Clearly, we have a long way to go in terms of educating our population and fulfilling the constitutional guarantee.
KARACHI: Education in Pakistan is overseen by the government’s education ministry and the provincial governments, whereas the federal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and in the financing of research. Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan obligates the state to provide free and compulsory education to children between the ages of five and 16. Pakistanis in the 55-64 years age group have a literacy rate of almost 30 per cent, those in the 45-54 years age groups have a literacy rate of nearly 40 per cent, the 25-34 year age group has a literacy rate of 50 per cent and those aged between 15 and 24 years have a literacy rate of 60 per cent.
Moreover, English is fast spreading in Pakistan, with 18 million Pakistanis having a command over the language. On top of that, Pakistan produces about 445,000 university graduates and 10,000 computer science graduates every year. Despite these statistics, Pakistan still has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world and the second largest out-of-school population of children after Nigeria. Clearly, we have a long way to go in terms of educating our population and fulfilling the constitutional guarantee set down by Article 25-A in terms of providing every child of school-going age an education.
Muhammad Rizwan Aftab
Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2013.
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