PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday declared an ‘Education Emergency’ across Pakistan in order to enrol around 26 million out-of-school children. He told a gathering of federal ministers, parliamentarians, vice-chancellors, diplomats and development partners at the National Conference on Education Emergency that the government wanted to promote literacy to make the country regain its lost space and develop it as one of the most educated societies in the world.
There is no denying the fact that education plays a crucial role in building human capabilities and accelerates economic growth and therefore, the initiative of the Prime Minister to declare an education emergency is in line with the vision of his government to transform Pakistan into a modern and prosperous state. We have been hearing for a long time the slogan of bringing millions of out-of-school children to school but the cherished goal remains unfulfilled despite drives launched in the past for the purpose. However, for the first time required focus is laid and energy applied to achieve the target and avowed commitment of the Prime Minister is a guarantee in this regard. The PM has a fully committed and motivated team led by visionary Minister for Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and vibrant and versatile Secretary Education Mohyuddin Wani. That the PM means business is evident from the fact that he has undertaken to personally supervise the campaign to enrol out-of-school children. There are reasons to believe that the goal would be achieved in the shortest possible time as during his tenure as Chief Minister of Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif contributed immensely to bring about a positive change in the educational sector of the province. He laid firm foundations for quality education by introducing a highly transparent and laudable merit-based system of recruitment of teachers, which is acknowledged by his friends and foes alike. As highlighted by the PM, his tenure in Punjab witnessed enhanced enrolment rates, especially for girls, through initiatives like the Zevar Taleem Programme and rescuing 90,000 boys from brick kilns by sending them to schools. The establishment of Danish schools is another feather in his cap as these schools offered free high quality education and boarding to underprivileged children. Appreciably, the PM has already announced a plan aimed at establishing Danish schools in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and remote areas of Balochistan and Sindh to fulfil the aspiration of Quaid-i-Azam’s Pakistan by delivering quality education to children coming from economically disadvantaged families. It is a reality that the subject of education has devolved to provinces after the 18th Amendment in the Constitution and that is why the Prime Minister has underlined their role in achieving targets vis-à-vis enrolment of out-of-school children. Minister for Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has rightly pointed out that the number of out-of-school children (26 million) is more than the population of 150 countries of the world and, therefore, the country cannot afford to close its eyes to this grave challenge. It is hoped that the Minister will ensure thorough and comprehensive coordination with the federating units to make the campaign a real success. It may also be pointed out that Federal Secretary Wani has a track record of evincing keen interest in improving educational infrastructure, quality of education and acquisition of modern skills by students. In line with his vision, he took practical measures for improving lab facilities as well as launching decent transport facilities for girl students and teachers in the federal capital territory. It is also pertinent to mention that during his appointment as Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan, he focused on the often-neglected sectors of education, health and information technology, recognizing that human development was paramount. With this background, one can expect that he will work aggressively to produce results as envisioned by the education emergency. However, we may also point out that the scope of the emergency is limited and it needs to be expanded to include issues like quality education, provision of missing facilities, updating of syllabus and a focus on research and development in our institutions of higher learning. Similarly, the campaign to enrol all out-of-school children would remain an elusive dream if federal and provincial governments do not fulfil their responsibilities towards establishment of educational facilities at the doorsteps of the people.
