating the nation. Once we achieve 100 percent literacy rate, our economy and defence will automatically be strengthened.
EMMA AAMIR SIDDIQUI
Hyderabad