Pakistan: The boiling point of our education emergency

The general elections in Pakistan are just a few days away. As is the environment in the days running up to the polls, candidates are busy campaigning to gain the goodwill of their respective constituencies. As always, lofty promises are being made to revitalise the country’s weak economy, revive industrial activity, and create jobs for the underutilised workforce.

And while scores of Pakistanis pin their hopes on various political actors, the hard fact remains that post-elections most tall promises will be forgotten by their orators.

Take the case for the state of education, for instance,despite occupying significant space in the manifestos of all the political parties, for the last 10 years or so, at least 20.8 million Pakistani children between the ages of five to 16 years remain out of school. More than 13 million (53 per cent) of these out of school children in Pakistan are girls.

Most of the children who do manage…

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