ALTHOUGH education is considered a noble profession, it has now transformed into a full-fledged business driven more by marketing strategies than academic excellence. In a country where 22.8 million children are out of school, the aggressive commercialisation of education cannot be simply called a trend; it is a national crisis.

Private institutions use strategic marketing to create an illusion of quality education. Terms like ‘Cambridge-certified’, ‘international curriculum’ and ‘British/American standard’ are widely advertised to attract parents. However, the ground reality is often different. Instead of focussing on research, innov-ation and concept-based learning, most private schools and universities rely on rote memorisation, leaving their students ill-equipped for global competition.

Education in Pakistan has become a luxury rather than a necessity. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey (2022-23), private school fee had increased by over 300 per cent in the preceding decade, making quality education inaccessible to lower-income groups. The irony is that the quality of education does not always match the price tag. Many expensive schools and universities thrive on puff rather than substance, investing more in advertisem-ents and fancy campuses than in teacher training and research facilities.

Marketing strategies have led to misinformation regarding public-sector education. The general perception that ‘government schools are worthless’ has been fuelled by private institutions to divert students towards high-cost alter-natives. While government schools do face challenges, some well-funded public schools and colleges offer competitive education. What they lack is branding and public relation initiatives of the private schools.

Another tactic used by private instit-utions is the ‘fear factor’ marketing. Coaching centres, academies and private universities manipulate parents into believing that without their expensive programmes, their children have no future. Entrance exam preparation academies charge up to Rs200,000 per course, exploiting students’ anxieties instead of focussing on their real learning needs.

Universities also participate in misle-ading marketing. Many claim affiliations with foreign institutions, but often have no real academic partnerships. Students enrol in the so-called international degree programmes, only to later discover that their degrees hold little international recognition. A survey by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) revealed that 60pc of students enrolled in ‘foreign-affiliated’ degree programmes were unaware of whether or not their degree would be accepted internationally.

The result of this commercialisation is evident. Employers frequently complain that graduates from even the most expensive institutions lack basic analytical and problem-solving skills. A World Bank report in 2022 highlighted that over 31pc of Pakistani graduates fail to meet the required skillset demanded by the job market, showing that flashy branding does not necessarily mean better education.

Pakistan’s education sector needs urgent reforms. The government must regulate private institutions to ensure they maintain education standards rather than just imposing high fee through misleading branding.

If the education system continues to be treated as a marketing gimmick, the nation will pay the price in the form of unskilled graduates, economic instability, and social inequality. Education should be a fundamental right, not a business empire.

Asad Mukhtiar Sheikh
Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025