Daily Times

Most leading International Financial Institutions (IFIs) have been pretty ahead of the curve in terms of identifying just how and how much the world might change because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some, like the World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Trade Organisation (WTO) have warned of famines, sometimes of “biblical proportions,” and reduced trade which in the worst case scenario could see many trillions in lost global earnings and impact people accordingly across the globe. Now the World Bank has warned of what is being called learning poverty, that is the kinds of losses individuals and societies suffer when an increasing number of children are forced to drop out of school.

The situation is Pakistan is pretty grim as far as education is concerned. We did achieve the somewhat remarkable feat of emerging as one of the top countries in the world in terms of fighting off the virus, yet here we are just a few months later, and it seems we are being overwhelmed by yet another wave of the pandemic. While the responsibility rests with the people, it is very concerning that a very large number of students are now expected never to return to formal learning for one reason or another. The situation is so bad that, according to the Bank, the damage done form this will show in the economy, in terms of losses, for at least the good part of the next two decades.

This must have worried the government to no end no doubt especially, if certain news reports re to be trusted, since the second wave has already forced the education ministry to consider shutting down schools once again. Children are not at risk themselves but they do tend to become carriers, which means they can bring the virus back home with them and compromise their whole families. This is clearly developing into a very big emergency and if something is not done now it may well assume unmanageable proportions. Yet the only thing that can really make a difference is a show of responsibility on the part of the people which, it seems under the circumstances, is simply too much to ask for. For if only everybody had just followed the simplest of safety rules, the country would not be in very real danger of sliding back into very serious trouble so soon. Now we must not just worry about our children going to school but also all the damage the economy will continue to face for 20 years. *