Education is the right of every child that was born. We all know the importance of education in the modern era. No country can make progress and develop, without educating its citizens in science and technology. The nations, who are ruling the World have advanced much in technology. Without education, democracy cannot flourish and Pakistan cannot come at par with the developed world.
Balochistan, the province which is largest in size and smallest in population has been neglected since the creation of Pakistan in every sector. It lags far behind in education too, from other provinces of Pakistan. There is a dismal state of education in Balochistan. Despite major announcements on part of successive governments and military dictators, the state of education is worst in the province.
Most of the schools are without basic facilities in Quetta’s suburb areas. Mostly they consist of single room with just a single teacher. They have no boundary wall, no chairs and students have to sit on the floor. There is no process of appointing the teacher. The teacher him or herself is not highly educated. Some of them have done matriculation and some are even below that level.
The unavailability of teaching staff is another serious problem. As there is no check and balance on them, so they don’t take it seriously. They don’t attend the schools and get their salaries. Although the Balochistan government has introduced appointments of teachers through national testing service (NTS), which can be appreciated but it still needs time to be functional in all parts of the province.
Quality education is the right of every child. It is necessary to ensure that every child has access to education. There are also many non-functional schools in Balochistan which are being used for activities other than education. Again the reason is same, that there is no check and balance on them. The number of out of school children is huge, especially if we talk about girls. There are approximately 2 out of 3 girls are out of school.
Increasing fees of private schools is another problem for the students of Balochistan. These schools are out of reach of poor people. Despite all odds, the private schools are imparting quality education as compared to government -run schools.
To cope with this deteriorated condition of education in Balochistan, government should bring reforms and innovation in education sector. Budget should be increased for education. To improve the quality of education, there is need for increasing the capacity of teachers; transparency in appointment of teachers. There should be proper check and balance on schools.
Shazia Kakar
International Islamic University Islamabad