Pakistan's Education Crisis

Pre-Partition Education System : Elitism, Exclusion and Colonial Objectives

Key Features of British-Era Education (1858-1947)

• Macaulay Minute (1835) : Formalized English-medium elitist education for a "class of interpreters between the government and the masses."
• Hunter Commission (1882) : Focused on mass primary education, but budget priorities remained elite-centric.
• Aligarh Model vs Deoband Model : Reflected bifurcation between Western secularism and Islamic conservatism.

Colonial Legacy :

• Created a two-tier system : English for elites, vernacular for masses.
• Education was a tool of control, not liberation.
• Literacy rate at 1947 : 17% (only 2.2% among women)

Theoretical Insight :

Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed fits here -- colonial education "narrated" rather than "dialogued," stifling critical thinking.

Post-Independence Education Reforms -- Aspirations vs Implementation

1. Sharif Commission (1959) -- The Technocratic Blueprint

Context :

• Formed under General Ayub khan during a military-led modernization push.
• Headed by S.M Sharif, then Education Secretary.
• Influenced heavily by Cold War-era Modernization theory and American education models.

Key Proposals:

• Universal Primary Education by 1980.
• 9+3 Structure: 9 years of general education + 3 years of specialized.
• Establishment of Education Development Boards in each province.
• Emphasis on science, technical, and vocational education.
• Advocated teacher training institutes and merit-based teacher recruitment.

Critique & Outcomes:

• Too elite-focused: Prioritized higher education, not access for the masses.
• Failed to foresee demographic explosion; the UPE target missed by decades.
• Emphasized bureaucratic centralization, ignoring ethnic/provincial dynamics.
• Some success in setting up polytechnic institutes and improving secondary science labs.
• Ignored gender disparity: Female literacy rate in 1961 was just 12%, yet no gender-specific reform was proposed.

Legacy:

Blueprint for future technocratic reforms.

Created an institutional template, but not aligned with socio-political ground realities.

Less than 30% of proposals implemented due to resource constraints and military over-centralization

2. National Education Policy (1972) – Bhutto's Social Democratic Vision

Context:

• Introduced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's elected civilian government.
• Driven by a socialist ethos: education as a right, not privilege.

Key Proposals:

1. Free and universal education up to Class X by 1980.
2. Nationalization of all private schools to create equality.
3. Establishment of adult literacy centers to eliminate illiteracy by 1987.
4. Quota for rural students in professional colleges to reduce urban-rural imbalance.
5. Curriculum reform to include civic education, Islamic values, and patriotism.

Critique & Outcomes:

• Nationalization backfired: Led to rapid quality deterioration, teacher absenteeism, and overburdened public system.
• Political appointments of teachers undermined merit and professionalism.
• Illiteracy remained rampant; in 1981, adult literacy was still below 26%.
• The curriculum reform reinforced ideological narratives rather than critical thinking.

Legacy:

• Institutionalized state ownership of education a major departure from market or community-based models.
• Created long-term distortions: resistance to privatization, weak performance incentives, and politicized school management.

3. National Education Policy (1998–2010)– Market-Driven Yet Misaligned

Context:

• Introduced under Nawaz Sharif's second term amidst structural adjustment and globalization.
• Aligned with UN's Education for All (EFA) goals and World Bank donor agendas.

Key Proposals:

• Universal Primary Education by 2010, targeting 100% NER (Net Enrollment Rate).
• Increase education budget to 4% of GDP.
• Launch of Education Management Information System (EMIS).
• Public-private partnerships (PPPs) and school voucher programs for low-income areas.
• Curriculum overhaul to promote IT, English, and entrepreneurship.

Critique & Outcomes:

• Implementation mismatch: Despite ambitious targets, allocation never crossed 2.6% of GDP.
• NER in 2010 was still 66%-far from universal.
• PPPs failed to scale in remote areas due to lack of incentive for private operators.
• EMIS became a data-hoarding tool, not a reform engine-reports were rarely acted upon.
• Failed to address root causes: ghost schools, teacher absenteeism, weak provincial coordination.

Legacy:

• Shifted education from being purely state-driven to market-compatible.
• Laid foundation for IT-integration in classrooms, but lacked scalability and infrastructure backing.

Constitutional Provisions: Article 25-A & The 18th Amendment

Article 25-A (Inserted by 18th Amendment. 2010):

"The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children aged 5 to 16years in such manner as may be determined by law."

• Made education a justiciable right, not a policy goal.
• Responsibility shifted to provinces, but without adequate capacity-building

Ground Reality:

• 25 million children still out of school (UNICEF).
• Education expenditure remains below 2% of GDP (UNESCO recommends 4-6%).

Implications of the 18th Amendment :

• Education became a provincial subject (Schedule IV).
• Led to asymmetric curricula, variable policies, and uneven outcomes.

For instance: Literacy in Punjab = 66% vs Baluchistan =46%

No national coordination body exists post-2011 (after CCI downgraded role of federal education ministry ).

Vision 2025 & SDG-4: Pakistan's Global Commitments vs Ground Reality

A. Vision 2025: Education Pillar under Pakistan's Development Agenda

Launched by: Planning Commission of Pakistan in 2014 

Objective: Make Pakistan a knowledge-based economy by 2025.

Key Educational Targets:

• 100% Primary Enrollment by 2025.
• Raise literacy to 90%.
• Improve learning outcomes through teacher training and curriculum reform.
• Establish vocational/technical institutes in every district.
• Promote science & technology education.
• Expand digital access to rural schools.

Critical Appraisal:

• literacy stands at only 58% (PBS), far from the 90% target.
• Enrollment stagnated in Baluchistan and South Punjab.
• Learning Poverty: According to World Bank, 75% of 10-year-olds in Pakistan cannot read age-appropriate text.
• Budgetary allocation stayed below 2.5% of GDP, versus a Vision 2025 target of 4%.
• Implementation remained fragmented after devolution to provinces (post-18th Amendment),without strong federal-provincial alignment.

B. SDG-4 (UN Sustainable Development Goal 4): Quality Education

Commitment Period: 2015-2030

Pakistan 's Pledge:

• Ensure inclusive, equitable quality education and promote life long learning.
• Key Sub-targets :
• Universal primary & secondary education by 2030. 
• Eliminate gender disparities in all levels of education.
• Ensure access to affordable TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training)
• Increase literacy rates among youth and adults.
• Improve education for sustainable development & global citizenship.

Progress Review (SDG Report):

• Pakistan is lagging on nearly all SDG-4 indicators.
• Out-of-school children: 25 million (UNICEF 2024).
• Only 38% of girls in rural Pakistan complete primary school.
• TVET coverage remains minimal - fewer than 5% of youth are in vocational training.
• tNo nationwide teacher certification program implemented to date.

Structural Issues in SDG-4 Implementation:

• Weak data collection/reporting (no updated EMIS in many provinces).
• Lack of localized SDG indicators-provincial education ministries report inconsistently.
• Over-reliance on donor-funded projects, not sustained reforms.
• No SDG localization budgets or integrated policy strategy linking education with health, gender, and economic development.

Key Gaps between Vision 2025 and SDG-4 Implementation

Comparative Insight: Pakistan vs Bangladesh vs India

Theoretical Model: Understanding Education as Strategic Capital

In the context of Pakistan's developmental trajectory, education is not just a social right but a strategic form of capital that influences national identity, economic competitiveness, social cohesion, and political maturity. Theoretical models help explain how systemic flaws in education perpetuate underdevelopment.

1. Human Capital Theory (Becker, Schultz)

• Views education as an investment that enhances individual productivity and national economic growth.
• Pakistan's dilemma: Despite literacy-focused plans, poor-quality education has limited returns on this investment.
• Example: Pakistan's GDP-to-education-spending ratio remains under 2.5%, while returns on investment are stunted due to outdated curricula, rote learning, and high dropout rates.

2. Dependency Theory (Andre Gunder Frank)

• Suggests that colonial education systems were designed to create a dependent class of clerks and intermediaries.
• Legacy: British colonial structures left behind an elitist, two-tier system: English-medium private education for elites vs. vernacular, underfunded public schooling.
• Implication: This dependency is reproduced across generations, particularly in rural and peripheral areas.

3. Capabilities Approach (Amartya Sen)

• Focuses not just on access to schooling but on expanding people's real freedoms and capabilities.
• Pakistan s failure: Millions enrolled in schools but lack functional literacy, problem-solving, or digital skills.
• Statistic: Only 47% of Grade 5 students in government schools can read a Grade 2-level story(ASER).

4. Social Reproduction Theory (Bourdieu)

• Education systems replicate social inequalities by preserving elite status.
• Example: Parallel systems (Cambridge vs. Madrassa vs. Government Schools) entrench class, language, and regional divides, reducing social mobility.

5. Policy Implementation Gap Theory (Mazmanian and Sabatier)

• Effective policy requires alignment between policy design, institutional capacity, and political will.
• Pakistan has seen 23+ education policies/commissions but poor implementation fidelity.
• Example : Article 25-A (Right to free Education) remains under-enforced due to budget constraints and provincial coordination gaps post-18th Amendment.

6. Nation-Building Theory (Karl Deutsch)

• Education is central to creating shared civic identity, national integration, and political stability.
• Pakistan's context : Curricula often promote selective nationalism or religious dogma, alienating minorities and undermining pluralism.

Summary Table : Education through Theoretical Lenses