One wonders why Pakistan tops the position downwardly when it comes to education. It happened in many surveys on different state of affairs. For instance, recently the Institute of Social and Policy Sciences presented a report quoting that Pakistan has the second highest number of out-of-school children in the world. The highest number goes to Nigeria. And Pakistan spends the lowest on education in South Asia. This makes Pakistan first-position holder in terms of the least spending country on education.
Reportedly, the approximate number of out-of-school children in Pakistan is 25 million. Unfortunate to mention that Balochistan is home to 66 percent of those children, Sindh comes next with 51 percent, Punjab 47 percent, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 34 percent. Statistics reveal abysmal circumstances.
This state of affairs gives birth to a number of questions. Where do out-of-school children go? What do they do? In what circumstances do they live? How does a state forget its 25 million children? Why for a long time their absence in schools has not been noticed at any decision-making level? Presently, educational conditions of Pakistan are going through many problems, ranging from the unresolved issue of textbooks to budgetary concerns.
What is essential to point out is that both school going and out-of-school children suffer from the system in some respect. The unresolved issue of textbooks, specifically that of Pakistan Studies and Islamic Studies, is one, despite the fact that concern has been raised by some academicians and researchers. If syllabus is not updated and made relevant to the changing times, there would be no end to cultivation of misconceptions on many topics in minds of school children, which in some cases could have long-lasting effects. In his message to the US Congress, the then president, John F Kennedy said, “A child miseducated is a child lost.” That very wise message unfortunately fits the state of education in Pakistan. It is a very unfortunate state that Pakistan confronts of “ghost teachers, ghost schools and out-of-school children.”
Nonetheless, one of the failures of dealing with issues is ignoring the failure. The Millennium Development Goal that set the target of achieving 88 percent of literacy rate by the end of 2015 has failed, as the prevailing literacy rate of Pakistan is 58 percent. Later, another policy was framed, and there is of course nothing wrong in taking the next step towards attainment of a goal. What remains more important is critically looking into the matter, questioning, finding out reasons of failure and then moving forward. Moreover, the process of checks and balances plays a great role in any initiative, but unfortunately certain points remain neglected.
Where do the large number of out-of-school children go and what do they do? The presence of a huge number of child labourers who suffer many problems including sexual abuse is one of the answers to the question. To help their families meet ends, most of these children opt for labour. Given the high percentage of poverty, saying goodbye to school and finding a place for work is sometimes the only option available for children from low-income families.
On the other hand, 35,337 madrassas in different parts of Pakistan have the enrollment of about 3.5 million students. Poor families that are unable to afford expenses of a regular school find madrassas more suitable for their children. A great number of children in madrassas face the risk of indoctrination that has little or nothing to do with the true teachings of religion. Intolerance and bigotry become a way of life for these children who are shown a very regressive and narrow-minded view of the world.
Additionally, some localities that have dominance of criminal elements become magnets for out-of-school children. These abysmal circumstances affect minds of young children, forcing them into a lifestyle that has short and long-term repercussions that are harmful not just for them but for society on the whole.
Another issue is that of age, as out-of-school children in their teens are unable to start school from the primary level. With the purpose of bridging the gap, establishment of vocational training centres is what is needed to provide opportunities for teenagers who are unable to have regular schooling. These centres train teenagers in learning of a skill, such as making furniture, computer literacy, designing, painting, electric work etc. Moreover, acquiring of skills empowers them to make an independent living. Rural population of Pakistan is in dire need of skill learning, as a large part of our population still lives in villages.
It is to be noted that social issues in a society are connected to each other. For example, unemployment and poverty are contributing factors in producing an alarming number of out-of-school children. Therefore, with the aim of controlling and thoroughly eradicating the challenging menaces, it is necessary that the root cause be confronted. Provincial governments, and their respective education departments must work to make ‘ghost schools’ functional, and to train teachers who are able to impart education as per the requirements of 21st century.
Prioritising the education sector by proper investment in financial and human resources would prove to be a great short and long-term solution. Considering the mage projects that are taking place all over Pakistan, there does not appear to be any paucity of funds. What is required now is the right intention and the will to make the dream of making Pakistan a literate country a reality.
The writer is a freelance columnist