Zubair Qureshi
Education in Pakistan is a subject of prime national importance as there can possibly be no two opinions about the fact that education is integral to the prosperity of our country.
These views were expressed by senior journalist ZarrarKhuhro while moderating the webinar “Pakistan, Education & Agenda 2030”organized by Pakistan Youth Change Advocates (PYCA).
Panelists of the webinar included members of the Punjab Assembly Uzma Kardar and Bushra Anjum Butt, senior journalist Quatrina Hosain and PYCA’s Executive Director Areebah Shahid.
Areebah Shahid while sharing the findings of PYCA’s recently published white paper titled “Public Investment in Education: An Appraised of SDG 4” pointed out that SDG-4 talks about equitable education for all and the whitepaper.
She noted that the education departments/ministries and the SDG secretariats across the country were working in isolation. Owing to this challenging scenario, Pakistan is yet to devise a mechanism that would allow the progress made under SDG-4 to be effectively gauged.” She also shared that the targets that Pakistan had set for itself under SDG-4 and the actual areas where education budgets were being allocated and spent did not have much in common.Speaking about the role of the opposition in furthering the education agenda, PML-N’s MPA Bushra Anjum Butt said that Pakistan’s education dilemma could not be addressed in isolation.
We require strong coordination between governmental departments, between the NGOs, and between the provinces.”
Quatrina Hosain urged the state to declare an education emergency throughout the country. “We need to have an emergency declared for education. This should be followed by each MNA and MPA taking the responsibility of monitoring the schools in their respective constituencies.
