Moalims

“I want to go to school to learn how to read and write but I cannot because my parents will not allow me to do so,” said a nine-year-old girl who got a chance to visit Lahore and saw other girls going to school. She lives in a small village near Okara in Punjab where there is no concept of education of girls. Nelson Mandela had once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

There are multiple factors like gender discrimination, unqualified teachers, outdated curriculum, poorly equipped laboratories, ghost schools, poverty, etc, that remain a huge hurdle in the way of educating our next generation so that they can empower themselves.

If one recalls, 2011 was named the year of education in Pakistan. A constitutional amendment, Article 25-A has promised free education for all children up to the age of 16. Education can act as a change agent and help societies to grow as a united and economically sound nation. Since 2010, the Punjab government, under the banner of ‘Parho Punjab, barho Punjab (Read Punjab, advance Punjab)’ has been providing modern education to children. Such an initiative was taken to eradicate illiteracy. Over the past five years, the government of Punjab has taken a number of steps in the field of education and tried its best to address the issues and problems related to the education sector.

The Punjab government has also tried to improve the standard of education in every school. We can all hope for the day when there will be no child deprived of his fundamental right of education. Only education can guarantee prosperity in Pakistan.

WAJEEHA AHMAD

Lahore