In an interview with The News on Sunday, Dr Faisal Bari speaks about education and the accessibility challenges for children across Pakistan. Dr Bari is a senior research fellow at the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives and an associate professor of economics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. Excerpts follow:

The News on Sunday (TNS): How do you view the current state of access to education in Pakistan? What would you identify as the most pressing obstacle(s) hindering equitable access to quality education?

Dr Faisal Bari (FB): There are two or three points to consider. The first is Article 25-A in our constitution’s basic rights section. It was added as part of the 18^th Constitutional Amendment 2010, giving the right to education to all children aged five to sixteen in the country. Thus, every child should receive at least ten years of education, regardless of other factors. This, both, is the law and in line with our international commitments.

The main reason for this lack of access is poverty. Education costs money. Somebody has to pay for it, whether it’s through government or private means. Poverty is the biggest problem with access. In most countries like Pakistan, the government is responsible for providing free and compulsory education to all children. If the state doesn’t do it and the people are poor, then enrolment rates in poor households will be lower than in higher-income households.

Now, how does that poverty affect the society? Even if government schools are tuition-free, factors like distance, security concerns, lack of funds for school supplies and pressure for child labour due to financial hardships all contribute to children being pulled out of school. Other factors compound the issue, including geography, rural-urban inequality, teacher availability, gender, caste and minority status. Though the government promises to provide the right to education, it spends only 2 percent of the GDP on education, resulting in insufficient schools and teachers. We don’t have the resources to bring every child to a free government school, and given that private schools charge more money, it’s impossible to educate every child through private sector provision.

The fundamental question for the society is who will bear the cost of education. Will the government prioritise education and increase spending to ensure quality education? Will the society step forward to fund education for those who can’t afford a certain standard, whether through taxation, NGOs or philanthropy?

TNS: How can public-private partnerships address the education emergency by leveraging private sector resources to rapidly enhance accessibility and quality of education and reduce the gap between private and public institutions?

FB: Public money can flow into the private sector, or private money can enter public sector schools. Alternatively, the transfer of funds can revolve around management and teaching. Private management expertise can be applied to public sector, or public institutions can take over private schools’ administration.

To enhance accessibility through such partnerships, where no schools exist, programmes like those by the Punjab Education Foundation have engaged the private sector to establish subsidised schools. The government would still incur expenses, but the private sector can handle provisioning. When government-managed schools face challenges, management contracts can be adopted, as seen in the Punjab School Support Programme (PSSP) and the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) programme.

So it’s possible to do these contracts. But the base issue concerns who pays for the ultimate provision. One way is for public money to pay for provisioning while private sector involvement can address governance and management concerns by taking charge of schools. However, the students shouldn’t be charged because that’s the promise: free and compulsory education for everyone.

So yes, public-private partnerships have potential, but the state still has to pay for most of the provision. But does the state possess the necessary funding? While some management outsourcing has occurred, the question arises: why do governments in Pakistan struggle with governance? If the government acknowledges its limitations in school management, it can engage the private sector. However, this does not allow the state to evade its commitment to quality education for every child. Ultimately, it’s the state’s responsibility to fund education.

TNS: What innovative strategies have you come across that effectively promote access to education and address the root causes of inequities?

FB: Pakistan’s education system is highly fragmented. It is marked by numerous cleavages including language, curriculum, examinations, gender and rural-urban disparities. Access to education is tied to parental income. For instance, in cities like Lahore and Karachi, public schools are tuition-free, while elite private schools charge substantial fees for a better quality of education.

Ensuring a baseline level of quality education for all children is essential to establish equity. This necessitates enhancing the quality of public schools. Improving the quality at the bottom tier guarantees a minimum standard for every student. Private education entrenches inequality. High-end private schools can continue offering French or horse riding to the elites and do whatever they want, but we want to ensure every child has at least an exposure to basic quality education that the state provides for everyone.

The key lies in strengthening public sector education. If these schools deliver effective quality education, the disparity between them and private institutions will diminish. Consequently, students from improved public schools will gain better prospects for higher education and social mobility. This aligns with education’s purpose as a leveller, promoting equality of opportunity. Currently, fragmented access and parental income hinder education’s equity goal.

TNS: How can different stakeholders collaborate effectively to address accessibility challenges and drive sustainable change in Pakistan’s education sector?

FB: On one hand, there’s a rhetoric advocating universal ten-year education, enshrined in our constitution and internationally endorsed. On the other, we are stuck with 20 million children out of school, showing no meaningful progress in addressing this issue or enhancing education quality. Despite much discourse on educational reforms over the past 15-20 years, there’s no clear evidence of improved educational equality. This creates a dual predicament where we vocally support universal education rights but fail to act accordingly as a society and government.

I’ve consistently suggested the formation of a manageable education commission comprising diverse stakeholders to devise a 5-10-year education roadmap, garnering support from major political parties and key stakeholders, transcending political affiliations.

De-politicisation – separating education provision from political influences – is crucial. While education remains inherently political, its delivery shouldn’t be. Achieving set goals through the Education Commission should span across governments.

Right now, I think we are stuck in a place without agreement on what needs to be done. While we are committed to providing education to every child, no government, federal or provincial, has any plans for the next 5-10 years. Detailed plans, funding sources, and implementation strategies are absent. This divide sustains the disparity between rhetoric and reality.

For me, it’s quite a bit of hypocrisy that we keep living with this dissonance and do nothing to resolve it. Ideally, the federal government, regardless of the ruling party, should assemble a body to deliberate Pakistan’s educational objectives for the next 5-10 years. These problems cannot be fixed in a year or two. We can at least begin working towards them if we have a plan. Change needs honest self-evaluation and government commitments.

The interviewer is a freelance contributor