Perspective - Page 21

Insights From the 2023 Census Report

The 2023 Census conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics released its complete report in July 2024 indicates that the total population of Pakistan is 240 million out of which the population of children under 18 is 112 Million (47% of the total population). Children Population (under 18) Population under 18 Total Male Female Transgender Pakistan 112,472,700 58,099,978 54,370,121 2,601…

Grace Marks by Sindh Government

In a move as surprising as it is contentious, the Sindh provincial government has decreed a generous 15% grace mark for students who faltered in their class XI examinations last year. The decision, prompted by an investigative committee report on the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi’s controversial results, comes as…

Juvenile Offenders in Punjab

The total number of convicted and undertrial juveniles imprisoned in various borstal…

deficiencies in Pakistan's education system

The Impact of Pakistan’s Education System

What PM Shehbaz Sharif blurted out recently isn’t quite a national secret.…

Education Emergency — Bureaucracy Walking The Talk

Pakistan is in the spotlight for having the largest number of out-of-school children (26 million) and millions not learning the basics (ASER 2010-2023). Deficits in access and quality morph into an equity gap with gender and generational impacts. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, within nine weeks of stepping into office,…

Med to Math: PEC’s Misguided Curveball

A few days ago, some newspapers carried a news item that has not created a lot of waves yet. In its 49th meeting, the Governing Body of the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), the national regulator for engineering programmes, decided to allow pre-medical students to be considered for admission to engineering…

Child Marriage Plagues Minor Girls

The rocky years of adolescence are rarely a smooth sail for budding adults, with sudden physical, emotional, and psychological changes taking a huge toll on their overall wellbeing. While an awkward pimple or emotional breakdown might exhaust an average teenager coping with the upsetting effects of puberty, for minor girls…

A Silent Epidemic: Child Sexual Abuse in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Thirteen-year-old Asim* was quieter than usual when he returned to his home in Jhelum from a motorcycle mechanic’s workshop after completing his first day as a chotu – a term widely used for apprentices. His father, a rickshaw driver, noticed but casually asked about his day at his new workplace…

Little Ones at Work

It is deeply unfortunate that millions of Pakistani children endure poverty and are forced into labor, a harsh reality that has persisted for years. These children work in factories due to dire economic conditions, often in extreme heat without basic rights like food or education. Imagine a child carrying heavy…

Summer Fees

The burden of summer vacation fees is too much for low-income families, making it difficult for parents who are struggling to make ends meet. Despite the absence of educational activities during vacations, parents are still required to pay a fee for those months as well, exacerbating their financial hardships. This…

How To Educate

The education system of Pakistan is becoming worse each day. The literacy rate of the country determines its success. The more educated the people, the more the country will progress. If Pakistan wants to progress, it must pay more attention to its educational system. Most schools don’t pay much attention…

Education For Girls

Education is a fundamental right and a crucial driver of development, yet many girls in Pakistan are denied this basic right. Despite efforts to improve education, girls in Pakistan face numerous barriers that prevent them from attending school and reaching their full potential. One of the primary challenges is limited…

Exploring Reproductive Health Rights: What You Need to Know

As women, many of us have navigated through the uncomfortable changes of puberty with an incomplete understanding of their implications and faced challenging pregnancies without adequate information or healthcare. Our experiences vary based on geographical location, income, and ethnicity. Yet, a shared absence of a rights-based discourse on access to…

The Role of Parents in Shaping Pakistan’s Education Future

PAKISTAN’S education system faces significant challenges on two fronts. Firstly, there is a staggering number of out-of-school children, estimated at 26.2 million. This means that a sizeable portion of the children are not accessing any formal education. Economic factors, cultural barriers, and inadequate infrastructure are the primary reasons. For instance,…