Human power - a real asset, subject to appreciation (not depreciation) with the passage of time is considered as a kingpin for national progress and prosperity particularly in the case of the developing world. Having a cursory look at the past, it becomes crystal clear that Japan - after the second world war survived only because its human capital was intact in spite of the fact that its physical capital was totally smashed.
Human capital made wonders when it helped China to become a potential super power and enabled it to sustain the growth rate at an unprecedented high ie 10% in the last six years.
Human resources proved to play a pivotal role in the Herculean task of reconstructing war-torn countries. Although investment in people has a longer gestation period yet it has the highest social and private rate of return. Recent developments in the world are displaying the fact that man is making possible what was impossible in the past. It is fait accompli that human resources has no substitute. Human capital is gaining immense significance in the days we are living and it will be a sine qua non for national growth and development in the days we have to live.
But the situation at home is abysmal, gloomy and dismal. According to the human development index 2003 that is composed of three elements per capita income, life expectancy and literacy rate, Pakistan is ranked at number 144 against India at number 127 and Bangladesh at number 139. According to the 1991 HDI Pakistan was at number 120 and in HDI 1997 Pakistan stood at number 139.
Education in our case has been the most neglected field. We have a handful number of primary schools ie 164235 and primary teachers are 335000 in total. We have only 92 universities in all segregated into 50 in the public sector and 42 in the private sector.
Our expenditure on education has been traditionally very low in comparison with the other sector and in comparison with other countries the table provided below will make the things more clear.
We are fulfilling our defence requirements at the cost of human development. We have involved ourselves in an arms race.
The very purpose of becoming a nuclear power at the cost of political, economic and national sovereignty was to have the minimum defence deterrence that we gained. Now indulging in a conventional arms race is like crying for the moon and flogging a dead horse.
Now the use of weapons has become irrelevant to the settlement of disputes within nations. The recent experience in Iraq and Afghanistan suggests that the use of arms is no more a viable option to conquer nations. Now the war between nations is taking economic and intellectual dimensions.
The situation on the health side is also not encouraging. According to 2001 statistics there were only 907 hospitals in the country. Number of dispensaries was 4625. Registered doctors in total were 96248 and nurses were 40019 in all.
The frustrating situation of human resource in Pakistan is the direct result of the imbalanced resource allocation. In our case the balance has been traditionally in favour of the non-productive expenditure of defence and general administration. No serious effort has been made so far to address the concerns of human resource development. The table provided below will expose the situation of resource allocation.
Our mistreated education sector has been the victim of paucity of funds, gender gap, regional disparity, urban bias, stratification, bureaucratic hurdles and politicisation. Now the government should try to change its lot through community participation, engaging NGOs, promoting private public partnership, funds, professional management at all levels, encouraging research and development and rooting out the role of politicians in the system.
The Social Action Programme of (SAP) of the government that focuses on promoting productivity, education, population welfare, rural development, health and nutrition should be made more proactive and practical.
The foreign PhD scheme is an appreciable move by the government and it should continue until the massive overhauling of the sector. The secret of the future is concealed in promoting human resource development.
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Particulars 1st plan 2nd plan 3rd plan Non-plan period 5th plan 6th plan 7th plan 8th plan
Education *4.71% 4.34% 4.24% 4.55% 3.69% 5.95% 7.91% 1.63%
Human
development 0.00% 0.09% 1.06% 1.08% 0.39% 0.70% 1.07% 2.03%
*% of total expenditure
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Resource allocation World Developing countries India Pakistan
Education as a % of economy 4.8 % 4.1 % 3.2 % 2.7 %
Health as a % of economy 5.3 % 2.7 % 0.8 % 0.7 %
Defence spending as a % of economy 2.3 % 2.7 % 3.0 % 4.5 %
Education and health as a % of Defence 440 % 252 % 133 % 75 %
Defence as a % of Budget 11 % 15 % 15 % 24 %
*statistics pertain to 2002
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