Daily Times

International Education Day is being celebrated on January 24 in Pakistan and around the world. On this day, for the first time, on December 3, 2018, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution to celebrate Education Day to promote peace and development through education. Education is a fundamental human right under Section 26 of the United Nations International Charter of Human Rights. According to the International Charter, the state must provide free and compulsory basic education to the people. There are new challenges to standardizing the education process at the international level, including in Pakistan. Even today, millions of children around the world are deprived of education. Unfortunately, since the establishment of Pakistan, no government has taken any specific steps to fully implement educational reforms in the country.

According to UNICEF, Pakistan, a country of 223 million people, currently has the “second highest number of out-of-school children in the world,” which equates to about 22.8 million children, and these children lack basic facilities such as education. Every government makes big announcements, but there are no practical steps regarding education. On the other hand, how important education is for any person can be estimated from the fact that our religion, Islam, has also emphasized the importance of education and knowledge. The first revelation that was revealed to our beloved Prophet Muhammad ? is also ordered to be read. Then there is a blessed hadith of Hazrat Muhammad ? that every Muslim must acquire Education. Unfortunately, our literacy rate is still between fifty and sixty percent and millions of children in all four provinces are unable to go to school. There are many areas where schools have not been established, so there is no uniform education system in Pakistan.

Our civil governments want to promote education, but there are no practical measures. On the other hand, our army and its related institutions work to promote education and highlight its importance throughout the country without discrimination. Army Public Schools, Cadet Colleges, and Universities function under the management of the Pakistan Army, where the students are educated and taught the skills to live in society.

Our civil governments want to promote education, but there are no practical measures. On the other hand, our army and its related institutions work to promote education and highlight its importance throughout the country without discrimination. Army Public Schools, Cadet Colleges, and Universities function under the management of the Pakistan Army, where the students are educated and taught the skills to live in society. Army Public Schools have more than 200 branches and are working in 18 regions of Pakistan. Apart from this, there are dozens of cadet colleges which are doing their work well and also there are many universities whose administrative responsibilities are with the Pakistan Army where thousands of students are currently quenching their thirst for knowledge. Then the establishment of medical colleges in Pakistan is an important achievement of the Pakistan Army, especially the establishment of the Army Medical College in Balochistan is an act which deserves to be appreciated. If we look at the number of children studying in all these institutions, it is in the number of lakhs, which means that a large part of the population is studying in the educational institutions established by the Pakistan Army. If we talk about the quality and system of these important educational institutions, it is also a unique achievement of the Pakistan Army that it has established such educational institutions throughout Pakistan where the work of spreading the light of knowledge is done. If we compare the Army Public Schools and similar institutions working in Pakistan, A comparative analysis of Army Public Schools and similar institutions operating in Pakistan, students studying at Army Public Schools in the past years have not only secured positions, but these are the students whose fifty percent are civilian which shows that there is a merit system in Army Public Schools as well. Then, one of the characteristics of these institutions run under the army is that they are run purely with the funds of the army, so no financial assistance is taken from the government, these institutions are run from their resources. Where millions of students are quenching their thirst for knowledge through Army Public Schools and Cadets Colleges at the primary and secondary levels, the Pakistan Army is also supporting the government in some of the major universities of Pakistan to make students successful citizens by providing a high-level educational environment. In these educational institutions, where civilian students also receive the same education, special stipends are given to the children of martyrs so that they do not feel the separation of their loved ones at any moment. If I come to describe the list of schools, colleges, universities and technical institutes, then a whole book can be compiled on how Pakistan Army is quietly doing outstanding work in the academic field. Acquiring education and spreading knowledge is an ongoing charity and the Pakistan Army is carrying out this process in a good manner. Civilian institutions should also imitate the Pakistan Army in this process so that Pakistan can gain a prominent position in the world in the field of education.

The writer is an old Aitchisonian who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.