In a report released on Tuesday, the State Bank of Pakistan has revealed some distressing details about the education scene, reminding the government that its aim of reducing poverty through sustainable growth accelerating strategy can succeed only if it focuses on providing poor families' children access to quality education.
It makes the unsurprising observation that "the state of basic education in Pakistan portrays a dismal picture, characterised by a high illiteracy rate, low primary and secondary school enrolment, high drop-out rates and poor quality of education delivered."
What is rather surprising is the report's finding that the main issue regarding the failure of basic education system is not parental opposition to education, even of girls, but the inability of the system to respond to express needs. When quality is poor, teachers are absent and illiteracy persists in spite of schooling, it says, then parents withdraw their children.
Those who can afford prefer to send their children even to a poor quality but functioning private school.
This is a truthful and, clearly, a damning description of the public sector school system.
The SBP report, further reveals how many of the government schools are run under subhuman conditions.
In a country where summer temperatures can easily soar to middle and upper 40s on the Celsius scale, 71 percent of the schools have no electricity and hence no fans; and 40 percent are without drinking water.
Disregarding an important human need, 57 percent do not bother to provide lavatories and 15 percent actually function under the open sky, without any protection for the little children from the vagaries of seasons.
When things are as bad as these, it matters little that 52 percent of the government-run schools have no boundary walls.
In short, poor quality of education together with harsh physical conditions discourages children from acquiring basic education.
Clearly, our planners have had skewed priorities. Even though successive governments have been making tall promises of achieving hundred percent literacy, they have been continually shifting the target date for the achievement of that goal.
The deadline was finally fixed for them under the UN's 'Education for All' call. Still, as the SBP report shows, no worthwhile effort is on to bring about a rapid change in the situation.
Last December, a global monitoring report had pointed out that Pakistan was lagging behind in achieving its target of Education for All by 2015. Which should serve as a timely warning.
The budgetary allocations to this vital sector, as noted by the SBP report, are only 1.7 percent of the GDP - the lowest in the whole of South Asia. It recommends that the amount be gradually increased to three percent of the GDP over the next three years. If the country is to follow the minimum standard set by UNESCO, the figure should be four percent.
That may seem undoable in view of the usual complaints of resource constraints, but things have improved quite a bit in that respect. During the last one year or so the government has received considerable financial help from international donors, and the US has actually earmarked a sizeable amount for the education sector reform.
This should help in upgrading public sector schools and meeting the Education for All target in another 11 year's time. One hopes the government will pay serious attention to the SBP report and its recommendations.
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