ost is currently perceived as the single most important factor when it comes to quality education. This is indeed an anomaly.

The idea that we are hamstrung because of inadequate resources is a hugely misplaced thought, given the country’s vast resources and infrastructure development. What is lacking in fact is the commitment and resolve to provide quality school education to all Pakistani children.

Let us take another look at the school landscape.

The curricula have already been developed and necessary legislation done. The need of the hour is to determine the lower threshold, i.e. the minimum standards of implementation. The objective here is to target the least privileged children and improve their learning outcomes as far as possible to match those of the most advantaged. We need not worry too much about things like books printed abroad on glossy paper. The purpose in the pointers below is to contribute to a helpful thought process.

There is no need to set different standards for the currently available education systems. Uniformity and inclusiveness have to be attained gradually. All the current stake holders should be encouraged and enabled to educate the future generations.

Research has shown that the youngest children are the most impressionable and the best learners. Let us therefore not discriminate at early stage and thereby put them at a disadvantage.

There is a need to benefit from the latest technologies to impart early education. Approved content can be screened/ broadcast through radio, TV and internet and the students can consume it under supervision of their teachers.

The technology can and should also be used in teacher training.

The lack of purpose-built infrastructure is not an insurmountable impediment. Improvement in this regard can come gradually. It is more important for the young learners to have the confidence that they are being exposed to the same material as others their age and will not be at a disadvantage later.

Relevance should be a key consideration. Besides character building, the educators should prepare the school graduates for rewarding careers by choosing between university education and vocational training.

Textbook boards should treat improvement in books as their perpetual duty and continue in this vein.

Uniformity and inclusiveness have to be attained gradually. The current stake holders should be encouraged and enabled to educate and nurture the future generations. The great diversity shall remain our strength as long as there is no sense of deprivation.

Some of the debate with regard to fiscal allocation in the education sector has been quite pointless and unhelpful. The 2006 National Curriculum Review, for example, highlighted three major issues: one, the gap between various school streams; two, poor teacher training; and three, assessment models that did not align with the learning objectives.

As for as the learning gap is concerned, it was exaggerated to begin with. Fortunately, it has narrowed down further with the introduction of improved books etc. Things like air-conditioned classrooms, temperature controlled swimming pools, expensive facilities for co-curricular activities and sprawling campuses were also mentioned. These are best ignored.

Some of the teachers’ criticism was also misplaced. We should stop undermining our teachers. They have to be the facilitators in learning and not great scholars per se.

Having the right assessment model is certainly important.

Uniformity and inclusiveness have to be attained gradually. The current stakeholders should be encouraged and enabled to educate and nurture the future generations. The great diversity shall remain our strength as long as there is no sense of deprivation.

The current mix of about 40.5 million state schools and private schools affiliated with local education boards; 585,000 schools in O-/ A-Level/ baccalaureate systems; 2.650 million madrassahs; and close to 1.45 million other institutions constitute the education rainbow of Pakistan. None of them can be excluded without a negative fallout. The curricula are well in place and have been amended according to the needs of the times. There is therefore no urgent need for radical change. The target should be to synchronise without disturbing the others.

Precious time and resources spent on writing entirely new books can be better utilised in getting more out-of-school children into formal education. The basic goal should be to provide the minimum acceptable material in the form of books or broadcast/ streamed through monitors/ speakers and USBs to those at the bottom of the learning pile immediately.

Let us expose our learners to the best out there. The objective is now within reach due to the digital disruption and the flexible and distributive learning mechanisms that will characterise the future ages.

Let us get all of them into schools, the ones that are out of formal schooling.

The writer is a former regional manager for Pakistan and Bangladesh of Pearson London Examinations. He can be reached at aspirationspk@gmail.com. His X handle: @suhail67