Rethinking national priorities

Our route to success lies in harnessing untapped potential of 118m women who constitute half of our population

Some time ago the incumbent Indian Prime Minister, addressing a public rally, challenged us to a war — not on the battlefield, but to a battle against poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and the high rates of neonatal and maternal deaths. In a region where sports events evoke intense competitiveness and national pride, we should embrace this challenge with equal enthusiasm. We can claim victory when we not only meet but exceed all our regional neighbours, in significantly improving our people’s standard of living and well-being. To meet this challenge bold decisions are required. We need to refocus our national priorities by placing social upliftment and the welfare of our people at the forefront. Recognising the intrinsic links between security, prosperity and social well-being, we must increase the budgetary allocation to the social sectors as a national security imperative.

Experience from countries in our region that have witnessed remarkable economic growth reveals two significant pathways — successful reduction of population growth rates; and meaningful integration of women into national development. Our route to success lies in harnessing the untapped potential of the 118 million women who constitute half of our population. This entails addressing gender disparities in education, employment and healthcare through substantial structural reforms.

Napoleon famously said: “Give me an educated mother, and I will give you a civilized and educated nation.” Educated girls possess the knowledge and skills necessary to care for themselves and their children. Our high illiteracy and out-of-school rates for girls demand radical measures. An important reform could involve redirecting our social protection programmes to offer conditional cash transfers to ensure that all girls in impoverished households complete secondary education.

Pakistan has a remarkable tradition of philanthropy. It’s time for the government to channel philanthropic efforts towards nation-building, fostering self-reliance instead of dependency. Let us launch a national literacy and skill development programme using philanthropic funds to bring all out-of-school boys and girls into mainstream education. Establishing residential vocational training schools offering free boarding and lodging in each district at the Union Council level could be a major step toward human capital development.

Increasing women’s participation in the labour force is another imperative, requiring revisions to existing industrial laws to enhance the share of women in the job market, ensuring equal remuneration and safe working conditions. We should capitalise on the growth of Pakistani startups and connect educated, unemployed girls to such enterprises. Expanding women’s knowledge base regarding available digital platforms can help in connecting them to prospective employers. Utilising mobile technology, vocational training institutes can train women in their homes in income-generating skills and e-commerce. Marketing our cottage industry products as sustainable economic activities with the lowest carbon footprint will help us tap into the global market. These initiatives can be major game-changers.

A former Director-General of the WHO wisely noted that a nation’s health system is fundamentally flawed if it neglects women’s health needs. The grim statistic of a pregnant woman dying every 40 minutes reflects a failing health system. To rectify this, we must eliminate gender-based inequalities in healthcare by ensuring that all health facilities have adequate female staff and that the health needs of rural women are met at their doorstep by a trained team of Lady Health Workers and Community Midwives.

As we approach the next elections, we hope that party manifestos and public speeches by our leaders unequivocally focus on addressing social issues and express our determination to meet the challenge posed to us. Let us seize the gauntlet and redefine our national priorities, steering towards a more prosperous future for all.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2023.

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