Much has been said about the long-term neglect of educational reform in the country; with low rates of participation at both Primary and Secondary levels continuing to cripple the cause.
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reports that at the Primary level, some 36 percent children are not enrolled in school at the right age, moreover, those who are enrolled have poor learning outcomes. According an independent study, less than 50 percent children in the third grade in rural areas had the proper ability to read a sentence in either Urdu or Sindhi. Additionally, one amongst every 10 out of school children of Primary school age is a Pakistani, placing the country second in the global ranking of out-of-school children.
More than anything else, what this redundant talk of statistics slams home is the immediate reality that the countrys educational system, in its current state is in no position to enroll, retain and educate the children at par with globally acceptable standards.
During a recent dialogue on Public Financing of Education in Pakistan organised by SDPI in Islamabad, a major argument that came forth from the panelists was about the inefficient pattern of public disbursements for education; along with the age old complain that expenditure on public education system has not been enough to expect any positive outcomes in the long-term.
Moreover, panelists also commented that the devolution of education to the provinces has greatly affected the outlay of federal development expenditure on education as data shows that it has been continuously shrinking over the past two years.
A research published by I-SAPS analyzing public spending on education shows that during 2011-12, the federal government allocated Rs 30.14 billion and Rs 14.63 billion for current and development expenditure on education respectively, whereas a breakdown of the allocations shows that about 89 percent of the total budget was earmarked for HEC.
This allocation was higher by 15.79 percent over the previous years allocation, with a majority of the increased amount set to be absorbed in the employee related expenses and operating costs of universities, the Tenure-Track System and other regular programs under the umbrella of HEC.
Moreover, the allocations for HEC in the budget 2012-13 is even higher, making the total amount allocated for tertiary education as high as Rs 35.675 billion -some 74.5 percent of the total amount dispensed for the education sector.
In contrast, there is little incremental change in the current budget for allocations on the account of Pre-Primary and Secondary education affairs and services.
According to some estimates, 63 percent of the total population in Pakistan is under the age of 25. What this means is that in a few decades, Pakistan will have a massive population of youth, greater than what most other nations in the world can boast of. Not only does this scenario represent opportunities, but greater still, some seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Presenting a huge potential of demographic dividend, this situation can be turned around to lead to sustainable economic prosperity and development but what is required for its realisation is a greater investment in human capital formation -something which the country greatly lacks at the moment.
And given that the government is still the dominant provider of the set of services that are required to bring about a change in the situation, unless immediate action is taken, there is a great possibility that the education system will not be able to attain the capability which is needed to tackle the situation in a positive manner.