With almost 25 million children are out of school
TURBAT: Pakistan is a country with a growing population. A recently-published report identified Pakistan as the sixth-most populated country of the world. And as a result of the country’s increasing population, its educational crisis has only deepened.
The number of out-of-school children in the country is worryingly high. A report mentioned that Pakistan is a nation where almost 25 million children are out of school. Seventy-five per cent girls are said to be out of school because there are few girls’ schools near their homes.
On the other hand, government schools do not provide transportation facilities, while private transporters ask for high fees. In these circumstances, how can the poor afford to send their children to schools?
The infrastructure of many schools in the country is also in a depressing state. In Balochistan alone, 2,200 schools are without proper buildings. The number of such schools is on the rise which has eventually increased the number of out-of-school children in the province.
We, as a nation, are far from prosperity for we value the other unnecessary things more than education. As it was a matter of serious discussion in the provincial assembly of Punjab that the funds approved for bringing about educational reforms by the Sharif government were spent on other projects in the province but not on education. Balochistan’s education is next to nothing and the province is also called the home of Pakistan’s out-of-school children.
It seems mainstreaming education has been a big hurdle for our successive governments. Both the provincial and federal governments should work together to ensure that our children are enrolled in schools, as this will not only benefit them personally but the country as a whole.
Ali Jan Maqsood
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2018.
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