Sana Ullah Dashti
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province in terms of land area forming over 40 percent of the total area of the country. It is also the richest land blessed with numerous resources. Despite being the richest province, it is plagued with numberless crises. To name a few, water crisis, unemployment, non-existent healthcare system, child labour, and drug addiction are some of the crises facing its people which need to be addressed. The most pressing one among the major issues facing the people of Balochistan is the lack of a quality education system which has kept the indigenous people deprived of their constitutional and most basic rights.
Education is necessary for every individual to comprehend the principles of life. As a famous saying goes, ” Giving food to the poor may abstain them from hunger for a few days but providing education may travel through their generations and take them out of the swamp of poverty”. But unfortunately, despite being in the 21st century, the literacy rate in Balochistan is the lowest in Pakistan, standing at 44 percent which is saddening, and means that 66 percent of children are out of school in Balochistan. It is estimated that 69 percent of children from 5 to 6 age are out of school and are indulged in child labour and other daily wage work. Moreover, In 2021 the organization (Education and professional training) revealed that Pakistan’s largest province Balochistan has the highest proportion of out of school children.
The only reason why Balochistan has the highest illiteracy rate with the highest number of children out of school is that the government failed to care for the education system in the province. The government has never demonstrated or made sincere efforts to boost the enrollment of out of school children in schools. The figure of 1.8 million out of school children, as social workers say, is expected to increase.
According to various reports, Balochistan has around 13,000 government schools, 2,500 of which are for girls while the other 10,500 are for boys respectively. On the contrary, the province is home to 10 million people.
Furthermore, most of the schools are in appalling conditions lacking very basic facilities. Such as infrastructure, boundaries, electricity, toilet, and most importantly pure drinking water. To add insult to injury, a large number of school teachers are unqualified and have been appointed through recommendations by those in the government. Many of these teachers are being paid salaries but remain absent from work. It is also a common sight in Balochistan where teachers arrange classes with too many students under trees due to the lack of school buildings.
According to a recent estimation by the international labour organization (ILO), 10 million children are labour and as per the estimates, 34.3 of the youth are illiterate in Pakistan and Balochistan tops that list. This raises serious questions about the progress of Balochistan in the future.
Article 25-A of the constitution of Pakistan states, “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law, however, the state in Balochistan has failed to live up to its pledge.
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