September 8 is celebrated worldwide as “International Literacy Day.” In Pakistan, various events are held on this occasion.
In light of the importance of this day, a special discussion was organized at the “Express Forum,” where government officials and education experts were invited. The discussions from the forum are presented here.
Since 1967, International Literacy Day has been celebrated globally under UNESCO’s auspices every September 8. This year’s theme is “Promoting Literacy in Different Languages for Understanding, Communication, and Peace.” It focuses more on regional languages. Since various languages are spoken in our country, education in these languages could increase literacy rates.
According to the 2023 population census report, the literacy rate in the country is 61%, the lowest among regional countries. In Punjab, the rate is 66%, the highest among all provinces, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have lower literacy rates compared to Punjab and Sindh. In 2017, 22.6 million children were out of school; today, this number has risen to 25.3 million. In Punjab alone, 9 million children aged 5 to 16 are not attending school, making it a significant challenge to bring them into the educational system. Educating them is a priority for the government.
Punjab is the only province with a separate department for non-formal education. The Literacy and Non-Formal Education Department operates 20,500 schools, educating 650,000 ‘out-of-school’ children within a 48-month primary education program. Additionally, adults over 16 years old are undergoing a 6-month certification course, which is showing improvements. We have also launched an Accelerated Learning Program, where primary education is completed in 30 months instead of 48. Currently, 40,000 children are receiving this education in 1,000 schools across five districts in southern Punjab. We are also establishing elementary schools, where, with the cooperation of TEVTA and other institutions, children will receive middle school education along with 13 different skills within 18 months. We follow the National Curriculum, and while our education duration is shorter than traditional schools, we minimize summer and winter vacations to continue learning.
Each district has 15 to 20 Literacy Mobilizers who mobilize the community and enroll out-of-school children. Poverty and population are major factors affecting literacy rates. We are working towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to raise literacy to 80% by 2030. Awareness is crucial and work is ongoing.
We are celebrating International Literacy Day, but our religion includes the pursuit of knowledge. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that acquiring knowledge is obligatory for every man and woman and even instructed to seek knowledge even if it means going to China. Education is a duty, and we must prioritize it from the moment children are born. To educate society, we must focus on girls’ education. Educating a girl means educating the entire family, making investment in girls’ education equivalent to investing in society. Although there has been improvement in girls’ education compared to the past and women have advanced in various fields, they still have not reached their rightful place. Women make up 52% of the population, but they lag significantly in literacy rates, and efforts need to be made to address this.
Attention is given to boys’ education while girls are often considered a burden and kept away from education. We need to change our mindset and attitudes. The government should create facilities for girls from school to university and address their issues. It is encouraging that we have had a female Prime Minister and a female Chief Minister in Punjab, which is motivational for women and includes them in their priorities. More work needs to be done regarding women.
Government institutions play a crucial role in national development, so we need to strengthen the public sector, improve schools, colleges, and universities, and provide necessary facilities. Education budgets are low and are being further reduced. Due to inadequate facilities in government institutions, enrollment is declining, and private institutions are absorbing the majority of resources. Population is also a significant issue that needs to be controlled.
For a country’s economic, social, and political development, it is essential for its inhabitants to be educated. To develop, we must equip every citizen with education. In the past, literacy was defined by the ability to read a sentence, but in 2017, the definition was expanded to include the ability to read, write, understand numbers, and perform simple arithmetic. I believe this is a minimal definition, especially as the world discusses digital literacy; we need to focus on this area.
In Pakistan, the literacy rate is above 60%, but various statistics exist. Efforts to increase literacy have been ongoing from the beginning, but the necessary level of work has not been achieved. This raises the question of why over 25 million children are out of school and why we have the highest dropout rates globally. We first alienate children from school and then try to reintegrate them. We make children either pass or fail, while advanced countries with high literacy rates do not have such a system. In Finland, the concept of dropouts does not exist.
We need to shift from a pass-fail system to assessment-based education. Schools should provide maximum facilities, focus on children’s education and training, and prepare them to be productive members of society. A major issue is policy-making; stakeholders are not involved, and academia, which serves as a think tank, is often excluded. Policy inconsistency and lack of long-term strategies also pose problems. Including academia and experts in policy-making could improve both policy development and implementation.
The Institute of Education and Research at Punjab University is a significant body, yet it is not consulted. We strive to provide recommendations to the government, and we have over 12,000 research works available that could help address system flaws and bring innovation. The gap between literacy rates for men and women is widening; currently, 70% of men and 50% of women are literate. This gap needs to be closed. In Punjab and Sindh, literacy rates are better, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have lower rates with more issues. Urban-rural disparities also exist, with cities having higher literacy rates compared to rural areas. The government should target areas with low literacy rates and involve social organizations, NGOs, academia, and the business community to play a comprehensive role.
Since independence, governments have focused on elementary education, but the budget has not exceeded 2.5%. We need to understand that dreaming alone will not make it a reality; resources must be provided. The government should allocate at least 4% of GDP to education according to international standards. Improving literacy rates requires promoting non-formal education, PEF, school education, mosque schools, and strengthening them. We need to embrace new and smart solutions, utilizing mobile apps and modern technology.
Unfortunately, there are no institutions providing accurate literacy statistics in the country, leading to problems in policy-making due to the lack of correct data. Political instability is a major issue, with each new government overturning previous policies and introducing new ones with minor amendments.
This disrupts policy continuity and creates additional problems. Policy-making does not involve stakeholders, and unrealistic policies are created by favored individuals, causing harm. Our teachers are economically and socially weak. They are often assigned duties beyond their role, such as election duties or surveys, leading to staff shortages in schools and a lack of new hires. Graduates from educational institutions remain unemployed and cannot find positions in schools. To genuinely improve literacy rates, we need to hire trained teachers.
Various institutions like the School Education Department, Daanish Schools, Center of Excellence, PEF, and Non-Formal Education are working on education, but literacy rates are not improving, and millions of children are still out of school. Poverty is a significant factor in decreasing literacy rates. People cannot afford basic necessities, leading to a dilemma between buying food or books for their children. Dropout rates are high as parents prefer to send children to work to support the family. To increase literacy rates, we need to bring political stability, reduce poverty, and provide a better environment for teachers and students in schools.