Daily Times

Pakistan and its people have been unlucky throughout history because even after several schemes and plans to raise the educated people percentage and to improve the standard of education has been always at a dismal stage. According to UNICEF Pakistan 22.8 million children are now out of school in Pakistan.

The worst outcome of the unsuccessful schemes and plans is the ever-bulging number of young people outside of the school and hence in the streets doing nothing. They may resort either to menial work apprentices or hold a begging bowl in their hands. The solution to such educational crises has not come so far and Pakistan must expect these untrained, unschooled, uncivilized people in the street pretty soon as young adults fuming street crimes when they have nothing to do or the society won’t be able to provide for them.

The government and the press are being heard talking about the issue of millions of kids out of school but nothing concrete has been done so far to bring these kids back to school. Right now, every sane citizen of the motherland has begun to think that education and educating its people is not a state priority.

The alarming phenomenon not only drops the percentage of the educated population of Pakistan but also has its sociopolitical repercussions, mostly unavoidable and incorrigible. It has been observed that the kids who find the opportunity to take up education regularly and are made to work hard in it, not only make their mark but also reach the top of the ladder of the profession they choose.

Pakistan now needs to launch both traditional/formal and informal/ nontraditional schooling systems.

Such kids grow into happy, healthy, busy and useful members of society, even though they are government employees or are self-employed. But in binary opposition, the kids who don’t find or are denied the opportunity of getting an education or who lose interest in education, mostly turn to subversive and criminal activities and become a constant trouble for the already ailing society.

The worst outcome of such a situation has further created a young lot of the 21st century who look around for lucky, golden and chance opportunities which can make them rich overnight and so; while waiting for such an opportunity they don’t involve in the mainstream of working or professional class. And when they fail in finding such a stroke of luck, they would resort to taking revenge on society by turning to crimes of ever new sort, including digital, or otherwise. Now in our motherland, we are witnessing the presence of such a lot.

This situation is drastic and demands drastic measures to resolve because in the absence of any resolution, we are heading with a large number of people into the abyss of social chaos and the recovery may be even worse. Desperate situations call for desperate measures.

One of the best ways to make schooling on the one hand interesting and engaging for the young lot is by following the models of developed as well as successful neighbouring nations, and on the other hand education at the school level must be made feasible and affordable for the mainstream of Pakistani nation. People want to send their children to school but the economic constraints, lack of quality education and absence of any futuristic trends in education, make them repelled and so would prefer some kind of apprenticeship for their children.

Article 24A of the constitution of Pakistan explicitly guarantees the right to education for all children between the ages of 5 to 16. The provision ensures that education is not only accessible but also compulsory, emphasizing the importance of enrolling children in schools and ensuring their attendance.

Pakistan now needs to take up the issue and launch both traditional/formal and informal and nontraditional schooling systems which must follow the needs of the 21st century so that the child may be able to fit in the future society.

Non-formal schooling may include the civic as well as technical aspects of education from the very beginning. The examination system of such schools should run for higher and competitive marks but the development and catering for the abilities and capacities of the young learners. Similarly, the noon, evening or night school system can be launched as per the availability and the feasibility of the situation. Young graduates on the patterns of CTIs may be engaged to school such children and an effective digital monitoring system to make these non-formal schools may be initiated.

The social scientist may come forward voluntarily to analyze the situation and find the cause and the cure for the situation. The time has come when all segments of society must engage with the education system and manage not only to raise the percentage of education but also to ensure that no child of Pakistan is left out of school if we need to see Pakistan a peaceful progressing state in future.

The writer is a professor of English at Government Emerson University, Multan. He can be reached at zeadogar@hotmail.com and Tweets at @Profzee