Our decision to do so was based on your ambitions for spreading education in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Much has been said about your impending arrival as the Prime Minister of the country.
For the past 22 years, your struggle has been based on the promise of bringing about a sweeping change for Pakistan, and last month, the country rose to your call. We were among the young people who, since the dawning of our political conscience, voted for you and cheered you on. Our decision to do so was based on your ambitions for spreading education in Pakistan.
I write to you on behalf of a group of entrepreneurs who have spent the good part of the last decade struggling for the improvement of education in the country. We have travelled through the length and breadth of Pakistan, staying in small towns and villages, living, farming and talking to our fellow countrymen, in a bid to understand what needs to be done in order to improve education and its perception in the country.
As of now, there is still a lot that remains to be improved. Nearly 22.5 million children are out of school. Those that are in school exhibit stunted learning levels; primary education in public schools leaves only 46% of children with the ability to read grade-2 writing in local languages.
But there is certainly hope. Mobile phone uptake is increasing at unprecedented levels across the country. 69% of rural households now have access to a mobile phone.
In response to the rapid uptake of mobile phones, we have utilised technology to give a highly engaging, localised education to thousands of children across Pakistan. Our work has been recognised by the Queen of England, and our app now includes subscribers from not only Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar, but also from towns such as Ormara, Pasni, Shadiwal, Bannu and Karak, making the dream of providing world class education to every child in our nation seem like an achievable reality.
In your tenure, the time to take this revolution to new highs will have arrived in full force. By 2020, about 50% of Pakistanis are expected to own smartphones, enabling your government to deliver education to millions across the nation.
We have toiled to build a Naya Pakistan before your tenure, and will continue to do so during your tenure too. Our services, expertise and products are hence at your disposal, should you wish to utilise them to deliver quality education across Pakistan.
Haroon Yasin
Published in The Express Tribune, August 20th, 2018.
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