LAHORE - Pakistan Awami Tehreek yesterday alleged misappropriation in over $541 million aid for promotion of education in the country.
In a white paper issued by PAT leaders Basharat Jaspal, Fayyaz Warraich and Brig (r) Mohammed Mushtaq, it was claimed that the standard of education in Pakistan was worst in the world.
Quoting the Unesco Global Digest, the report stated the country received biggest aid in the world for education promotion after China and India. But, despite this huge amount, the literacy rate did not improve, it added.
“Over 900 government educational institutions are functioning without any head and over 500 schools have been illegally occupied alone in Punjab. The provincial government has failed to achieve even a single goal it set for itself under Millennium Development Goals for 2015 which included 100 per cent enrolment in schools.”
The Dr Tahirul Qadri’s party further claimed the least amount was spent on education in the South Punjab. “India spends 3.9 per cent of its GDP on education while Iran spends 4.7pc, Turkey 6pc, Bhutan 4.9pc and Pakistan only 2pc.
“According to Unesco report, over 49 million adults do not know how to read and write and 6.30 per cent of the world’s illiterate children reside in Pakistan. Of the Primary-going children, 33 per cent leave school before reaching class five. In the rating for Standard of Education, Pakistan stands at 123 position in South Asia.”
The Unesco report further stated that according to some domestic and international calculations over 25 million children do not go to schools in Pakistan. The country does not have a single university among the top 500 universities of the world.
PAT leaders say that it would have been better that after copying the Orange Train system from China and Metro Bus System from Turkey, the Pakistani rulers should have followed the educational systems in these friendly states as well. Quoting the Economic Survey, they said the literacy rates of Pakistan fell to 58pc from the previous 60pc. In Lahore 290,000 children do not attend school, they regretted.
The PAT leaders claimed over 75pc madrassahs and schools were shut down in Punjab and despite a sharp increase in the population no action was taken to open new schools.
They also criticised Punjab Government’s new scheme of running government schools with private partnership. They said over 5,000 schools were de-nationalised and given in the custody of private entrepreneurs during last two years in Punjab.