It is time to exorcise the ghost of the 30,000 schools, and to stop whining about low education funding. It is a sad reality that half of the schools being built here were never completed, and those that were completed were not operated, not due to the lack of funding, but becuase of a lack of management and vision.

Wasn’t it then better for these ghost schools to find new identities as guest houses and animal pens instead of not being used at all? One urban example of this is a huge educational complex in Karachi that has been occupied by military personnel. All complaints about low percentage of GDP for education are unfounded. The numbers tell a separate story:

The 30 per cent that was untilised and observations about diverted funds have been taken from the Ministry of Education (MOE). Funds were not utilised because the bureaucracy managing them has neither the capacity nor the capability to spend such large sums. There are just not enough professionals in finance, management and engineering to do the work there. The education system is full of falt lines, lacking quality in higher education even though there is myopic emphasis for universal primary education. Tabulation for enrolment in 2007-8  indicates:

The 104 per cent enrolment in grade one is of failed students and late-age admissions. The figures show a decline to 29 per cent and 12 per cent for grades 10 and 12.

The figures become more depressing in higher education, with only a minuscule percentage, and that too mostly in art subjects, and not science, management and engineering.

Distance learning is 98 per cent from Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), all arts, and none in science or engineering. Comparative value of degrees from AIOU and some other institutions is another matter to ponder upon, and could be judged from the employability of these art graduates in the private sector.

The age and education level group enrolments become:

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) figures, in comparison, are 29 per cent primary, 44 per cent high school, and 28 per cent university.

The emphasis on primary education is further illustrated through spending values:

The lack of quality and consequent capability are results of a shortage of teachers at all levels. Some 65 per cent of public primary schools are managing with just one or two teachers. The priority of expenditures is for building boundary walls, electricity, and drinking water for rural schools, and not really for teachers. Even Korea, a leader in science and mathematics education, gets English teachers from outside.

We could not produce enough teachers thanks to the lack of good higher education. Inadequate staffing even affects primary education. The quality factor climbs up the education chain; creating a vicious circle of overall low quality for all stages. One indication of the falling quality is the passing ratio for grades 10 to 12 standing at 50 per cent. The medium of instruction of Urdu at 65 per cent, Sindhi at 15.5 per cent, English at 10.4 per cent, Pushto and Balochi at 9.5 per cent all have relevance in this age of global closeness.

Low access to higher education, particularly in science and engineering, seriously hampers the development efforts of the country. Most economic growth and development projects are adversely affected due to a lack of qualified professionals. There are not enough professionals to plan, implement and manage business, projects, infrastructures and factories. Not many graduates from elite higher professional institutions join the bureaucracy, depriving the nation of their talent for serious planning. Countries do not develop on primary education alone. Even our so called graduates have just 14 years of education in comparison to the 16 years in other countries. It requires a mix of various levels of education, and particularly higher education in science, engineering and management, which we seriously lack.

The education effort has not been able to catch up with  the growth of population:

We require regular capacity enhancement, just to maintain the current literacy level. One fallout from the narrow attention towards universal primary education was the neglect of a large population of children, above the primary school-going age. They were not absorbed in the education system, and grew up without any schooling or vocation, and evolved as a very large group of the population, having no education or skills.

Good education is vital for the country’s progress, economic development, improvement in social and civic values, health, population control, nation building, peace and prosperity. There are just too many problems with no easy solutions. The foremost need is accept our weaknesses, particularly our lack of capacity and capability, and the wrong emphasis on universal primary education.

Education is inherently a slow process to which we have to bring innovation to jump start the programmes. There is a need for fast tracking, cost effectiveness with an aim for high standards.

The writer, an engineer by profession, is actively involved in promoting education in Pakistan.?