THIS is with reference to Ikram Junaidi’s news report, ‘Good future needs good teachers’ (June 8). Basically, the major reasons behind Pakistan’s failure to meet its educational goals are as follows:

There is poor management and governance of education at the ministry and departmental levels. We have poor access to a quality learning environment, i.e., for boys and girls, for government and private sector institutions, for poor and rich, and for rural and urban areas.

We have low funding at the federal and provincial level, limited infrastructure, poor examinations’ system, low teaching standards (non- trained teachers).

The appointment of teachers is mainly based on political grounds, while there is lack of political will.

The poor quality of education is a major concern.

In 2008, Pakistan was ranked 119th out of 127 countries in the Development Index of Education for All in terms of the literacy rate and the enrolment in primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

According to Unesco Institute and Centres (2011), Education for All, Global Monitoring Report 2011: “Pakistan spends seven times more on arms than on primary education.”

The government should establish concrete mechanisms to ensure that all children have basic competency levels and are equipped with life skills, and dropouts are enrolled in accelerated learning programmes.

In order to comply with Article 25-A (the right to education), the government under the ECA should ban labour for children below 16 years of age in all occupations.

ABDULLAH LANGAH Karachi