Daily Times

We were hoping that the system would recover; the institutions would be strong; there would be accountability; corruption would end; prosperity would come; justice would get knocked and unemployment would end, which would result in education for all. Then, children would not work or become beggars or get involved in conflicts or be in contact with the law.

Children will not be a burden to parents but become their support. There will be adequate health, education and recreational facilities. People will enjoy all their rights enshrined in the constitution and international conventions signed and ratified by Pakistan.

We were hoping that at least, education and health will be the foremost priority but the basic sectors of education and health are still in a dismal state and need attention on an emergency basis. Pakistan is the second-largest country in the world where dropout is the highest. To improve the condition of educational institutions, very little amount (estimated at 2.4 per cent of GDP, which is lowest in the region.) is allocated, which is not meeting the requirements keeping in view the current state of education. The other misfortune is that most of the same budget is being spent on a few specific, developed districts, which is why educational institutions in remote and backward districts appear to be suffering from a crisis. In many educational institutions, despite the weather conditions, children are forced to study under the open sky. There are so many institutions where there is no required number of teachers or other facilities.

Poverty, inflation and unemployment have forbidden people to live

On the other hand, the health situation commands that collectively, our society is suffering from malnutrition. According to the UNICEF report, Pakistan has one of the highest ratios of maternal mortality in the world. In Pakistan, 60 to 70 children out of every 1000 do not reach the age of five due to preventable diseases. If seen in the region, this rate is 25 in Bangladesh and seven in Sri Lanka. If compared with America, this rate is six. The reason given behind this dreadful situation is that Pakistan spends less than one per cent of its GDP on healthcare facilities.

However, time proved that the era of powerful General Musharraf, as well as that of honest and sincere rulers like Imran Khan, also appeared helpless in bringing prosperity and development to the country. This is having a direct impact on our future; our children.

Prosperity and development are only possible in any country when institutions are strong, the system is strengthening, justice is available on doorstep, decisions are made on merit, the end of corruption is made sure, accountability and transparency are the rules of the day, government policies are poor-friendly, protection of rights is a top priority and investment is made on the welfare of humans only.

Thus, disappointment seems prevalent at the moment. Poverty, inflation and unemployment have forbidden people to live. Yet, time and support of the people are still there. Just the political well is needed, where priority should be public-friendly and promotion and protection of human rights should be the first responsibility and priority. There is nothing impossible if there is proper planning, proper utilization of in-hand resources, timely decisions, understanding of issues and consultative process. We just need to change the direction of priorities because our priorities are still where they were yesterday, which is why the country and the nation are both waiting for prosperity and development.

The writer is a child rights activist based in Peshawar