Owing to the given situation, it can be concluded that the mere adoption of laws is not the only solution.
ISLAMABAD: Provision of basic education facilities has always been the top priority of developed countries for sustainable socioeconomic growth. On the other hand, developing countries are also marching on the same track but at a comparatively slow pace.
Pakistan is also amongst these countries, where a lot of commitments have been made to address the issues of access, equity and quality of education at all levels. Article 25-A of the Constitution that entitles the right of education to every child between five to 16 years of age is one of the remarkable milestones in this regard. International advocacy programmes, including the Millennium Development Goal 2 and Education for All are also focused on the development of education through achieving universal primary education and ensuring zero dropout rates at the primary level.
However, despite all these obligations and pledges, Pakistan’s education system still depicts a grim picture. According to the latest figures from the Annual Status of Education Report, 21 per cent of children between five and 16 years of age are still out of school due to lack of infrastructure and qualified staff, poverty, migration, floods, security and other related issues. The quality of education, especially at the primary level, has also been consistently declining, which is greatly affecting the basic reading, speaking and writing skills of schoolchildren, especially for English and Urdu languages. The report reveals that only 48 per cent and 50 per cent of class five students in urban areas can read basic sentences in English and Urdu/Pashto/Sindhi, respectively. The situation is much worse in rural areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan.
Owing to the given situation, it can be concluded that the mere adoption of laws is not the only solution. There is a need for relevant education departments and other stakeholders to implement policies in compliance with national and international commitments. In this realm, girls’ education should be promoted at all levels through gender sensitive media and advocacy campaigns to endorse women development in the country. Moreover, to address the declining standards, especially at the level of primary schooling, capacity building of pre-service and in-service teachers should be given special attention.
Amina Sarwar
Published in The Express Tribune, January 23rd, 2014.
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