KARACHI:
Pakistan’s education problem is often talked about in terms of what’s taught. The real issue is not the curriculum, but how the system is run. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024-25, about 60 per cent of people can read and write. There’s a big gap between men and women. About 68 per cent of men can read and write compared to 52 per cent of women. The UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2026 says over 25 million children aged 5-16 are not in school. This is a problem.
The way education is funded is also a concern. UNICEF Pakistan says education spending is 1-2 per cent of GDP. This is much lower than the benchmark of 4-6 per cent. Most of the money goes to salaries, leaving little for infrastructure, materials or teacher training. The issue is not just that we’re not spending enough, but that we’re not spending it wisely.
The way governance is structured also weakens the system. After the 18th constitutional amendment, education was given to provinces to manage. There wasn’t a strong system to coordinate and hold them accountable. Plans are made, but they’re not carried out well.
Administrative failures are clear. Many public schools lack facilities. Weak monitoring allows problems like teacher absenteeism to continue. These are management failures, not curriculum failures. Even the best curriculum can’t work without teachers, infrastructure or oversight.
Teacher quality is also a concern. Recruitment is often based on politics, training is inadequate, and professional development is limited. So, it’s not the curriculum design but the lack of capacity and institutional support. This leads to a learning crisis.
In this context, focusing on curriculum reform seems misplaced. Curriculum works within a system. If the system is weak, even the best content has no impact. Rewriting textbooks without fixing governance problems is leading nowhere.
Meaningful reform requires a focus on structure. We need accountability, better financial management, merit-based appointment and data-driven policy implementation. Without these, educational reform will be symbolic.
Pakistan’s education crisis is not a curriculum failure. It’s a failure of governance. Until governance is strengthened and accountability is enforced, the system will continue to underperform. No matter how often the curriculum is revised, it won’t make a difference.
Syed Tahir Rashdi
Shahdadpur
