Daily Times

From Danish schools to a Single National Curriculum, government after government has toyed with the idea of revolutionising education, bringing our statistics at par with the rest of the world but all their much-talked-about efforts appeared to have darted right past a startling number of 28 million out-of-school children. Considering how the official figures claim these children to be 22 million and that one in every four children had never seen the inside of a classroom, the new development reflects extremely poorly on the part of policymakers.

Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments have repeatedly agreed to develop a national action plan so that revolutionary measures can ensure that every child has access to quality education. Nevertheless, no progress has yet been seen on the ground. That the education emergency remains the need of the hour so that authorities can help furnish at least some hope for the future of the country cannot be emphasised enough.

The likes of Zindagi Trust – a humanitarian organisation–continue to be acknowledged for making key transformations to schools but there’s only so much individuals can do without the guiding hand of a state. Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan states, “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law,” spelling out the responsibility of the state in ensuring that the children of Pakistan are educated in the best possible manner.

Between addressing the rich-poor divide, social stigmatisation and dwindling finances, the state would have to come up with a crisp blueprint. There must be greater accountability in the education sector and emphasis on revamping and restructuring the school system, especially in rural areas. Distance learning initiatives like TV learning programs and the TeleSchool app should also be looked into to build upon the literacy rate. *