smartcybers786@gmail.com 
#growing #concern #Political #Economy
Young people are the backbone of the development and growth of any country. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s education sector offers a dark scene. According to UNICEF, Pakistan currently has the second highest number of children outside the school (OUSC), with 22.8 million children do not go to school at the age of 5-16, which represents 44 % of the total population in this age group. In this dangerous situation, policy decision makers and stakeholders have demanded immediate attention. The reform of this problem is very important to understand the basic reasons that prevent children from studying, especially from an economically backward background. UNICEF data shows that after the age of the primary school, the number of OOSC doubles, which does not receive 11.4 million young people under the age of 10-14 years. Pakistan faces a double problem: five million children do not enroll in primary schools and those who receive basic education often do not continue their education.
Pakistan is also suffering from an economic crisis, which makes it difficult for parents to afford their children’s education. In addition, the rapid increase in population increases financial pressure on families, and many people are forced to prioritize other needs than school education. Reports show that 51 % of the poorest quantals are not going to primary school. This trend continues in middle education, with 55 % OSC in the same economic bracket. Differences at the higher education level are even more clear, where the poorest quantile OSC accounts for 75 %. This growing number of children outside school is also linked to a large number of children’s labor problems, of which about 3.3 million Pakistani children are engaged in labor. For very low -income families, more and more children mean more and more potential sources, which makes them enroll in jobs related to factories, household chores and brick kilns instead of schools.
Many parents fail to register their children at birth due to lack of awareness and the complexity of the registration process. In Pakistan, only 34 % of children under the age of five are registered at birth, which prevent others from appearing in government records and eventually prevent them from accessing formal education. Weak child protection policies play a more important role in the increasing number of OUSC.
Another important issue is gender differences in education. In many households, sons prefer in school education. Daughters are often taken out of school due to social perception. Many parents believe that male children will provide financial support to old age, while daughters for wedding are less capable of investing in education. As a result, many girls are removed from school after primary education to be married or work as domestic helpers to contribute to domestic expenses. Reports suggest that at the age of 20-49, about a quarter of women were married before the age of 15, and 31 % from the age of 18. Such procedures are a significant obstacle to women’s education and support the overall increase in OUSC.
In Pakistan, economic assistance measures, awareness campaigns, improved educational infrastructure and strict policy enforcement agencies need multi -factor approach to tackle the children’s crisis.
The absence of educational facilities further enhances the crisis. Many parties are unaware of nearby public schools that offer free or cheap education. In some cases, such schools are not present and where they do, inadequate financing of the government leads to inadequate resources and non -standard education. Experts have noted that there are major obstacles to access to education from the sects found at all educational levels. Social and cultural and economic obstacles, which, together with the lack of school facilities, are hindered and maintaining access to and maintaining for backward groups, especially young girls.
To tackle these challenges, make the government a policies and implement the obstacles that can prevent children from accessing education. School enrollment campaigns should be carried out in areas with which parents can raise awareness about the importance of education for both boys and girls.
At another level, children need to be strictly enforced on labor laws so that children can be forced to work rather than go to school. In addition, the government should employ local workers in remote areas to ensure registration of newborns, and protect them under the laws of children’s labor. Attempts to cooperate between UNICEF, the Government of Pakistan and Telenor have already introduced birth enrollment measures in some remote areas of Sindh. However, the move should be extended to other provinces. Under this project, local workers-who are more familiar with the community, register children using Android, Android-based digital devices, and in real time upload the birth record to the government database.
In addition, steps should be introduced to encourage parents to send their children to school. Scholarship programs for OUSC should be set up, especially for girls who have stopped their education. The government should also focus on the enrollment of the elementary school, and from an early age, laid a strong foundation for the students. The UNICEF report highlights that the investment in the standard early learning and pre -primary education significantly improves the overall results of primary school entry, maintaining and learning, while investing is left.
In Pakistan, economic assistance measures, awareness campaigns, improved educational infrastructure and strict policy enforcement agencies need multi -factor approach to tackle the children’s crisis. Only through a joint effort by the government and stakeholders, Pakistan hopes to change this dangerous trend and secure a bright future for their youth.
The author is affiliated with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute. Through this, these views do not necessarily reflect the SDPI’s official position.
