Daily Times

Education assists a person in developing their mental faculties in a way that they become capable of handling life’s complications conveniently. It creates the capacity in an individual to comprehend the phenomena of the world. Furthermore, it enables them to go through the experiences of life elatedly. Education equips people with the needed skills and qualities that help them sustain their lives.

These definitions become a utopian dream when we look at the state of affairs of the education sector in our part of the world. The extremely inadequate budget, and the impassiveness on part of those in charge, paint a bleak picture of how education-related affairs are being dealt with.

The priorities of our rulers are limited to flashy projects that can get them political mileage. Considering their priorities, one gets the impression that huge buildings and wide roads make a nation. However, factually, it is education that takes the country forward.

In Pakistan, almost 23 million children are out of school. Besides, it has the highest number of illiterate adults, globally. The available schools are inadequate when it comes to adjusting out-of-school children. Apart from this, the literacy rate for females is just 45 percent in comparison to 69 percent for males. Most of the girls give up pursuing education mainly because of lack of basic facilities at school, e.g. bathrooms and boundary walls. Transportation also becomes a problem as young girls are highly unlikely to pursue education if the school is situated too far away, or in remote areas.

Pakistan’s allocated educational budget is the lowest in the region. In the 2017-18 budget, the allocation is merely 2.5 percent of the GDP. Is this good enough to fix this worrisome state of affairs? We won’t even been able to tackle the basic needs of students that do go to schools with such a budget, let alone bring them up to speed with international standards.

The incoming government has to do a lot regarding the revitalisation of the educational sector. First of all, the budget needs to be increased; it should be at least double the size of what is allocated till date. A sufficient budget can make it possible to implement corrective measures. Enough finances are imperative for giving practical shape to theoretical endeavours. Moreover, awareness programs should be initiated to enlighten the general public about the importance of education. Parents should be made the focal point of the awareness program. Similarly, a countrywide enrolment drive should be initiated to enrol more students. Besides, more schools should be built with the availability of all needed facilities.

The priorities of our rulers are limited to flashy projects that can get them political mileage, when in reality only education can save this country and its future

Moreover, education for girls should be the principal focus of the upcoming government. More such schools should be built so that the apprehensions of parents can be addressed. A majority of parents are averse to the idea of sending their daughters to co-education schools. Thus, by providing separate schools we can bridge the literacy gap between young boys and girls. In a similar fashion, transportation facilities should be provided to students in general, and girls in particular.

In addition, teachers require training that should be based on imparting new teaching techniques. Besides, the aim should be to improve the teacher-student relationship. If the teacher is well-trained then students will have quality learning. A good teacher helps students realise their potential. The correct guidance on part of a teacher enables the student to get through the toughest of situations in life.

By and large, the dismal plight of our education sector portrays our preferences as a nation. We have put education on the backburner and made useless things our priority. We need to introduce comprehensive reforms in the education sector if we are to compete with regional and global powers. For this purpose, massive funding is needed. And its apt usage would make a difference. We expect the upcoming government to focus on education as a key factor for the nation’s progress and development.

The writer can be contacted at asifmahsud44@yahoo.com

Published in Daily Times, June 30^th 2018.