A few days ago, an incident happened in the Hajarawal area of Lahore where twin brothers suffocated in a flour container and died. Both were playing hide and seek in their home and got locked up in the container placed inside. A day later, their dead bodies were recovered after a stinking smell spread all around the home.
This sad incident shows the pathetic state of people and our state. It took the parents, a day, to find their children asphyxiated right next to them. It reveals the negligence of parents who failed to keep a check on their children/ keep them away from such things. Identifying such risks depends on the general ability of the mind to look for the potential dangers in its vicinity. It also remarks on the deplorability of the state to provide enough parks and playing areas for our children so that they avoid taking such pursuits at home. The security and safety of children are also a major concern for parents which is why they abstain their children from stepping outside of their homes. Also, the state does not guarantee protection against the kidnappers/ child abusers. In times of over-escalating inflation, it has been an uphill task to feed a family. The thoughts of people remain static on how to earn more money to bridge their expenses. In the meantime, what they are missing is even more important: attention to kids and their well-being. By not paying proper focus to their children, they are risking their future detrimentally. On one side, it widens the communication gap between parents and children. On the other hand, creates an unexpressed state of unhappiness in both.
When we look at our state’s priorities, any hopes decimate exponentially. It is because of the sludge and continued disappointments with our system. It has shamelessly compromised us in the long-term as well as short-term goals. Observe the economic survey freshly presented by the finance minister. Nearly all economic targets were missed by huge margins. For long-term objectives, where other states are following a well-formulated and eloquently carved strategy to match their pace with the speed of the AI Revolution, our state is performing miserably. Large stocks of reports and voluble facts paint a very bleak picture for us. According to the National Nutrition Survey 2018, 40.2% of children under the age of five have stunted growth. Iron deficiency appears in 49.1% of our children. Children who get wasted on birth is 17.7%. These are horrible numbers for any sane common man.
In a democratic country, legislation is always the first step to introducing, debating and approving any reformative framework.
Such defects do not appear only and stop in childhood, rather they bear a long-stretching economic cost for the nation as well. Under the current circumstances, Pakistan is warped with enormous crises. It is not on the slanting brink towards an economic collapse, but it is in the middle of the deepest trough in our economic history. The numbers mentioned above bear a heavy cost on our already grappled finances. Due to underweight children and micronutrient deficiencies, the cost of the lost labor force is expected to be $2.3 billion per year. The reduction in future adult productivity brings a net present value loss of $3.7 billion per year. As William James has described three stages of world sickness, our people are, indubitably, at the last stage, “Pathological Melancholy”. They have lost faith in their believability of progression. There is a large-scale acclimatization to the current situation of hopelessness and aimlessness. They experience dreariness in their lives that makes them incapable of generating any joy for themselves. The state must hold the confidence of the people in the system. In Pakistan, we see that this confidence has been eroded beyond repairs. It is alarming!
There is a pressing need to take measures to regain our citizenry’s confidence and improve the prospects for our children. In a democratic country, legislation is always the first step to introducing, debating and approving any reformative framework. Our legislators need to come forward. Multiple reforms are required to be legislated for the upgradation of health, education, career opportunities, social security etc. for children along with the upkeep and enhancement of playing facilities across the country. The recent legislation by the Sindh Government for teaching licences deserves appreciation. According to it, teachers will get licences endorsing they have the required qualification, competence, and attitude to be made responsible for the intellectual, moral, and emotional development of children. The licence will be attained after passing an exam and is liable to renew after every five years. It needs to be applauded more than it has been.
The education system should also be established in such a way that it closes the gaps left between theoretical and practical knowledge. In this way, we can bring our children closer to reality. There was a famous philosophical paper titled “Qualia and Materialism”. The premise of the paper was two folds: first, there is a gap between how we experience the world-our subjective and conscious experiences (qualia)-and the scientific explanation of material forces that constitute nature; and second, such a gap can potentially be closed through one, overarching theoretical explanation. All we need is a better form of science, more complete theory, and practical knowledge of everything to educate our children.
The government and civil society must collaborate very closely on every front to mitigate and address these challenges. If government must bring excellent laws, smoothen the legislative process and apply strict implementation measures, it is the civic responsibility of all citizens to point out loopholes, highlight new ways to make such measures more result-oriented and serve as patrons for accountability. The whole process requires hope to be instilled in the air that redemption is possible. As a society, our people have to make a transition from a pessimistic approach towards a more open, liberal, and optimistic approach. Negativity eats like a moth and severs like a cobweb. Nietzsche once said, “When you gaze long into an abyss the abyss gazes into you.” It is after this renunciation that we will be able to enter a new world. But never stop asking your government, “When will this suffering end?”
The writer is a student at IBA Karachi. He can be reached at [email protected]