The 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan almost missed out on mentioning education in his maiden speech given his compelling actions for education in Punjab during his tenure as the Chief Minister. For how long will education, and above all the fundamental right to free and compulsory education await its calling in Pakistan?  The track record of 75 years is poor. Each of the seven finalized Education policies promised universal primary education (UPE) as a target.  In 2010, 12 years of education for all 5-16 year olds without discrimination was promised as a fundamental right enshrined in ..read more

The right to education was declared a fundamental right in 2010 with the insertion of Article 25A in the Constitution of Pakistan. This upgraded previous provisions whereby the State was committed “to remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education”[37-(b)]and “provid[e] education to citizens irrespective of gender, caste, creed, and race” [38-(d)]. However, these rights remain non-justiciable as they are subject to the availability of resources. Education in Pakistan has always remained a low priority, with only 3% of the GDP allocated to it. April 2020 marks a decade si ..read more

Ms. Sajida is a very worried teacher of grade 10, as is her colleague Ms. Najma teaching grade 8 at a government girls high school in Bahawalpur district. Ten girls did not return to school after the summer vacations. The teachers waited for a week, thinking delayed attendance is often the post vacation pattern, and then, both went to the homes of their students who were their shining stars in learning. What they discovered was very depressing. Three of them got married over the summer whilst another 3 were engaged to be married in a couple of months soon after Muharram; their parents had held ..read more

Zara is 9 years old; she remains confused about learning after a tough four years in school without really understanding how to learn. She is part of a large statistic in Pakistan one of those children going to school but not necessarily learning joining globally 617 children in school and struggling to learn (UNESCO 2017). Zara has three friends; Sara who is not in school as she dropped out in grade 2 because her father became paralysed and not to forget Shaheen who never actually enrolled in school ever as there was little point to go to a school where there were no teachers for grades katch ..read more

Author: Sikander Bizenjo In the realm of education, you always hear the phrase “Article 25-A”, an article within the constitution of Pakistan that deals with free and quality education. By law, it is promised by the Government of Pakistan to provide free and quality education to every child aged 5 to 16. Notice the word “every”? That is every child, male or female, without any discrimination whatsoever. However, ground realities in Pakistan paint a rather a different picture. Human Rights Watch reports that over 22 million children in Pakistan are out of schools, majority of them girls. The re ..read more

Education is an integral part of life. It is important for personal, social and economic development of a nation. It gives happiness and prosperity. Education empowers minds that will be able to conceive good thoughts and ideas. It enables the students do a critical analysis while making life decisions. Education guides humans to fight failure and achieve success in life. It is the only thing that can remove corruption, unemployment and environmental problems. “Education is the most powerful weapon with which you can bring a change in the world.” –Nelson Mandela. Value of education can be unde ..read more

My name is Maryum Aftab and I am a student at the Capital University of Science and Technology (CUST), Islamabad. I got an opportunity to be a part of the Youth Ambassador training program conducted by RTE in Islamabad. Here, along with other fellow students, I became aware about the issues of the Education system of Pakistan. In the workshop we, as youth, gave positive feedback and discussed how these issues can be resolved and what our role can be in taking this campaign forward. Many of the students who attended the workshop belonged to rural areas; their commitment to participate in RTE’s ..read more

By Rahemeen Yusuf The Constitution of Pakistan has some laws to safeguard the rights of transgender people, when it comes to enforcing these laws; hardly any of them are implemented. The transgender community of Pakistan greatly suffers in terms of the societal stigma that is attached to them. They are often subjected to physical and sexual violence and not given the respect that they are striving for. They are also deprived of their Fundamental Rights, one of which is Education. Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi is a strong advocate for the Right to Education, which states that every child between the ..read more

By Rahemeen Yusuf Bullying is a major issue that is experienced in various schools around the world. It is defined as repeated acts of aggression by someone that can be very damaging for the victim, both psychologically and physically. It is one of the most evident and troubling issues that children face in an Education system. However, teachers and officials tend to ignore the impact bullying has on Education. There can be various reasons for bullying which include race, religion, social class, appearance and gender. Most of the time it goes unnoticed by teachers and even if it is noticed, it ..read more

The 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan almost missed out on mentioning education in his maiden speech given his compelling actions for education in Punjab during his tenure as the Chief Minister. For how long will education, and above all the fundamental right to free and compulsory education await its calling in Pakistan?  The track record of 75 years is poor. Each of the seven finalized Education policies promised universal primary education (UPE) as a target.  In 2010, 12 years of education for all 5-16 year olds without discrimination was promised as a fundamental right enshrined in ..read more