“EDUCATION”

“Seeking education is incumbent on every Muslim. “

- Prophet (PBUH)

Education is without a doubt the most challenging problem being faced

by Pakistan. Of course, lack of education leads to many problems. No
other issue has the more potential to change the country’s destiny than
education. Yet Pakistan has underspent on education. Our literacy rate is
58% which is quiet lower than our neighbors, obviously excluding
Afghanistan.
In 1947 All-Pakistan Educational Conference that education
would be a critical to Pakistan’s viability as a state. Since then not even a
single one of successive government have paid attention to it. Both
military and democratic governments included.
Talking about democracy let’s have a look at, how lack of
education affects democracy. Well, in democracy every one in the state
is given right to vote. Now in a country where there is low literacy rate
majority of the voters are illiterate who can’t really decide the difference
between wrong and right. As Allah says in holy Quran ;
“Are those who know and those who don’t know
Equal”. ( 39:9)
As a matter of fact, democracy can not prevail in a country where
people lack knowledge.
Education lies at the heart of almost all the challenges that a
country faces. It should be dealt as a political issue and not a technical
issue. The new Prime Minister of Pakistan along with his “Tabdeli”
(Alterations) issued a statement on education after he took charge of
the office. He laid stress on the Prophet (PBUH)’s policy following
Muslims victory over disbelievers of Mecca. The Prophet decreed that
any prisoner who educated 10 Muslim children’s would be set free.
The Prime Minister later asked people to reflect on country’s state of
education. He also asked people to see that how much the west is
spending on education. He also announced to turn the Prime Ministers
house into a top class university.
The Prime Minister issued a strong statement but its
implementation would be the final judge.
The past twenty years have been ones of growing conflict and
violence within Pakistan cannot of course be put down solely to
demographic drivers. Many other factors have intervened. But the fact
that we have an ill educated ‘lost generation’ should be a cause for
serious concern and a spur for action. Without educating our children –
all children – there is little chance of reversing the decline. The March
for Education campaign is a good start, but we need to walk much
further.
We need to understand and accept that education is a political, not a
technical issue. Unless Pakistan’s leaders own up to their responsibility,
nothing will change. Given that this is really a matter of national security,
that is an unacceptable outcome.