AT a local school in a village, a fourth-grade girl student has been absent from class for many days. One day she reappears. Class teacher asks her why she was absent for so long. Her answer leaves the teacher speechless: “My elder brother, who does not allow me to attend school, was at home. Now that he has gone to a city for work, I’m here to resume my studies.”
Although this is a story of a local village, the similar scenario, with a few exceptions, prevails throughout the country, particularly in less developed areas. Hence, it is unsurprising that Pakistan recently topped the global list of out-of-school children. Half of the 5-16 years age group children, about 23 million, are out of school. This situation is particularly concerning given Pakistan’s burgeoning youth population.
This is despite the provision of Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan which declares that all five-to-16-year-olds should have free access to education. Introduced as a part of the 18th constitutional amendment in 2010, this article makes 10 years of education a basic right of every citizen and is included in the section on fundamental rights in the Constitution.
It means every child should get at least ten years of education, regardless of whether they desire it or not, and whether they can afford it or not. However, since the promulgation of this article, successive governments, especially the provincial governments, as education is now a provincial entity under the mentioned amendment, have made no sincere efforts in its implementation.
Vocational education is lacking in the country. Personal finance and money management, which are essential aspects of daily life, are not taught in schools. The inclusion of such topics in the curriculum can aid students in preparing for real-world financial situations. It is necessary because Pakistan, which is struggling with economic challenges, finds it hard to provide job opportunities to new graduates, who want to enter the job market annually. Presently, over 31% of university graduates are unemployed.
However, the government cannot be solely held responsible for this situation. Many families, grappling with economic hardships, are reluctant to send their children to school. Instead, they often send them to workshops or involve them in labour to contribute to the family’s income. Ruthless poverty shatters their aspirations of acquiring education. According to Sigmund Freud, a neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, “Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.” In this context, children are rarely given the opportunity to express their feelings, as their self-expression is frequently suppressed.
Teachers, particularly in government schools, exhibit authoritarian behavior towards students and try to silence any dissenting voices. Incognizant of the fact that respect and love must be earned, they demand it as a right from their students. Additionally, intelligent students may face mental persecution on account of their oddity. Perhaps this is the reason why our education system often produces dogmatists, extremists, and intolerant individuals. Freud’s insight reminds us of the long-lasting impact of unexpressed emotions, emphasizing the long-term importance of fostering an environment where children can freely articulate their feelings and experiences.
Furthermore, the use of corporal punishment has caused many students to drop out of school or refuse to attend altogether. Despite the ban on corporal punishment, its unbridled use remains common in educational institutions. Research has shown that children learn faster through love than through punishment. Additionally, the fear of punishment instills the fear of taking risks in children and compels them to seek shortcuts. Consequently, it is not uncommon for such a system to produce individuals with an inferiority complex.
The current education system of Pakistan, like that of most other countries, encourages competition in the classroom. While this promotes diligence among the students and brings well-talented individuals to the fore, the emotions it generates are often negative. It produces feelings of hostility and ruthlessness. Instead of fostering cooperation, the system tends to promote individuality in students.
The concept of competition echoes the Darwinian principle of ‘survival of the fittest’. One can hardly expect such an individual to work for the welfare of society which, being an organic whole, demands cooperation and organization. Moreover, the obsession with ranking first in the class often leads to over-education in the student. This erodes, in most cases, the intellectual and physical health of the student. It also stifles imagination in them, not to mention the subsequent lack of social capital.
In addition to the aforementioned issues, several other factors contribute to the dismal state of education in Pakistan. These include lack of participation and interest of parents, inadequate education budgets, insufficient infrastructure, schools located far from homes, inadequate admission campaign by the education authorities, child labour, cultural taboos surrounding the girls’ education and the persistence of feudalism, among others.
To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, which is also a part of SDG 4, all the stakeholders, especially the government, teachers and parents, should play their role so that all children of age 5-16 years attend school. Investment in education yields great dividends, and for Pakistan to prosper, it must invest in its children.
—The writer is a serving as a lecturer in KP government.
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