In Karachi, Pasban Democratic Party President Abdul Hakeem Qaid expressed concern over the distressing statistics of more than 25 million children out of school in Pakistan. In a statement today, he said that the implementation of educational strategies is ineffective, due to which the education sector has been continuously neglected. Despite the adequate provision of financial resources, the failure to significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children indicates a clear deficiency in planning and management.
Two years ago, the federal government declared an educational emergency, but its expected results have not been achieved. Qaid criticized the indifference of the Sindh government, noting that approximately 400 billion rupees have been spent on education in the past sixteen years, yet the literacy rate has not improved but rather declined. Currently, around 7.8 million children are not receiving education, a significant number of whom are girls. Neglecting girls’ education is considered detrimental to the nation’s development.
Qaid emphasized that federal and provincial authorities should truly prioritize education as a national priority. He stressed the need to launch an emergency enrollment campaign targeting every out-of-school child, focusing on establishing a network of safe, quality, and accessible educational institutions for girls and setting up new schools in rural areas. Furthermore, he advocated for a merit-based teacher recruitment process and an effective monitoring framework. He also demanded a transparent audit of the substantial funds allocated for education.
In the opinion of the PDP leader, the nation’s future lies in nurturing educated children, not in the construction of infrastructure like roads and bridges.