In Human development Report
Pakistan is placed at 136th position for having just 49.9% educated population.
In addition to that, Pakistan is ranked at 113th out of 120 registered UN
members according to the research conducted by UNESCO. Some of the very basic
flaws of the education system in Pakistan contribute to the economic, ethnic and
sociopolitical crisis within the country.
Firstly, the education system of Pakistan is based on unequal lines. Medium of
education is different in both, public and private sector. This creates a sort
of disparity among people, dividing them into two segments. Such a distraught
infrastructure is a basic cause of high illiteracy rate in Pakistan and high
dropout rates in rural areas and public school.
Secondly, regional disparity is also a major cause. The schools in Baluchistan
(the largest province of Pakistan by Area) are not that much groomed as that of
Punjab (the largest province Of Pakistan by Population). In FATA, the literacy
rate is deplorable constituting 29.5% in males and 3% in females.
The third major cause of flawed education system in Pakistan is gender
discrimination. The current primary school ratio of boys and girls is 10:4,
which is a cause of huge concern. For the last few years there has been an
increase in the growth of private schools. It is believed that Pakistan is among
the most prominent states affected by gender discrimination. That not only harms
the quality of education in Pakistan but create a gap among haves and have nots.
Fourthly, the lack of technical education is a biggest flaw in the education
policy that has never been focused before. Therefore, less technical people
means low standard of education.
Fifthly, the allocation of funds for education is very low. It is only 1.5 to
2.0 percent of the total GDP. It should be around 7% of the total GDP. At that
budget allocation, the illiteracy rate in Pakistan would not decrease but rather
increase. The federal and provincial governments need to cut down their
expenditures in other areas and spend a bigger proportion of income on
education.
Moreover, the quality of education in most of the public schools and colleges is
well below par; the teachers in government schools are not well trained. People
who do not get job in any other sector, they try their luck in educational
system. They are not professionally trained teachers so they are unable to train
a nation. Quality of teaching needs special attention in rural areas where the
teachers lack in all departments.
In America, Europe and most of the developed countries, the emphasis of the
states is on developing virtual education systems i.e. provision of education
through online networks. The idea of online education is gathering momentum and
many online institutions have been set up which offer online courses and online
degrees. The Higher Education Commission and Education ministry need to focus on
developing a strong online education network so that students throughout the
country can benefit. Universities such as Harvard, Berkley and MIT are offering
online courses and degrees. It reflects the importance of online education in
today's modern high tech world.
Finally, Poverty is also another factor that restricts the parents to send their
children to public or private schools. So, they prefer to send their children to
Madrassas where education is totally free. The government has to make changes to
financial infrastructure to improve the situation. Bank loans for education
purposes should not be interest based as it discourages the people of Pakistan
to acquire loans. Education loans are offered at low rates throughout the world
and it enable people to acquire quality education.
Social awareness regarding all these issues need to be spread and we, the people
of Pakistan have to work hand in hand with the government authorities to improve
the current system. Our children should not be deprived of their basic right to
acquire knowledge.
All these issues contribute to high illiteracy rate, which in turn result in
economic crisis in shape of high unemployment rate and below-par quality of
labor. Moreover, the country suffers on social, political and technological
front! There are hundred other problems which need attention but the core-issues
need to be addressed as soon as possible. You can read my article Pakistan's
Educational System which is an overview of the education infra-structure within
the country.
In today's world, the benchmark for excellence in education. Moreover, if a
country has a distraught academic infrastructure, the chances to survive in
current competitive world are petite. The illiteracy rate in Pakistan is
alarmingly high which calls for critical attention. The federal and provincial
governments need to work together towards elimination of flaws of education
system in Pakistan.