Daily Times

Some friends argue against private-sector education. In their view, the private sector has commodified education. Their argument is based on the view that education is a prophetic profession, not a saleable item. They talk about developed countries, like Germany, where educational institutions exist only in the public sector. In some other countries, like Finland, private schools are rare.

All the countries, which do not allow the private sector to step into education, have accorded high priority to education. Their education systems are far better in terms of literacy rates; teachers’ salaries; infrastructure and classroom facilities, mainly due to sufficient financial resources available for education. And their educational systems and institutions are exemplary. Unlike ours, their educational institutions do not have to pass through financial crises. A considerable percentage of their annual budgets is apportioned for education. The governments of these countries have taken effective steps to uphold the respect and dignity of their teachers in society.

Pakistan’s issue is altogether different. Here, ruling elites have never accorded priority to education. As a result, public-sector educational institutions, particularly schools, are in a dismal condition. Some schools have no buildings at all. Several times, we see photographs where a teacher is shown delivering lectures in tents or under a tree. Such schools exist in various parts of the country. Where schools have buildings, they, in many cases, are time-worn and require renovation or reconstruction. Moreover, public-sector schools, colleges, and universities do not have the required facilities.

In these circumstances, despite being committed to their profession, teachers have been unable to deliver. In these testing times, teachers’ salaries are insufficient to live a decent life.

The primary reason behind this sorry state of affairs is that Pakistan’s ruling elite does not accord priority to education.

In some respects, public educational institutions have an edge over private ones. Since teachers hired by public institutions enjoy job security, they can concentrate better on teaching and, thus, be more productive. Teachers working with private institutions face perpetual job insecurity. Most of them keep making efforts either for government jobs or better opportunities in the private sector. It seriously affects their performance in the classroom.

In relative terms, government institutions have sufficient playgrounds where students engage in sports for physical fitness. On the other hand, most private institutions are congested and seriously lack playgrounds.

If the private sector has commodified education, it has also played a significant role in improving education standards in the country. Be it syllabi or facilities in the classroom, the private sector has introduced revolutionary changes. The syllabus offered in some private educational institutions is better than that offered in the public sector. Some private education institutions are well-known for boosting up self-confidence among the students.

We have to spend at least 15 to 20 per cent of our annual budget on education so the state may be able to provide all basic facilities to students and teachers

Similarly, the private sector has been relatively more successful in overcoming the problems of corporal punishment and mental torture.

The whole point in discussing these issues is that we must accord priority to education before the private sector is pushed out of education. We have to spend at least 15 to 20 per cent of our annual budget on education so that the state may be able to provide all basic facilities to students as well as teachers in public schools, colleges and universities that are being already provided at private educational institutions.

In 1980, Pakistan spent 2.1 per cent of its GDP on education whereas China spent 2.2 per cent. The difference was not much. Fifteen years later, China was spending 4.1 per cent as compared to Pakistan’s 2.3. New Zealand doubled its spending on education from 3.6 per cent in 1985 to 7.2 per cent in 2010. In Pakistan, the figure remained the same (2.4 per cent) in the corresponding period. And, ironically, in 2019, the figure is still there i.e. 2.4 per cent.

According to 2015 statistics, among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member states, New Zealand, Chile, Brazil, and Mexico spend more than 15 per cent of their annual expenditure on education. Costa Rica is at the top of all OECD member states and spends more than 30 per cent of its annual expenditure on education. Pakistan stands somewhere around 10 per cent.

UNDP’s Human Development Reports on expenditure on education as a per cent of GDP, covering the period from 1980 to 2012, showed that Pakistan was ranked 146th out of 187 states. Countries ranking higher than Pakistan included Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India along with several Central Asian and many African states.

The government expenditure on education in Germany was 4.8 per cent of its GDP, 5.4 per cent in France, and eight per cent in Norway in 2016, according to data available on the World Bank website. The US was spending 7.6 per cent in 2015.

As stated by a recent report on OECD member states by Gems Education Solutions, the average annual salary of a teacher in Switzerland is USD 68,000–highest in the world. Overall, the average annual salary in the country is around USD 50,000, which is less than a teacher’s average salary.

Many countries have also ensured universal education. Among them are Albania, Argentine, Belarus, Bahrain, Brazil, Indonesia, Jordon, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Russia, and Spain. In these countries, literacy rates are higher than 99 per cent.

The writer is freelancer