perspective-education

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…

The Case for Teaching Punjabi in Schools

THE chief minister of Punjab, Ms Maryam Nawaz, has said that Punjabi will be taught across schools in the province. This was announced at the Punjab Culture Day ceremony last week. It is a welcome announcement. Some 80 million people speak Punjabi in Pakistan and, worldwide, Punjabi speakers number around…

How many more children will we sacrifice?

Nazir left home in a fury to locate his 12-year-old son, Shaheer,…

Ghost Schools

KARACHI: Apropos the letter “Ghost Teachers” published on September 19, 2024, the…

From Disaster To Despair

Each monsoon in Pakistan heralds less a renewal of life and more a rehearsal for ruin. The 2025 floods, which swept through the vast industrial triangle of Sialkot, Gujrat and Gujranwala and their adjoining areas, were neither the first calamity nor will they be the last. What has lingered long…

Education in an age of AI

In an age where generative artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries, the education systems of most developing countries remain trapped in an outdated, industrial-age framework. The model still in use today was designed over two centuries ago, during the Industrial Revolution, to produce compliant workers – clerks, factory labourers and…

Teaching as Profession

SHEHLA completed her Master’s degree in economics last year and started teaching at a private school in her neighbourhood. She feels she will not be staying in the job for long. Her salary is only Rs20,000 per month. She thinks she will be married soon and might not work afterwards.…

Invisible Childhood

THE world rightly sees child domestic workers as modern slaves, while domestic labour is categorised as informal work, or invisible labour. In July 2022, a qualitative study by the International Labour Organisation revealed that one in every four Pakistani households employs a minor, showing a predominance of girls from 10…

A Shot of Hope: Saving Girls from a Silent Killer

When little Sana, a shy 12-year-old from Karachi, walked into her school’s assembly hall last week, she thought it was just another health drive. But when she returned home later that day, proudly showing her vaccination card to her mother, she had unknowingly taken a step that could one day…

Futures Snatched By Force Of Faith

The concerns regarding forced conversion are not a new phenomenon in our part of the world. Almost a century ago the All India Muslim League chalked out the rules for conversion in this region. The All India Muslim League adopted a resolution in December, 1927 at Calcutta which addressed the…

Education Outsourcing

THE Sindh government’s recent plan to outsource school education through public-private partnerships (PPPs) has sparked a new debate. While the move is being portrayed as a step towards improving quality, it raises more concerns than confidence. Punjab has already adopted a similar model, and Sindh has tried partial outsourcing through…

Education Disrupted

A MIX of natural calamities, terrorism and bureaucratic ineptitude has resulted in difficulties for students in KP’s Khyber tribal district. In fact, the situation in Khyber reminds us of the disruptions in education that tens of thousands of school-age children face across Pakistan because of floods and militancy. As reported,…

Climate Emergency

THE federal cabinet’s decision to declare a climate and agriculture emergency in the country was overdue given the magnitude of devastation resulting from the floods sweeping across Punjab and beyond. The images of inundated fields in thousands of villages, displaced families, destroyed homes and dead livestock underscore the seriousness of the catastrophe. Prime Minister…

School Closures

WHEN schools are closed, especially at times when they are expected to be open, the loss in terms of educational and learning outcomes can be substantial. Out of the 365 days that make up the year, we get only 160 days or so for teaching and learning time, thanks to…

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