A bleak future?

Crisis abound, Education Minister Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar warned that Pakistan will face a destiny like Greece in a decade’s time. His remarks were made at the International Conference on Transforming Economic Development: Policies and Strategies on November 22 at Karachi University. He, along with other prominent figures, prescribed that unless Pakistan revises its strategic policies and focuses on equity and equality for the rich and poor alike, the country’s economy will collapse. The angle of education taken to address the economy of Pakistan is pragmatic and prudent. The nexus of education and economy is in making investments to impart quality education to students who will be in leadership roles. If equipped with a strong educational foundation and trained in logic, sound decision-making and employing evidence-based practices, they can salvage Pakistan’s economy.

It is cliche to lament Pakistan’s melange of issues but the pitfalls are no less real. Notwithstanding our November 21 editorial on declining poverty, the cycle of struggle will continue for the approximately 30 per cent to 40 per cent of population that lives below the poverty line. An analogy is drawn between the prospects of students from families that can afford private education versus those who are only able to send their children to unreliable government schools. Government figures, instead of complaining about the conundrums the country faces, would be better suited to executing plans to assuage those problems. While our money-minded culture, with people infatuated with having stakes in stocks and businesses small or large-scale, might project an image of some economic independence or autonomy, conference attendees correctly alluded that we are far from being self-sufficient. An urgent order of business is to correct the economic policies in place to promote equity and equality for all in the public sphere and facilitate steady growth.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2016.

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