Balochistan Point Voice of Nation
By:Munaj Gul Baloch
Education is not all about studying and getting high marks. It is a mean to discover things we don’t know about and increase our knowledge. Educated persons have the ability to differentiate between right and wrong and are aware of the responsibilities of a society.
A person getting education is not only gaining something from it, but also contributing to the growth of a nation. It is an inner light through which we can enlighten the world around us. It is rightly said, “Without education, a child is like a bird without wings.”
Despite an education emergency imposed by the provincial government, according to some data sources 963 schools out of over 13,000 schools in the province are yet to be made functional. Secretary Education Balochistan Shan ul Haq termed the lack of buildings and teachers as the main causes behind non-functioning schools. We belong to a society where children are given no value. They are deprived of the fundamental facilities and do not even get their basic rights; such as education.
Though the number of out-of-school children has reduced from last year’s figure of 24 million to 22.6 million, statistics of 2015-16 still paint a gloomy picture, calling for the imposition of real education emergency. As many as 44 percent children between the ages of five and16 are still out of school. The main reason of this abysmal problem is poverty and dilapidation of schools.
Moreover, Balochistan tops the list of out of school children in the country with 66 percent out of school children. Sindh comes in the second number with 51 percent out of school children.
In Balochistan the girls education is totally destroyed and there is no particular educational culture and opportunities for the rural areas of the province. The absence of well-defined education, lack of schools, lack of libraries and lack of funds are the vast reasons of the backwardness of education. Rural areas are being neglected by the government and the people of rural areas are suffering from many pros and cons. In the rural areas primary schools are present but girls high schools have not been established yet, due to which girls are deprived of higher education and in Balochistan there are more than 13000 schools but, it is strange that among these schools only 2500 schools are for girls.
Balochistan always suffers in terms of education and it is the most crucial problem that in the province 963 schools out of 13,000 are not functional. On the other hand, there are many primary schools with only one teacher.
Recently, a report was shown by Pakistan Education Atlas 2016, that 36,408 primary schools are being run by one teacher and it is very grievous that Balochistan tops this list to have 54 percent of its schools with a single teacher. Unfortunately, Pakistan is the second out of school children country after Nigeria.
Balochistan and Sindh are facing several educational and healthcare problems and both provinces of Pakistan are overlooked by the provincial and federal governments. In the province, government schools are in poor conditions; teachers are absent, the construction is below par, there is a lack of textbooks and libraries, there is a shortage of electricity, drinking water, and chairs.Absence of rules and regulations demotivates the children, and the existence of ghost-teachers do not help the situation.
Apart from this, the survey of 2015 by Aser revealed that in Balochistan more than 60 percent of class fifth students cannot read the English books of grade 2 and 55 percent cannot read the Urdu books of class 2 is really miserable! It is a massive matter for us to think about.
The government of Balochistan is the onus to protect the new generation. Education is the ground-laying right for every human being from every nation but, regrettably the children of Balochistan are deprived to get a quality education from government- run- schools.
Recently, a 25 years old man uttered,” I feel very much disappointed that I am a pauper but, It makes me very melancholy today ,I am a mason and tomorrow. My sons are going to be the same because, of poverty we are losing our strength and our dreams are crushed out.”
The number of out of school children has declined that is 22 and recently ALIF ALIAN (NGO) rallied in Punjgur for the promotion of education reform. For a long time Alif Alian is working for the betterment of education. They focused on encouraging the government to make education a priority. The politicians are the ones who can build schools, improve standards, and get teachers into classrooms. Alif Ailaan does not see responsibilities only for the government, however, and their manifesto sets out in detail the commitments that civil society, parents, young people and teachers as well as politicians must fulfill to improve the situation.
Furthermore, changes in the education system are possible only if the government wills to do so. Government will have to take responsibility and work toward for a better tomorrow for every child.
The writer is a student of B.sc at Atta Shad Degree College Turbat. He can be reached at munaj1gul@gmail.com
published in The Balochistan Point on September 9, 2017
