Formal education with well-functioning schools is a prerequisite for any society to commence sustainable social and economic development. It is where we shape our future and groom those who will create our desired future for us. Thus, it is vital that we put our top focus on formal education sector and give it all chances that would help children to think out-of-the-box and enable them to challenge status-quo. As per the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE)’s report “Pakistan Education Statistics (2021-22)”, almost 70% of the Government Schools in Pakistan had access to electricity. Likewise, 79% of the Government Schools had both toilets and boundary walls. Lastly, 78% of the Government Schools had access to drinking water. Unfortunately, the already spoken figures also mean that 30% of government schools had no access to electricity and another 21% were without toilets and boundary walls. Finally, 22% of the government schools in Pakistan lacked access to clean drinking water. If we want Pakistan to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we must invest more resources in improving the condition of our government schools. We must transform our government schools into an engine of knowledge creation and a place that offers equal opportunity to all.
As per a report, “Public Financing in Education Sector (FY 2022-23)”, Pakistan invested 1.5% of its GDP in education. It is a good beginning but in coming years, Pakistan can earmark 3% of its GDP each year for education, where an additional 1.5% of GDP would ensure that all government schools have access to electricity, toilets, and clean drinking water. Most importantly, all schools must have a boundary wall that clearly marks space allocated to government schools and simultaneously provides a sense of security to both staff and children. We cannot ignore teachers as they play an essential role in the education sector. It is equally important that teachers should be given an adequate raise in salary followed by bonuses as a thank you gesture for the work they do. Whatever we have managed to accomplish in our lives today is a result of hard work and dedication by our teachers. Our children and teachers deserve a secure environment with access to basic facilities to learn and to be better at creating a sustainable Pakistan. We cannot compromise on our future. Or can we?
If we want Pakistan to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we must invest more resources in improving the condition of our government schools.
European Union (EU) and Schengen region places a huge emphasis on education and thus its member states also invest a significant amount of their GDP on education. As per EuroStat’s website, Sweden invested over 7% of its GDP on education, followed by Iceland with roughly 7% of its GDP spent on education in 2023. Likewise, Latvia, Belgium and Finland allocated 6% or more of their GDPs to education, followed by Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Austria and Cyprus where each of these member states invested close to 5% or more of their GDPs in education. Norway and the rest of the member states in the EU allocated over 3% of their GDP to education. Ireland was the only member state that invested the least (less than 3% of its GDP) in education in 2023. If EU member states can make it happen so can Pakistan too. After all, our children and their education should be our top priority.
A pinch of modernization can improve our schools a lot. We can install solar PV panels in our government schools to ensure that each established facility gets clean electricity without hurting the environment. Simultaneously, we can also equip our schools with rainwater harvesting systems. When it comes to boundary walls, we can decorate our schools with colourful murals that would make them more attractive for children. Each school should give its children a chance to paint boundary walls with their imagination. By doing so, we will not only boost their confidence but will also enhance their creative skills. You never know, we might find hidden Ustad Allah Bakhsh, Picasso, Gulgee, Sadequain, Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael.a
To conclude, spending on education, improving the quality of our government schools and an equal opportunity for all are directly related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each goal outlined in SDGs is related to all three already spoken factors. If we want Pakistan to commence green economic growth without compromising on social equity and the environment, we must invest more of our GDP in education. We cannot ignore teachers during the process, and we must ensure that they should be given adequate salaries along with bonuses. Teachers must also be given continuous education and training that would enable them to use modern education techniques and methods to give the best possible opportunities to children in government schools. The choice is ours and will always be.
The writer is a Stockholm-based policy analyst and the Founder / Operations Manager of Project Green Earth (www.projectge.org)