Post-2015: Experts urge govt to give priority to education

Discuss country’s education woes at roundtable.


News Desk January 23, 2015
With a literacy rate of 60% and a severe gender disparity, participants at the conference urged the state to focus on a development agenda that looks beyond 2015. PHOTO: AFP

Youth activists, parliamentarians and experts have urged the government to formulate a national plan to ensure a framework for education following the deadline of the Millennium Development Goals.

This was done so in a conference by the Pakistan Coalition for Education in collaboration with Beydaar Society.

The conference’s inaugural session featured youth activists from across the country debating the post-2015 education agenda. The inaugural session was chaired by Shiza Fatima, a member of the parliament and prominent politician.

Pakistan has zero chance of meeting any MDGs on education. With a literacy rate of 60% and a severe gender disparity, participants at the conference urged the state to focus on a development agenda that looks beyond 2015.

The conference also featured a panel discussion which took into account the perspectives of prominent civil society experts representing various organisations. “We need to take initiative, and the youth of Pakistan can help with ensuring that the educational system of this nation is transformed” remarked Farkhanda Aurangzeb, the director of Aurat Foundation.

“Women empowerment is tantamount to ensuring quality education for all. We must teach our girls and ensure that they are part of the workforce,” stated Maryam Bibi, the executive director of KhwendoKor, an organisation working on female empowerment in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Government representatives present at the conference included Dr. Saleem Ullah, head of the Right to Education Implementation Wing at the Capital Administration and Development Division. He remarked that the state was working towards ensuring that children receive quality education, but state institutions face major hurdles such as budget deficits, a system that is overly reliant on bureaucracy and poor oversight mechanisms.

The conference took into account the nature of how various neighboring countries have been interpreting the post-2015 education strategy, such as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — all of whom boast higher literacy rates and learning outcomes than Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2015.

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