Moalims

Illiteracy is the mother of all social evils. Hatred, sectarianism, militancy, greed, poverty, unemployment, overpopulation, crimes and other immoral activities are all due to it. Name the problem and it would be due to illiteracy. It is actually the gravest crime of the time. And those who are responsible for it are not only the bitter and real enemies of Pakistan but callous criminals as well. More than half of our population is illiterate. And most of those who are literate are of no avail. What a pity that the yardstick of literacy here is just to sign. Education is as necessary as blood for a body but here least amount of budget is allocated for it which has never been more than two percent of the GDP. Comparing with other members of the SAARC, Pakistan is at the lowest point except Afghanistan in terms of literacy.
During the election campaign, every party boasts about cleaning the country from the plague of illiteracy but when once it sits on the treasury benches, it forgets all its notions, promises and claims. Illiterate people elect the criminals again. Education was better to be a Federal subject for uniformity of syllabus, equal provision of education and national cohesion. Centre is now free and can’t be blamed of. Now, any one Province can be more or less literate. But at any international forum no one will talk about the literacy rate of Punjab, KPK, Sindh or Balochistan but of Pakistan. We will have no answer. Success of nations depends on the quantity and quality of education. The story behind the success of developed nations is their fight against illiteracy. Even seeking education is compulsory in our religion but still we prefer to be illiterate. If we wish to progress and prosper, we have to fight war against illiteracy on emergency basis. If we want to liberate our country from all of the evils we are facing, we will have to educate the people in general, technical, social and economic terms. There is dire need of will, both at social and political level. Political elites should at least pay the debt of country by educating the masses of this dear homeland.

Zulqaranin Sewag
Jhang