DAWN, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2010

towards success. The present conditions of

Education for All
Sulaiman Dawood
An overview at the academic criteria in the
current socio-political crisis of Pakistan
Over the past few years, it is quite evident
that the conditions of Pakistan have not been
so harmonious and peaceful. An eerie
atmosphere of chaos and destruction
pollutes the atmosphere throughout the land.
Stretching from neighborhoods to valleys
and along the provincial borders, terrorism
and profound criminal activity has sunk its
claws deep into the livelihoods of the people
of Pakistan. With the increase in terrorist
outbreaks throughout the city, gloominess
has surrounded. Such kinds of activities give
rise to uncertainty and depression which
surely affects people of all age groups. The
most drastic effects occur on the minds of
adolescents who are just stepping into their
lives for the first time trying to take
responsibility and share the burdens of the
society. Weapons like suicide, adultery, and
mass unemployment have already created a
stench of depressive malfunctioning in the
lives of our youth.
Youth which was once considered to be a
powerful asset of Pakistan is just a mere
platoon of lazy lumps and daylight sleepers
who find wasting time much more easier
than taking part in the development for a
secure future of this country. This alone is
not the fault of our younger generation itself
but infact the blame lies upon the
unexpected turn of events that give rise to
such conditions of idiocracy and shame.
the country now give rise to an increase in
heinous activities and mass unemployment
not that we are forgetting the sense of loss
that is felt by the students. The educational
barrier that once discriminated a literate
from an illetrate has been long gone.
Students are not sure whether the education
they are receiving will help them to survive
in this land where economic and social
turmoil has taken the country to a verge of
destruction.
Some of the factors playing key roles to
address the de-motivation in students are
discussed below.
EDUCATION STRUCTURE
Pakistan ranks sixth among the world
largest populated countries. According to the
Population Reference Bureau (PRB) ''2005
World Data Sheet'' the population of
Pakistan was 162,400,000 on July 1st, 2005.
Pakistan's population is estimated to be
around 166,300,000 in 2006. [1]
With such an immense population, the
general impartment of education is a
necessary factor. The literacy rate on whole
is just 45.7% of this total population which
is roughly an estimate of 75999100 keeping
in mind the statistical figures of 2006. This
literacy rate was once an estimate of 61%
back in 2001.
Following are some facts & figures
regarding the education scenario in Pakistan
for the year 2001.

Students now are no longer taking the

revolutionary road which would guide them
DAWN, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2010
Literacy Rate 65%
Male 51.5%
Female 77.7% [2]
With a drastic decrease in literacy rate of
the country, a negative influence is surely to
follow in the form of decreased awareness
and the need of education in our society.
The basic element concerning the future of
the students in Pakistan is the need for
proper education institutions which
unfortunately are insufficient for our
humongous population factor.
According to the Economic Survey of
Pakistan 2000-2001 by the Federal Bureau
of Statistics and Academy of Educational
Planning and Management (AEPAM), a
total of 77 universities are in operation
throughout the country both in the public as
well as the private sector.
Higher Education
Public Sector 35
Private Sector 42
Total Universities/ Chartered
Institutions 77[3]
Here another factor that plays an important
role in determining the success rate of a
student is the quality or standard of
education imparted to the youth.
It is clear from the above data that the
number of private sector institutes
dominates over those of the public sector.
On average, not everyone can afford to
study in a private institute because of the
high fee structure. When compared to those
universities in the public sector, the
education provided is substandard. This
creates a wall between the students
graduating from government institutions and
those from the private ones where the lesser
job opportunities available are taken by
those from the private sectors.
Non utilization of skills can be observed
throughout the country. An engineer takes
up an MBA just so that he can earn more.
Here this ‘earn’ factor negates the
‘responsibility’ that the individual owes to
its society and culture. There is no proper
goal or training for the students to help them
realize their true potentials and give a
forward push in the right direction.
The frustration in the youth and fear of
getting a job after completing the education
has amplified due to their current position
which is ‘no-where’. This disapproval and
dissatisfaction causes a student to escape
into the realm of disdained pleasures where
much of the population of school dropouts
engages in substance abuse and immoral
activities just to find acceptance in the
society.
There has been an immense increase in the
number of dropouts recently due to the
saturation of job market. With a dropout rate
of 50% [3] and a student teacher ratio of
48:1[3]
Week education structure at every level
give rise to less research which again adds to
the cycle of less job opportunities. The root
causes are lack of funds for education,
research and development along with the
lack of motivation and appraisal which
consequences in lack of determination
amongst students which in turns goes to a
higher level of bureaucrats and politicians
making key decisions at high posts.
DAWN, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2010
With a teaching staff of 304166[3],
unqualified faculty depreciates the aims and
goals of students having a broader vision
than the local scope of the society. Every
child naturally tends to be a top scientist,
engineer or an innovator but the need of
grooming and discouragement from the
tutors takes away from them their dreams of
high achievements and success. Less
competent professionals are unable to guide
and portray the basic aims of a specific
study to their students thus creating a lack of
interest in the subject itself and in return the
student is the victim for attaining low grades
for a subject which he can barely
understand.
EMPLOYMENT ISSUES
Employment crises has engulfed out nation
where at places there is either
underemployment or no employment at all.
People are working on low wages to support
their families and those who are not working
at all resort to unfair means. The modes of
employment vary between the rural and the
urban classes where most of the people have
large families and work on daily wages as
compared to the people working in
companies and multinational firms. Non
utilization of skilled personnel can be clearly
seen where engineers, doctors and
businessmen have cross linked their fields.
The rate of high qualification also acts as a
demoralizing factor for a graduate who is
refused to be accepted due to the fact that
the salaries offered are incompetent as
compared to those offered internationally.
The low value of currency makes the
situation worse where there is no significant
difference between the salaries of an
educated and a non-educated Pakistani.
ECONOMIC CONDITION
The economic conditions of the country
have been letting the citizens down on a
consistent basis. Since 1947, Pakistan has
hardly had one or two time periods where it
was thought of having a successful
economy. Moreover, even those few times
that we were progressing as an economy
were the times when the progress was
marked as fake. For example, the economic
boom of Musharraf’s era is popularly
considered to be a time which led the
economy towards a greater doom which was
disguised in the form of a short term boom
and increase in the forex reserves. The
economy has never progressed properly due
to the shortage of good jobs in the market to
entice the youth of Pakistan. Currently, very
few professions have a good job market and
even those look endangered because of the
falling demand of labour. Inflation remains
the biggest threat to the economy, jumping
to more than 9% in 2005 before easing to
7.9% in 2006. In 2008, following the surge
in global petrol prices inflation in Pakistan
has reached as high as 25.0%.
Academic conditions are worse because
there is a gap between academics and
industrial development. The fight between
the workers and the owners are a matter of
fact an issue which is in the lime light of
every news papers. The current economic
conditions of the country does not allow
businessmen and industrialist to use latest
technologies because of money matters, so
DAWN, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2010
students which have a high end qualification
have to face disappointments in the form of
job refusals. This results in fewer jobs
oriented studies.
With such instability and increase in the
poverty rate of a country that is to sustain
such a large population, a general increase in
fear and risk of survival takes place
automatically.
TERRORISM
The current scenario of the spreading
terrorism throughout the country has totally
disillusioned the working class of the
country. Major population is scared of the
impact of the uprising in the country and the
operations against terrorism. A stable mind
is necessary for a human to lead (if not
successful) a comfortable life and when a
person’s life, property and honour is
threatened, the peace of mind will surely be
ruined. Living under such circumstances can
be psychologically unhealthy. When the
future brings no hopes for improvement of a
situation, this further aggravates the
conditions and can force the people to leave
their homelands.
Apart from this, terrorism has discouraged
foreign investment into the country and in
some cases; even Pakistanis have started to
move their capital to foreign locations. This
reduces the chance for growth in the demand
for labour and industry and hence worsens
the situation.
Every now and then, riots break out
ensuing the damage of property and
academic institutions which further results
as a severe drawback towards enthusiastic
students and teachers alike. Shutting down
educational institutes is indirectly crippling
a country. If the literary rate of a country
would be beyond the average, one cannot
hope it to surpass the levels of
advancements as compared to the countries
that are already in the ‘rule’ factor of life.
POLITICAL SITUATION
The political scenario of Pakistan is one of
the most unstable in the world. It provides a
ridiculous image of the country and hence
degrades the honour and integrity of its
citizens. The country’s leaders have
destroyed the optimism of the youth; they
have filled their mind with either disarray or
filth. Citizens either want to become corrupt
like them, or they are always worried about
the country’s conditions. Leaders of our
country aren’t even close to becoming role
models for the youth. All they have done is
that they have distorted the image of politics
in the minds of the youth. The people have
no will of their own. With an increase in the
hostility from the foreign powers one feels
helpless and the anger which keeps on
building inside gets no outlet which
gradually converts into depression or other
psychological disorders.
CORRUPTION
Corruption is another problem which has
haunted the minds of millions of Pakistanis.
The injustice in the system has led to many
problems in our society. A young Pakistani
is scared that he will not be able to find a
DAWN, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2010
good job because he has no relatives or
friends at higher posts in a company.
Pakistan out of 180 countries, in its
ranking as most corrupt country has slipped
five ranks, from 47 in 2008 to 42 most
corrupt country in 2009.
Pakistan 2009 Corruption Perceptions
Index Score, released by Transparency
International, is 2.4, and out of 180
countries, its ranking as most corrupt
country has slipped 5 ranks, from 47 in 2008
to 42 most corrupt country in 2009.
SOCIAL INJUSTICE
Social inequality speaks for itself
throughout the region. A young Pakistani
must be a free Pakistani. As a citizen he
must be given his rights, but that is not the
case here. The judiciary is a grocery
available to be bought by the elite and the
powerful. Anyone with power or money can
modify the rights of the poor. This again
increases the frustration of the youth.
ENERGY CRISIS FACTS
The country may plunge into the worst
imaginable energy crisis as virtually all
refineries are teetering on the verge of
financial default and may close down
operations by Jan 15.
According to latest available figures, the
Pakistan State Oil (PSO) needs to pay Rs
25.5 billion to the Pak-Arab Refinery
Company (PARCO), Attock Refinery Limited
(ARL), Rs 11.2 billion; Pakistan Refinery
Limited (PRL), Rs 11.2 billion; National
Refinery Limited (NRL) and Bosicar, Rs 4.1
billion. Currently all the refineries are only
working at 50 per cent capacity. – The
News, 1ST January 2010
Electrical outages are the order of the day
and the nation is suffering from the ongoing
load shedding of almost eight to 16 hours a
day. We are facing a shortfall of 4000 MW
in the present winter and the situation is
expected to further deteriorate during
summer, as the energy demand is bound to
increase with the increase in the
environment temperature.
The circumstances and the present
conditions of the country have a negative
impact on youth due to uncertainty and lack
of confidence because of unrest and turmoil
in society, lawlessness, inflation and the
socio-eco structures of life are doomed. The
income level has reduced with an inverse
relation to the wants of the society.
All these factors have completely
annihilated the hopes of Pakistani students
about a successful future in their homeland.
For them, success is the only dream possible
in a foreign land even if they are considered
as inferiors there. The rights and the
opportunity that foreign nations can provide
promise a better future for the students of
Pakistan.
References:
[1]http://www.pakistanpaedia.com/gop/STAT.html
[2]http://www.rauf.com/Facts_figures.html
[3]http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:G
c3gQw5m9r4J:www.moe.gov.pk/esrbook/Annex-
IX%2520(a).pdf+facts+and+figures+of+pakistan&hl=
en&gl=pk&sig=AHIEtbSJnoUfiRQ8wYclVIuQsuRxqKM
nkQ
The writer is a lecturer of Consumer & Relationship
Psychology at the University of Karachi.