Education: A Ruthless Enterprise

Author: Atif Mehmood
2 mins read

A glaring injustice of this sector is the persistent and disproportionate increase in tuition fees.

Education, the cornerstone of progress and national prosperity, is an inherent right of every individual. However, the private education sector has transformed into a ruthless commercial enterprise, prioritising financial gains over intellectual nourishment.

Often referred to as the Private Education Mafia, this industry operates with unchecked autonomy, levying exorbitant fees, evading regulation and reducing education to a mere commodity rather than an instrument of enlightenment.

The rise in private education can be attributed to the decline of public education and government neglect. As public schools deteriorate, parents seeking better educational opportunities for their children opt for private schools despite the financial burden. This situation is a result of gradual developments, with many individuals and elite contributing to it in various ways.

A glaring injustice of this sector is the persistent and disproportionate increase in tuition fees. Annually, private institutions impose unwarranted fee hikes under the guise of inflation and operational expenses. Consequently, education, instead of being a fundamental right, has morphed into an exclusive privilege.

A fundamental flaw within this system is the absence of regulatory oversight. This regulatory vacuum emboldens these schools to prioritise revenue generation at the cost of educational quality. Students are treated as mere revenue streams in a highly lucrative trade.

In their relentless pursuit of profit, these institutions often lower academic standards for profit, hiring underqualified educators, ignoring infrastructure, and lacking essential resources like libraries and labs.

The gap between private and public education widens societal inequalities. Wealthy children receive better education, while low-income families remain in underfunded schools, sustaining inequity. This disparity continues into higher education and careers, with private education sector students having more opportunities compared to their public counterparts.

The continued growth of private institutions has further weakened the public education system. As increasing numbers of parents shift towards private schooling, public institutions suffer from declining enrolment, diminished resources, and administrative neglect. This vicious cycle exacerbates the degradation of public institutions, compelling even greater dependence on private institutions.

The Private Education Mafia in Pakistan stands as one of the gravest threats to the nation’s intellectual and economic future. The relentless pursuit of profit, lack of regulatory accountability, and commercialisation of learning have entrenched a culture of exploitation and inequality.

Addressing this dire crisis necessitates unwavering resolve from the government, ensuring that private university charters are not granted merely as political favours to lawmakers and the influential elite.

The question is: have successive governments, over the decades, deliberately orchestrated the downfall of public sector institutions? Whom shall we hold accountable for this lamentable situation? Is it sheer negligence, or a calculated disregard for the sanctity of education? No administration, past or present, has earnestly undertaken the task of addressing these challenges. Instead, they have either permitted this systemic decay to persist, perhaps because it served their vested interests?

Where there is determination, opportunities emerge. For instance, there is the opportunity to invest in public education and enhance teacher salary frameworks, ensuring that educators have not to depend on supplementary income for their livelihood.

Through unyielding policy enforcement and interventions sustained over the next two decades, irrespective of the ruling administration, we can dismantle the entrenched barriers to equitable education.

A revitalised public education system shall serve as the cornerstone of this transformation, ensuring that learning ceases to be a privilege of the few and is restored as an inalienable right of all as stated in the Constitution.

Article (Opinion) published in the Express Tribune on 17th March 2025

 

Previous Story

Educating Inmate’s Children

Next Story

Sale Of Toy Guns Crackers Banned

Latest from Blog

Khuzdar Bus Blast Toll Rises To 6

QUETTA: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Balochistan Police registered a case against unknown terrorists in connection with the Khuzdar IED attack on the Army Public School Bus in Khuzdar on the complaint of police on 22-May-2025. The case was registered under murder attempt, murder and Anti-Terrorism act. Sources said…

Health Of School Children At Stake

Rawalpindi: The mercury level has been registering record high for days in many parts of the country including this region of the country putting health of general public at risk but the schoolchildren are at the greatest risk of suffering from heat related disorders including heatstroke, heat syncope, heat exhaustion,…

Two Polio Cases Detected, Taking Year’s Tally To 10

ISLAMABAD: Two cases of polio from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were confirmed on 21st May, taking the tally for the current year to 10. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, confirmed the cases of wild poliovirus in Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts. According to…

Anti-rape Crisis Cells To Be Set Up At DHQ Hospitals In KP

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has planned the establishment of anti-rape crisis cells at all district headquarters hospitals in the province to ensure medical and legal assistance to victims of sexual assaults in line with the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act, 2021. It has directed all 26 district headquarters…

PM Vows Strong Action Against Perpetrators After School Bus Blast

QUETTA/KHUZDAR: At least six people, including three students, lost their lives and over 40 others — mostly students — sustained injuries after a bomb targeted a school bus in Khuzdar on 21st May, prompting the prime minister to visit Quetta to take stock of the security situation amid across-the-board condemnations.…
Go toTop