INTERNATIONAL Literacy Day was observed on September 8 under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to underline the necessity for expanded literacy and educational opportunities. In his message on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while describing education as the backbone of the society said the government is implementing a comprehensive plan to integrate technology into the education system to prepare the younger generation for success in the digital economy. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said her Government is undertaking historical and innovative steps for the provision of ease in access to education.
There is no doubt that education is directly linked to the overall socio-economic progress of a country and, therefore, the commitment of the leadership to promote education augurs well for the nation. Notably, the Prime Minister has already declared an education emergency in view of the fact that 25.3 million children aged 5 to 16 in Pakistan are out of school, representing 36% of the school-age population. The focus of the PM on technological literacy is also understandable as he successfully implemented the laptop scheme for students, supported computer labs in all educational institutions and now his Government is cooperating with Google to promote IT learning. Similarly, the Punjab Government is also implementing a number of initiatives to promote education like “Chief Minister’s School Nutrition Programme”, laptop scheme and liberal scholarships. However, there are serious questions about the ongoing process of handing over thousands of schools to NGOs. The intentions of the Government are pious but in the given system and culture there are genuine apprehensions about success of the experiment and instead low income families would be deprived of opportunities to impart education to their children. Instead of privatization, performance of the public sector schools can be improved a lot by proper training of teachers, provision of necessary resources and facilities and prevention of misuse of teachers for duties other than their professional responsibilities. Apart from primary education, the Government should also focus on improving the quality of the higher education as indigenous research and development plays a crucial role in bringing about an economic revolution.
