Unesco organised, in the year 2000, a world education forum in Senegal with 1,100 participants to adopt a collective commitment of action to attain "education for all by year 2015". Conflicting to the goal set by Unesco; the current literacy rate of Pakistan shows that half of the total population has been surviving without basic educational facilities.
Under such grim state of affairs, achieving "education for all" goal seems to be a distant dream. Because of its incontestable significance; the term literacy is more than the individual's ability of reading, writing and speaking effectively. Actually, literacy is a way to improve the quality of life. It accelerates potency of decision making. It benefits both the individual and society. All in all it has direct relation with the economic growth of a country.
On the contrary, illiteracy is a sole reason for lack of knowledge. It curtails opportunities and money earning skills. An illiterate individual has negligible role to play in country's developmental process. A literate society equips better to cope with new challenges. For example, an agriculturist or a botanist knows in depth about seeds, seedlings, and scientific ways of controlling plant diseases to yield better crops. He has access to new technology to earn more money from harvest as compare to a farmer who follows old traditional ways of farming.
The importance of literacy demands schooling for every child to open up new avenues of opportunities and communications. Educators unanimously agree that social inequality, old beliefs and growing commercialism of educational institutions are three gigantic hurdles in the provision of educational conveniences for all.
The main victims of social discrimination in our society are children and women belong to poor underprivileged families. The sky-scraping cost of education makes it impossible for poverty-stricken children to find place in high standard schools. Acquisition of quality education becomes a far dream and they find little or no opportunity to groom their mental skills. Many children have to abstain from schools because they have to work to support their families.
There is a clear distinction between elite schools and ordinary schools. The former reserve for riches while later offer unsatisfactory educational services for children of low income families. Schools of suburbs and rural areas do not have basic facilities of play grounds, clean drinking water, washrooms and proper school furniture. Class rooms are not properly ventilated while sanitation conditions are defective.
In recent years there has been a noticeable mushroom growth of private schools all over the country. According to a report more than 36000 schools are serving 6.3 million children in Pakistan. There are around 4,500 recognised schools in Karachi whereas 1,500 schools in slum areas are illegal.
As a famous saying goes "Education is a way to fight poverty", low literacy rate of a country links with high rate of poverty. The low earnings family has financial constraints as well as economic burdens, which unable, parents to provide adequate education to their children.
The increasing trend of commercialism of education makes it impossible for many families to cope with the day to day demands of schools. For example, security of students in school is the responsibility of the school management but some schools have demanded money from parents to buy scan cameras and walk through gates to protect students from any terrorist activity.
Every year starts with the distress of parents as schools start collecting advance monthly tuition fees of June and July in the months of January and February respectively. Pakistani middle-class family comprises of average three to four children. If this family spends 1000/-Rs school fees for per child, it becomes difficult and some time impossible to pay 4000/-Rs for each child at the start of every year.
Following the complaints of parents, few months back, Sindh education's directorate of registration and monitoring of private schools had warned schools which have increased tuition fees in mid year. It is impossible for a low-income family to bear the heavy expenses of admission, books and transportation. The total expenditures of schooling are more than tuition fees.
The table of expenditures of a secondary school student clearly shows the dilemma of parents. Several private schools demand extra charges for both curriculum and co-curriculum activities. Sport's day uniform, school's party dress, class room projects and chart making equipment charges are extra burden for parent's pocket.
A junior school has the direction for parents to buy costumes for special events from its recommended shop. It is noticeable that costume for a Montessori child costs at least Rs 2000. News report in 5th November 2008 stated that a father of a student of a junior school lodged a complaint before Sindh Minister of education.
The complaint was about the seizing of security deposit worth Rs 1000 at the time of departure of the student. Private schools owners defy allegations on the basis that fee paying schools provide better facilities and educational materials for learning. Less number of students in each class makes it feasible for teachers to give individual attention to every student.
Strict rules of studies ensure students success in exams, therefore students of private schools get more degrees than public school students. In rural areas gravity of the situation is much higher as the concept of schooling is not fully developed.
The reasons are lack of parent's involvement and cultural obstructions, therefore many children unable to get benefits from educational facilities as compare to the urban children. Parents are against child education, especially girl child, for the reason that it would make their kid rebellion from culture and traditions.
The unwillingness of parents to girl's education is a common problem of developing countries. About two third of illiterate are women around the world. A report states that failure to educate girls cost developing countries $92 billions per year. In Pakistan women occupy 60% of total rural population. Since education offers broadness of mind; to educate a girl is to nurture a healthy society. But parents often devalue this issue.
They view girl child as a commodity and not agree to invest on her education. It is, therefore, responsibility of NGOs and civil society to make parents understand the importance of girl's education. An expert suggest that giving parents incentives such as bag of flour, oil can or cost free education motivate parents to send their girl child to school. To say the least, without firm determination and mutual co-operation the goal of education for all is hard to achieve.
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Admission fees School fees Tuition fees Books Transport
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Rs 30,000 to 45,000/- Rs 5,000 to 10,000/- Rs 3,000/- Rs 5,000/- Rs 1,500/-
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