rime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has declared an education emergency across the nation. The donors have yet again reminded us about how grim the education situation is in Pakistan. It feels like déjà vu. The number of out-of-school children in Pakistan is now the highest in the world.

Last week, a national conference aimed at declaring a national education emergency was hosted in Islamabad. Scouring the press coverage and the online resources, we were unable to find a roadmap detailing how the government intends to fulfill the promise of universal schooling.

There is anger and frustration in the public. Nothing, it seems, is moving in the right direction. The political landscape is deeply polarized. Daily challenges from militancy keep the security establishment under pressure. The economic crisis is deepening, pushing more people below the poverty line. Other social development indicators tell a similarly dismal story. There is hope that Pakistan’s youthful population will keep this country afloat. However, in the absence of education or marketable skills, this demographic advantage can morph into a crisis.

Consider the perspective of a 9-year-old girl, living in rural Balochistan. Most likely she does not go to school. She is also unlikely to enroll any time soon. Her family’s poverty precludes the possibility of sending her to a school. There are no non-formal education centres or vocational institutes in the neighbourhood. Attempts to reach her through alternative mediums such as ed-tech solutions have failed as she lacks access to a smart device or an internet connection. If her father has a device, cultural norms prevent her from using the technology because she is a girl.

What then is the state promising this girl? Even if receives a cash transfer to attend at a school, the school does not provide quality education that can lead her to better socio-economic prospects. The ASER 2023 report speaks volumes about how over the last 16 years schools have not been able to impart quality education and the learning outcomes remain poor. Why then should she go to school? If somehow she does, there is an 80 per cent likelihood that she will drop out before completing Grade 10. She is likely to be married off at an early age. Else, she will be supporting her family with unskilled labour.

If this girl defies all the odds and completes higher secondary education, can she compete with a boy her age from Lahore who has studied in an elite private school? We all know the answer to this question. She and her parents have known it from the outset.

Apart from allocating significantly more financial resources, the government must adopt a gender-transformative education approach in education planning and sector plans. This will help in the formulation and implementation of gender-sensitive policies to ensure equitable resources for girls’ education.

We are not even invoking SDGs 2030. The government’s commitment to these goals cannot overshadow the promise made to Pakistan’s children. If the government is serious, the 2024 budget will see a significant raise in the financial resources allocated to education. It cannot hover around two per cent of the GDP as has been the case for the last two decades. Countries like Norway, the USA, Australia and the UK invest more than 6 per cent of their GDP in education. Even our South Asian neighbours such as India, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal have consistently outperformed us in terms of public investment in education. Pakistan needs to see education as a critical driver of economy and commit long-term investment in this sector.

Apart from allocating significantly more financial resources, the government must adopt a gender-transformative approach to education. This will help in the formulation and implementation of gender-sensitive policies.

Beyond the physical infrastructure of schools, the government must address learning poverty by investing in teachers’ training, recruitment on merit and building the science capital.

It must also ensure a comprehensive mapping of the external support through foreign donors, INGOs and experts. This is important to ensure that the resources are utilized efficiently.

The government also needs to rope in those who have demonstrated good school management kills. The institutional knowledge can help the public education sector achieve greater effectiveness.

Finally, the process of educational reforms has to be decentralised. Instead of crucial decision-making taking place at the federal, provincial or district level, schools and communities should be empowered to devise solutions aligned with their unique contexts. This is not merely important to create an education system that is inclusive and has the ability to respond to the needs of its diverse population. Such decentralisation could prove a lifeline for the most underserved communities, empowering them to shape their own destinies.

Prime Minister Sharif’s promise will only be seen as fulfilled once the transformative power of education gives every Pakistani child a chance at a future that they yearn for and deserve. Every child, regardless of gender or geography, must have an opportunity to thrive and dare to dream of a future that belongs to them.

Moiz Hussain is an advocate for educational equity and reforms in Asia. He can be reached at moiz.360pk@gmail.com

Areebah Shahid is the executive director of Pakistan Youth Change Advocates. She can be reached at areebah.shahid@pyca.org.pk