The pivotal role of education in the progress of any society cannot be overestimated. Education is the backbone of any country’s system. Despite its significance for any nation, Pakistan is lagging in this sector. According to a study by the World Bank, 23 million people between the ages of 5 and 16 in Pakistan are out of school. The literacy rate of Pakistan is 60.5 %, according to the census of 2023. The District Education Performance Index (DEPIx) presented it report on the current state of Pakistan’s education system last year based on the available data of 134 country districts. The report reflects the grim reality that Pakistan is at 53 out of 100 at the national level, which means “low” on the performance index.

According to the DEPIx report, at the provincial level, Punjab got 61/100, KPK got 55/100, Balochistan got 46/100, and Sindh scored 51/100 in the performance category. The numbers of Punjab and KP bring them to the “medium” category. Similarly, only Islamabad grabbed the “high” category at the district level, while half of the districts got the “low” performance category. There are multiple reasons behind these disappointing statistics.

As stated by the Functionalist Theory of Education, education has manifest and latent functions in a society. The manifest functions are socialisation, transmission of culture, social control, social placement and cultural innovation. The manifest functions elaborate on the role of education in society as it leads to learning social norms, respect for the law, and social mobility from lower to upper class and prepares them for their respective careers. 

Low education budget

Thus, education has a central role in training young minds for their futures. It is said that youngsters are the future of any nation. In the contemporary era of artificial intelligence, Pakistan must prioritise the education department. As per the UNICEF report, Pakistan has one of the lowest budgets, 2.8 of its gross for education.

Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”. An educational degree is a prerequisite for jobs in different sectors, contributing to the country's economic growth. With education, human capital can be prepared to play a constructive role in the country's development in almost all fields. Education is essential for the enlightenment of the minds and for developing a more inclusive society. A society that respects diversity and thrives in it. Unfortunately, Pakistan has faced multiple challenges in achieving its goals in the education department.

First and foremost is the ineffective application of national policies in the education sector. In 2010, under the 18th Amendment, the government enacted Article 25-A, which commits to the free education of every child. It reads, “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law.” 

The education system of Pakistan is inadequate to meet the demands of the increasing population. The lack of public schools in Pakistan has led to the growth of private school systems nationwide. Pakistan has the fifth largest population in the world. The population under the age of 30 is 67%, making Pakistan one of the youngest nations in the world. This youth bulge presents the opportunity to harness their potential and direct their energies towards accelerating the country's development. However, the education system has been unable to utilise the potential of the booming population.

Poverty a factor

The standard and quality of education are also compromised. The public schools are not equipped with basic infrastructure in a time of great technological advancement. In some parts of the country, there is also a shortage of teaching staff. Societal challenges also play a role in keeping children out of school.  Most important is the rampant poverty in the country which forces the parents to put their child to work rather than to school. In addition, gender inequality poses another challenge to the education of girls. 

A  large number of families in rural areas, as well as in some urban areas, still don’t consider the education of girls essential and thus do not send them to school. This trend, however, is on the decline, especially in the urban centers of Pakistan. According to the data presented by the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) in 2022 by Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), 64% of boys were admitted to public schools as compared to only 36% of girls.

The government should put meaningful efforts into improving the current state of education. This can be done by increasing the annual budget allocation for the education sector. This step would facilitate upgrading public schools across the country, organising teacher training programs to meet the changing teaching methodologies, revising and finalising the standard curriculum for all the schools and ensuring up-to-the-mark skills and vocational training.

(The author is a research scholar at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. Views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at tabishmunirkhan@gmail.com).