EDITORIAL: In a glaring indication of the low priority our policymakers assign to education, the total expenditure by federal and provincial governments to the sector was a mere 0.8 percent of the GDP in FY2024-25, reveals the Economic Survey of Pakistan.
Instead of improving, the figure has been falling from year to year since 2018-19 when it was 2.0. To put this issue in perspective, the countries that are on course to sustainable development allocate much higher amounts to education. India, for instance, spends around 3.1 percent of its GDP on education, and Bangladesh 2 percent.
Compared to Pakistan many African countries also spend a lot more. And the UNESCO recommends that countries allocate 4 to 6 percent of their GDP. As per its Education 2030 Framework for Action, this is a key benchmark for assessing a government’s commitment to education funding.
As a result of Pakistan’s minuscule allocations to education — the building block of socioeconomic progress and prosperity — an estimated 22.8 million children are out-of-school, deprived of the opportunities to realise their full potential and contribute to society. The officially claimed literacy rate is 60.6 percent, which is misleading since it includes anyone barely able to write his/her own name.
Unfortunately, successive governments have neglected the constitutional provision that calls for free and compulsory education for all children five to 16 years of age. The situation is particularly dire in rural areas, where in many cases schools lack basic facilities, like toilets, drinking water and electricity, which act as a disincentive for young people, especially girls, to go to school.
Another overlooked but critical issue is curriculum. Due to a general retrogressive trend in society there is little room for reforming content of what is taught as well as new teaching methodologies that are reflective of the country’s changing needs. In an age when technological advancements are transforming the job market our education system largely remains focused on rote learning rather than fostering creativity and problem-solving essential to generate innovative solutions to challenges.
Our policymakers need to realise that investing in education is not a luxury; it is a necessity and a human right that must be accessible to all, irrespective of who they are and where they are. Education must get the priority it deserves for Pakistan to realise the full potential of its population.
It is also a great equalizer. The governments at the centre and in the provinces must allocate a decent percentage of the GDP to this sector so young people acquire knowledge and skills needed for human development, and necessary to increase productivity and economic growth.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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