There are many social problems in Pakistan but illiteracy is major one. 

It says in our constitution: “Eradication of illiteracy of provision of free and compulsory education up to secondary level , within minimum possible time”, Article 37-B, 1973, yet, Pakistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world .The government had announced nine education policies in last 60 years with little effect to resolve the issue. Instead ,the current policy has only served to divide the education system into segments. Pakistan’s literacy rate is only a little better than Afghanistan and South Sudan, which have literacy rates of 38.2 and 31.9 percent respectively according to UNESCO 2015 report. Other countries like the Maldives and Sri Lanka have achieved far more impressive results. 

This problem of illiteracy exists both due to broad policy hurdles and some on-ground factors. In policymaking, it is the lack of political will, which can be seen due to insignificant amount of budget allocated towards education, delays in the passing of funds, and institutional inefficiency and corruption. Resultantly, the lack of sufficient infrastructure in the form of school buildings and facilities, low professional capacity of teachers due to the non-availability of proper training institutes, uneven teacher-student ratios, lack of teaching aids, as well as low public awareness concerning the value of education, all contribute towards maintenance of low educational rates. 

SHOAIB AHMAD,  

LAHORE, June 9.