The Education Dilemma

By Tuba Khan

Literacy is the key to a successful political, economic and social structure of a country. Nations that prioritize education give birth to a strong, responsible and intellectual generation that could foster civic culture in the country. A well-educated and politically aware youth is the backbone of a country’s development. Society can only progress if it invests in its youth, allocating resources and opportunities to young people. Pakistan ranks fifth among the countries having the largest young population in the world. This youth bulge could become a driver of economic prosperity and social progress if quality education and skills development are provided to the youth. Unfortunately, Pakistan lacks an education system that can produce civic-minded, skilled and informed people. The education sector has remained stagnant for several decades and the quality of education is declining day by day, producing an intellectually enslaved generation. Pakistan ranked 164th out of a total of 194 countries globally in education quality, lagging far behind from the other countries in the region. Education in Pakistan is treated as a business for generating revenue and in return creating inequality across all levels of education.

In Pakistan, around 54% of students are enrolled in public sector institutions, where the quality of education and the infrastructure are in a state of severe deterioration. The country’s education standard is so poor that no Pakistani university ranks among the world’s top 350 reputable universities as per QS World University Rankings 2026. Moreover, approximately 26 million children are out of school and those who are enrolled in schools are often products of the rote learning system, unable to think critically and lack the ability to build independent opinions. They are deprived of basic facilities, such as safe and secure buildings, furniture, laboratories, libraries, electricity, clean drinking water, proper sanitation facilities and other basic amenities at the public educational institutions. The outdated syllabus and unprofessional staff at public educational institutions add fuel to the fire, aggravating the education crisis in Pakistan. According to the data provided by UNESCO in 2024, there were 25.38 million students in total for all public and private elementary schools in the country, while only 445,877 teachers were available to facilitate the students. This highlights that there are around 57 children for each teacher. This highlights the ailing condition of the education system of Pakistan.

Despite the educational challenges and poor education system, government spending on the education sector has declined significantly. From 0.8% of GDP allocated to the education sector in 2024, the education spending has dropped to only 0.2% of the federal budget in 2026. Additionally, the privatization of public schools in Punjab is also the biggest failure of the government as it raised the costs and fees, putting a financial burden on low-income families and provoking more elimination of students from the schools. The privatization policy is contrary to the constitutional promise, introduced under the 18th amendment in 2010 of providing free and compulsory education up to Matriculation, exacerbating the education breakdown. This underscores the incompetence of the government in addressing the paramount issue, the root cause of several multidimensional problems of Pakistan.

Education is a fundamental right of every human being and it must be delivered to its citizens by the state. The government of Pakistan must realize that without an educated nation, the country could never be placed on the path of progress. The government should focus on eliminating gender inequality in the education sector while raising awareness in rural areas, making the educational institutions safe for women and holding the institutions accountable. It should encourage digital and vocational training programs, research, practical learning, skills development and the ability of youth to think critically and form independent opinions about the important issues. It is the duty of the government to provide quality education, maintain educational institutions, strengthen checks and balances within the education system, fulfil the constitutional promise of providing free education to children between the ages of 5 and 16 and strengthen the economy so that the middle and lower-middle class can easily afford education. Investing in education is not merely the responsibility of the government, but a national necessity. However, education alone is not enough unless it is coupled with employment opportunities. Otherwise, the youth bulge would become a demographic burden, marked by unemployment, poverty and instability. Pakistan urgently needs reforms in the education sector and strategies to transform the young population from a demographic challenge into a valuable demographic dividend for sustainable growth. The government must treat the education crisis as a priority issue to ensure a prosperous future.