“Educational Emergency” – THE NEED OF TODAY!

As Pakistan economy is on a crunch, so does the education system of the country which has never been a priority of any government – even the low budget spending on education sector speaks volume about the same.

In the globalization era, one just needs to look around and will come to know that out of so many crucial factors, what is the key feature which enables any nation to meet the expected challenges in future and progress at the same time. The answer would surely lie in building its work force - the human capital, which becomes possible with the right set of education and skills building, even the advancement in technology and science is an outcome of a system which shapes future leaders.

Therefore, what is the problem in our education system and why not the honorable officials on the key positions in the respective sector realize this fact that our country is at a brink of an increasingly demand of an educational emergency. An obsolete curriculum/ textbook(s) will further progress to be a termite, when the world has already moved a mile towards STEM education system to create the leaders of tomorrow.

While some of the prominent names of schools in the private stream of education have integrated the modern trends of education into their system of teaching and learning but that is not the solution, it further deteriorates the system as the level of schooling comes with paying a huge price and is limited to the children of the affordable class only, which later on leaves the country for better prospects. Another notable aspect is the teacher capacity building model which again is not equipping the teachers with the changing trends of teaching and learning, or for instance if any institute claims, the acquired knowledge by the teachers is not workable at the grass roots due to the lack of general basic facilities in classrooms becoming a prime cause.

One more prominent factor is the lack of commitment shown towards the teaching responsibilities in general. This happens when an individual chooses a teaching profession on chance instead of his/her own will or choice. Social and main stream media is now and then filled with news of govt. teachers protesting for their demands in rise of salaries, regularization cases, promotions etc. but have they ever protested for the gaps in education system or will they ever protest about low enrolment of children in schools.? They will certainly not, when the prime objective is to get a govt. job and pension after retirement, then what are innocent students to be blamed for?

To the Honorable authorities, it is now or never, we are already late and losing it. Decisions must be taken in the best interest of the country or else the darkness will prevail with no way forward towards progress of our economy and in becoming self-independent – which will ultimately lead us be looking out for more dollars from the IMF which certainly comes with a heavy price on poor countrymen.