‘Centre to unroll uniform education system in country’

At KLF inauguration, education minister, others highlight the dismal state of education in Pakistan

KARACHI: The federal government plans to unroll a uniform education system across the country, with the provinces sharing the same system next year, announced Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood at the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF).

Though the 11th edition of the famed literary festival is themed ‘Across Continents: How the World Travels,’ many of the speakers at its inauguration turned their attention to education instead as the three-day festival kicked off on Friday. Despite the fear of coronavirus, crowds of students, writers, academics, journalists, diplomats and foreigners thronged the sessions at the Beach Luxury Hotel.

Quoting a World Bank report, Mahmood highlighted that 75 per cent of students who had spent five years in school could still not read or write. “Access to schools is an issue as well, but there are students who stop going to school after they are 10 years of age. This is because of poverty,” he pointed out. “We know why parents avoid sending their children to school.”

As a result, he said, the government had sanctioned a budget of Rs10 billion for skills education, adding that 120,000 people would receive training at different institutions next year.

Mahmood urges steps to end educational inequality

Oxford University Press Pakistan managing director Arshad Saeed Hussain, focusing on the impact of education on the nation’s development, pointed out that 53 million Pakistani children aged 10 could not read or write, while 25 million children were not enrolled in schools. Of those who were enrolled, half dropped out at a young age, he added.

“Whose responsibility is this? According to the Constitution, the state is responsible,” he asserted, adding that all those who were aware of the dire state of education in the country were responsible as well.

Meanwhile, author and historian William Dalrymple, in his keynote speech, said it was incredible that literature festivals were attracting crowds even when the habit of reading was dying and the publishing industry was in trouble. “KLF is clearly evidence that books still matter.”

Highlighting the rich literary past of the Sub-Continent, he said that historically, there had been storytellers in villages across the region. In Bhit Shah, he narrated, he had seen people from every segment of society, showing that there was a widespread inclination towards the arts and literature.

Bringing together great minds: Literature festivals bridge gap between Karachi and Manchester

The second keynote speaker, Urdu short story writer and playwright Zaheda Hina, used her speech to lambast censorship. “Censorship against writers and journalists is not a new phenomenon in this region,” she pointed out, adding that even internet users did not enjoy the freedom of expression. “If [the rulers] do not like a writer, they are killed.”

Winning the appreciation of Karachiites at the inauguration, foreign envoys tentatively tried out their grasp of Urdu. “Assalam-o-alaikum, shukriya and biryani,” said the US consulate public affairs officer Jason Green as he began his speech, drawing a laugh from the crowd.

“Meri Urdu bohot kharab hai [my Urdu is terrible],” apologised Dr Christian Turner, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan. “Kitabein bohot ehm hain [books are very important],” he went on. He stressed the need to invest in education, as well as to encourage women in obtaining an education.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 29^th, 2020.