Education should be one of the fundamental rights granted to every human being as it is the source through which every society can tread on the path towards development. For a nation striving towards progressive and meritocratic ideals, quality education must be available to all with equal opportunity.
Unfortunately, in Pakistan, the deteriorating condition of our education system has, directly and indirectly, led to stagnation in our various institutions. Hindrance in the progression of education is the consequence when privilege comes into play. One of the biggest problems we have is within the Public-school sector, which is the primary source of schooling for those that cannot afford high-cost Private schools. The private/public divide in educational institutes makes it so that the elite go to good quality private schools with exorbitant charges. In contrast, the lower classes go to the cheap and low-quality government schools. It would not be an exaggeration to refer to the conditions of the Public school system in Pakistan as dreadful, evidenced by factors such as lack of basic technology, computer labs, and labs for scientific study.
Other than the lack of infrastructure, the curriculum taught is also outdated and somewhat dogmatic. The public school sector is plagued by a lack of integration between the traditional and the modern syllabus, including very Orthodox teaching methods in certain institutions. Problems also exist due to inadequate funding of the public school sector, which provides fewer opportunities for the students to receive a quality education. Gender discrimination is another prevalent issue that’s highlighted by the fact that Pakistan is a country where the majority of out of school children are girls. All these harsh realities combine to make public school education subpar compared to Private school education, thus making quality education a commodity in Pakistan that is only accessible to those who have the means to pay for it.
This difference in the quality of education leads to disparity in job opportunities between individuals of different schooling systems, which fuels resentment. There is a need for the realization that the right of education precedes any class, gender, or ethnic divide. There is a lot to be done in terms of improving the education system and furthering its evolution. Still, the primary method through which things can advance is by ensuring that every child gets access to a decent education in Pakistan. Amendments must be made on a government level, but this duty also befalls the privileged among us, to take responsibility for making education accessible to the less privileged.
Much like the educational system at large, the current school curriculum is weighed down by old biases and narratives. The content and structure of the curriculum used are more or less the same as they have always been. We have not allowed for any meaningful progression over the years, if we want our youth to develop the capability of critical thinking and rationalization the ways of teaching and providing education must change to meet the standards of modern society. Once quality education is made available to all members of a nation, then and only then can it develop and prosper.
Written by Muhammad Huzaifa
About the Author
Hello Everyone, My name is Muhammad Huzaifa. I am from Lahore, Pakistan. I like to read and sometimes write a bit. I am a third year dental student. Although dentistry was not my first choice but I have grown used to it. I am treading on this eventful path that they call life. Lets see where the road takes me
The Author has a very beautiful and unique way of writing style. A very beautiful description of our current education system.