Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s declaration of an education emergency across Pakistan on International Literacy Day is a long-overdue acknowledgment of the country’s dire educational landscape. While it is encouraging that the government is finally recognising the magnitude of the crisis, one cannot overlook the fact that such grand proclamations have been made before, often with little to no tangible results.

Millions of children remain out of school, and those who do attend are frequently met with subpar education, leaving them ill-equipped to compete on a global stage. Worse still, many students suffer from additional handicaps like malnutrition and stunted growth, compounding their struggles. This creates a system where education is available in name, but not in its true form.

However, merely stating the obvious does little to rectify the deeply ingrained structural issues that plague the education sector. We have heard such declarations in the past, only to see them drowned in bureaucracy and inefficiency. Pakistan’s education system needs more than words; it needs action that addresses the systemic flaws at its core.

What we hope to see from this government, and from the Prime Minister himself, is a concrete roadmap outlining the practical steps being taken to remedy these shortcomings. Without substantive work behind these lofty statements, we fear this education emergency will be yet another exercise in rhetoric—leaving millions of Pakistani children in the lurch. A strategic and long-term plan is essential if we are to avoid repeating the failures of the past and ensure that education reform becomes more than just another slogan.