Dismal picture

As the world observes the International Day of Education on January 24, Pakistan will sadly have little to celebrate. Pakistan’s public spending on education, which stands at 2.4 percent of GDP as of the last fiscal year, remains the lowest in the region. Education is a fundamental human right. The constitution of Pakistan lists the eradication of illiteracy and provision of free education up to the secondary level as one of the commitments of the state. According to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), an estimated 22.5 million Pakistani children, aged 5 to 16 years, are not attending school. It is the world's second highest number for out-of-school children (OOSC), which also represents roughly 44 percent of the total population of this age group in the country.

Pakistan had ratified in 1990 the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, renewing its commitment to providing inclusive and equitable education for all children. Alas, the attitude of our government to this pitiful state of education in Pakistan remains apathetic. The meager allocation of public funds towards education is reflective of the lack of commitment to education by the present government, in spite of its repeated claims otherwise.

Hussain Siddiqui

Islamabad