Pakistan is grappling with a
range of formidable challenges, many of which are linked to the absence of a
viable education system for its impoverished masses. The country is plagued by
widespread illiteracy and substandard pedagogical standards, which are daunting
problems. Despite well-intentioned but largely symbolic measures like the
recent constitutional amendment requiring free primary and secondary education,
education reform task forces, and new education policies, genuine progress has
been elusive. Millions of school-aged children are unable to obtain affordable
schooling, creating fertile ground for religious extremism and the
radicalization of the youth.
A recent report from the
International Crisis Group, titled "Education Reform in Pakistan,"
provides a comprehensive and detailed view of this dire situation. The report
highlights gender disparities, discrepancies in educational access between
urban and rural areas, and the reality that nine million Pakistani children are
not attending school. However, government spending on education remains stuck
at 2% of GDP, the lowest rate in South Asia. The report concludes that Pakistan
is far from reaching the Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal
primary education by 2015.
The Citizens Foundation (TCF) has
taken steps to address this problem. TCF has established 1,000 schools in urban
slums and rural areas that provide quality education to 145,000 boys and girls
from low-income families. The organization has developed an effective school
management model and dispelled the notion that impoverished, uneducated parents
do not value education for their children or that they will not send their
daughters to school. On the contrary, our system has achieved near gender
parity. All 7,700 of our teachers are professionally trained women, which
further encourages the enrollment of girls.
Pakistan needs education reform
on multiple fronts, including changes to the curriculum, better management, and
an end to corruption and tolerance of teacher absenteeism, among many other
problems. However, there are low-hanging fruit that can be tackled first.
Through public-private partnerships such as school adoption programs, sharing
simple ideas to enhance the quality of education, and innovations in curriculum
delivery and teacher training via technology, we can accomplish a great deal.
