Invest in literacy, not privatisation | Political Economy

#Invest #literacy #privatisation #Political #Economy

The decline in Pakistan faces a confluence, particularly in Punjab, where policies increasingly favor privatization rather than direct investment in public schools. In the recent decade, many schools have been transferred to private operators through public private partnerships to improve efficiency and quality. Although enrollment has increased, the fundamental issue of whether children are truly learning to read, write and do basic math remains. The key question is whether to focus on outsourcing education to increase enrollment or on direct investment to improve literacy.

In 2016, the government took a landmark decision to transfer control of several schools to private operators through the Punjab Education Foundation. This important initiative aims to improve educational standards and performance. Building on its success, the government expanded its strategy with the establishment of the Punjab Education Initiatives Management Authority. As a result, thousands of schools are now thriving under dynamic public-private partnerships, fostering innovation and raising the quality of education available to students across the region. Currently, the government pays between Rs 900 and Rs 1,500 per student to teachers and private contractors responsible for providing the necessary infrastructure.

While this approach may seem cost-effective on paper, it raises significant concerns in practice. Contractors, constrained by tight budgets, often cut corners by hiring underpaid teachers, reducing support for quality training and relying on inadequate facilities. By shifting responsibility to private institutions instead of investing directly in their schools, the state is neglecting its duty. Children suffer from weak educational foundations.

The deep crisis is not just about enrollment numbers. It is basically about quality of learning. The annual Status of Education Report 2023 and ILMPACT baseline by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute 2025 highlighted that the province is struggling significantly with literacy and numeracy. About 34 percent of Class III students in Punjab can read a story at Class II level. Even among Class V students, only 61% can read to the expectation of children who are two grades below them. The data is exactly the same. Less than half of Class V students can solve a simple two-digit division problem. These statistics illustrate the extent to which global experts speak of “learning poverty,” where children spend years in school without acquiring even the most basic skills.

If the goal of privatization was to alleviate learning poverty, the results are disappointing. Evaluations of PEF and PEIMA schools show little evidence of improved learning outcomes. In fact, children in these schools often perform no better and never worse than their peers in public schools. This gap can be attributed to a number of factors: These schools operate on tight budgets, rely on often poorly trained and underpaid teachers, and prioritize cost-cutting over effective education. In many ways, the privatization experiment has shifted responsibility from the state without addressing the root causes of poor literacy.

This trend is reflected in international experience. Privatization alone does not solve education challenges. In India, for example, the rapid growth of low-cost private schools has not resulted in improved learning outcomes. According to Acer India, millions of children struggle with grade-level reading and basic math. In Kenya, public-private partnerships may have increased enrollment but have not produced sustained improvements in literacy or numeracy. In Latin America, countries such as Chile and Colombia have witnessed rising inequality due to privatization, with wealthier households benefiting more than poorer households. The consistent lesson is clear: While outsourcing education can boost enrollment numbers, it rarely results in quality education.

This indicates the critical importance of literacy, which goes beyond simply decoding words. It is the basis of all education. Proficient literacy enables children to engage with a variety of subjects, as the skills gained through reading and comprehension are essential across subjects. For example, a child who struggles to read fluently by Grade III may have challenges in science, history, and math, where understanding texts and interpreting information is important. When reading skills are lacking, students can become disengaged and frustrated, negatively impacting their academic performance and confidence. This cycle of struggle can hinder their overall educational journey. Therefore, it is important to promote literacy from an early age, as it not only facilitates academic success but also lays the foundation for lifelong learning and critical thinking.

The current trend runs the risk of creating a two-tier education system: one for those who can afford high-quality private options and another for those who are left behind in underfunded public schools or low-fee private institutions. This division will increase inequality, limiting opportunities for children from poor families and rural communities. Education should be a great equalizer, no longer a means of exclusion. A strong public education system, where literacy is a universal guarantee, remains the only sustainable path to equity.

Tackling learning poverty requires a multi-pronged approach that includes policy reforms, targeted interventions and strategic investments. Some possible strategies to consider are:

First, the government needs to change its focus and make literacy and numeracy a priority in education policy. A national literacy emergency can be used to demonstrate the urgency of the situation and provide direct resources for primary education. Policymakers should avoid over-reliance on privatization schemes, as they have not significantly improved learning outcomes. Instead, the investment should go towards enhancing the public education system. The state should be held accountable, ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, has access to quality education and basic skills.

Second, the cornerstone of any literacy movement is a trained and motivated teaching force. Government must provide continuous professional development training for all teachers, focusing on practical methods of teaching reading comprehension and numeracy, using modern teaching tools. Additionally, funding should prioritize improving school infrastructure, classroom resources and creating a child-friendly environment. Instead of spending funds on private contractors, these resources could be redirected to upgrade public schools. Strong investments in teachers and learning environments will yield long-term benefits over short-term privatization deals that prioritize cost savings over educational quality.

Third, improving literacy requires targeted interventions within classrooms. By the end of Grade III, every child should be able to read fluently and solve basic math problems. For those who are struggling, “catch-up” programs of treatment need to be systematically implemented. Teachers should be provided with structured materials, age-appropriate texts and innovative approaches that promote active learning. Technology can also play a supportive role when used thoughtfully, such as through digital reading apps or math practice tools. School monitoring systems should not only focus on enrollment figures but also assess whether children are actually learning or not. By incorporating these interventions into daily practice, we can ensure that no child falls behind academically.

The way forward must be different. The government needs to consider literacy as a national emergency and invest accordingly. Every rupee spent on training teachers, redesigning the curriculum, supporting early grade education and providing children with reading materials and opportunities to practice at home will yield far greater returns than a privatization scheme. Instead of outsourcing the responsibility, the government should take ownership and lead a literacy movement that reaches every classroom, household and child. Only then can Punjab overcome its learning poverty and lay the foundations for a more equitable and prosperous future.

The author is a statistician at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad, Pakistan. He can be reached at mohsinali@sdpi.org and tweets @kazmi_m