The state of children education in Pakistan; situational analysis and future challenges By
Faculty Member Dept of Social Sciences
University of Management & Technology, Lahore.
Protection of the rights of children constitutes a significant aspect of the responsibilities of the State. As a major helpless section of the society, children rely on the State for ensuring that a reliable, capable and approachable institutional structure exists for perpetuation of their rights. Within the perspective of children rights, there is an array of institutions liable for addressing and ensuring children’s rights. Education is the fundamental right of every child on it rests the development of the nation. The state of children education in Pakistan thus presents a very miserable picture. South Asia is illiterate region in the world and Pakistan is most illiterate country in the region. Only 56% children are enrolled in primary school. The Govt of Pakistan has taken some imitative for the children education. But situation is still dismal. The paper will analyze the status of the children education in Pakistan and will explore the problems and prospectus regarding future challenges of their rights. Child is father of man (proverb). They deserve our attention and allocation of resources for their better and protected future. Key words: Children, Education, Human rights.
The development of the any society is measured through the education of the society. The world developed societies are developed due to their education system. Education is play pivotal role for making the man from biological being to social being. It is a well known and most effective tool for socialization of human beings. Education is software which plays a significant role in personality development. The right of children to receive an education is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The 18th Amendment of the Pakistan Constitution is providing an added opportunity to realize this right as Article 25a requires the State to provide free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of five and 16, as determined by law. Each society has three demographic age strata like old, young and children. It depend upon the societal structure that how much they have conducive and inclusive education system for their individuals. Much of the world had focused on the children education. A good quality basic education equips pupils with literacy skills for life and further learning; literate parents are more likely to send their children to school; literate people are better able to access continuing educational opportunities; and literate societies are better geared to meet pressing development. (UNESCO) South Asia is most illiterate region in the world and Pakistan is most illiterate country of this region. Let us look at the state of children in Pakistan of the total population of Pakistan i.e. 164.6 million children below 19 years of age comprises of more than half of our total population (PDHS 2008). This data showed that Pakistan has large portion of the children population. There is need to develop a high infrastructure in every walk of life especially in the field of education. It has been 64 years since Pakistan got freedom but still we are far behind in development. According to latest Pakistan Labour Force Survey 2009-10, the overall literacy rate is 57.7 percent which is quite unsatisfactory to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
The state of education in Pakistan is in shambles. Pakistan is the second country in the world with the highest number of children who do not go to school. A large number of students who make it to schools, however, drop out by class five. According to NEP, about 72 percent make it to grade five which means a dropout rate of 28 percent. This significant figure further brings down the chunk of the population that makes...
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