Daily Times

Article 25-A was inserted via the 18th amendments, in the Pakistani Constitution by April 2010, which assured ‘free and compulsory’ education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years. The ‘right to education’ was incorporated as a ‘fundamental right’ in constitution under this article. But its implementation status is still dormant to date, consequently our millions of children are out of schools.

Why Pakistan is not taking its constitution seriously? Are citizens aware of what such fundamental right to education means? If yes, then why so many cases are not filed against state’s violation of constitution? Why supreme court building is silent to maintain it?

The socioeconomic disparity in Pakistan is vast, where such fundamental right to education is different for different class in terms of choice of school. There are clusters of schools, where only kids of Parliamentarians, Ministers, and Bureaucrats are admitted. While the government schools are the only choice for poor children.

It’s worth to mention here, thousands of private schools are available to nation’s children. Except few, many have adverse infrastructure and no proper facilities which meet the desired standards. A significant number of such are street schools, where unqualified staff, with low academic and professional qualifications are about to teach.

On comparisons, between government and private schools, only the students to later are succeeding in various entry test examined by the respective medical and engineering institution. While the government school’s children, even don’t be competent in speaking English or Urdu and don’t approach  any standardized institute for their future education. While the super-elite kids too, find top colleges and universities in Pakistan and abroad.

It’s worth mentioning that thousands of private and public schools are available to the nation’s children. However, except for a few elite ones, many have horrible infrastructure and no proper facilities that might meet the desired standards. A significant number of such are street schools, which have unqualified staff, with low academic and professional qualifications

A massive madrassa are also serving education, what religious people called ‘mazhabi taleem’ while aforementioned are ‘donyawi’ taleem. School and madrassa, both flourish the children at two extreme, what we can call religioned biased and religioned sullen.

The government’s attempt of right to education has been failed to date. The parliamentarian deems to be not interested regarding government school’s performance. This is, where the word fundamental right loses its meanings, otherwise it should be given common and same.

Apart from, either school’s children, about 23 million are out of schools.  The poverty, push them into various earning channels and compelled on beggary. Specially, transgender, or disable children are not treated well and not assumed to be good for society we are living. Despite of many seminars, on child labour day, practical efforts still couldn’t take.

The government must consider the status of article 25-A and grantee its complete implementation. Parliamentarian must spare sometime on the parliament floor to refine and renew the concept of fundamental right to education. The provincial government too, revive this very article. One system of education policy, for children of the nation, must be initiated.

The writer is a Researcher of Natural Sciences at Physics Department QAU, Islamabad. He can be contacted on his Email: ik8828903@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, October 14^th 2018.