Substandard schooling

The current state of education in Pakistan is a matter of grave concern, with indicators backsliding compared to the broader region, cash-strapped governments failing to provide the necessary investment, and many private providers taking advantage of the public sector's problems by overcharging for a low-quality product. With approximately 25 million children out of school and a literacy rate of only 60 per cent, it is evident that significant reforms are necessary to improve the education landscape in the country.

While the recent federal Education Task Force meeting appears to have prioritised increasing funding, enrollment and the overall literacy rate, there is still the problem of quality. There is a reason why most Pakistani employers require university degrees for jobs that only require school diplomas in other countries - even our best high schools do not prepare students for what to expect in the workforce. While better facilities are a part of improving education quality, there is no substitute for quality teachers. Putting billions into laptops while teachers struggle to make ends meet is a reflection of our broken system. The priority on this front must be teachers' salaries and training.

Better federal-provincial coordination is also needed because the promised benefits of devolution under the 18th Amendment have been undercut by duplication of work in some areas and lack of synergy in others. Not only does this leave gaps in quality and facilities, it wastes precious funds. It is worth noting that the task force was reportedly informed that the federal government, provinces and international partners could pool together about Rs75 billion combined to address the out-of-school children challenge. If such funding can be realised, the first show of whether or not Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta can work together will be how the money is distributed and spent.