A report published in this newspaper brings to light some grim facts of the state of education in the country, with particular focus on Punjab. It seemed different governments heavily used funds allocated for education to promote their election campaigns, contributing to the failure of past governments to achieve their targets in education. While Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi kept on chanting slogans like Parah Likha Punjab, the situation on the ground deteriorated. If anything, it was only the numbers of illiterates that swelled. On the higher education front too, not much could be achieved. It is a pity that no Pakistani university is included in the top 500 universities of the world. This is a sad reflection also on the double standards of some of our leaders who otherwise keep telling the public of their high sounding idealism of having a developed human resource. It is hoped that the new government would set things right and go for an overhaul of the department. Moreover an inquiry should be conducted into the abovementioned malpractice. Punjab now has a new Chief Minister in Mian Shahbaz Sharif who did considerably well during his past tenure in the field and led a crackdown on ghost schools. At his oath taking ceremony on Sunday, he expressed his concern over the deteriorating education scenario and the helpless parents who could not send their children to school merely because of poverty. It however remains to be seen how he would confront the uphill task.