Moalims

Pakistan failed to improve its score of UNDP’s Human Development Index in last 25 years although neighboring India and countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam have graduated to medium human development level.

Unlike the per capita income, the HDI rates countries on the strength of their health, education and sanitation facilities. The HDI measures human development on a scale of 1 where Norway that is number one in the index has a score of 0.944 while Pakistan’s score in human development is 0.538 and is currently ranked 146 out of 185 countries.

In 1990 when the HDI was introduced India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam were among the countries with low human development. In 1990 the HD score for Pakistan was 0.399, India 0.428, Bangladesh0.386 and Vietnam 0.475. Current HD scores of these countries are India 0.609, Pakistan 0.538, Bangladesh 0.570 and Vietnam 0.666.

Life expectancy in Pakistan is 66.2 years, India 68 years, Bangladesh 71.6 years and Vietnam 75.8 years. Expected years of schooling is 8.6 years in Pakistan, 11.2 years in India, 10 years in Bangladesh and 11.9 years in Vietnam. The gross national income GNI is $4,866 in Pakistan, $5,497 in India, $3,191 in Bangladesh and $5,092 in Vietnam.

Inequality adjusts HDI score of Pakistan is extremely low at 0.377 that is 31.3 percent lower than it average score calculated without factoring in equality. The inequality in life expectancy is 31.5 percent less than the national average and the score in this parameter was reduced to 0.498. Inequality in education is 26 percent less than national average. Inequality in income was 36 percent that lowered the HD score in this parameter to 0.321high income group and 0.377. Average life expectancy for women at birth in Pakistan is 71.1 years against 68.2 years for men. Expected schooling years for girls is 7 years against 8.5 years for boys. The GNI per capita for women is $1,450 against $8,100 for men. Almost 24.6 percent of the women are in workforce.

Almost 21 percent children of one year age are deprived of DPT vaccine, and 39 percent are not administered measles vaccine. Infant mortality rate in Pakistan is 65 per thousand live births and under five mortality rate is 85.5 that is the highest in the region. Stunting rate is 45 percent which again is very high. Deaths due to malaria 1.8 per 100,000 and due to tuberculoses are 134 per 100,000. There are 8.3 physicians per 10,000 persons and the health expenditure as percentage of GDP is 2.8.

Analysts see it a matter of great concern that the country’s position is deteriorating on all indicators. “Our transparency score is stagnant; we are placed at lower rank than last year in ease of doing business,” said an analyst based in Lahore. “The gender inequality has deteriorated in our country as we continue to be placed lower in rank by World Economic Forum.”

Major problem face by Pakistan is its low valued human resource. Major East Asian economies were way behind Pakistan on economic front in 1960’s are now among most developed economies of the world because of high value human resource. Korea in 1960’s was no match to Pakistan in the economic field. They copied Pakistan’s five year development plan and have been moving ahead since then because even in 1960 their literacy rate was 71 percent and average age was 70 year. Pakistan at that time had literacy rate of below 30 percent and average age was around 50 years. Even today our human resource is not as rich as that of Korea in 1960. The Koreans have near 100 percent literacy rate and average age is 80 years.

Our planners would have to pay attention towards its human resource by ensuring them quality education and adequate health facilities. The education and health programs would increase productivity and competence of the human resource.

UNDP has highlighted ways to improve the human resource and to ensure sustainable work we should promote work that promotes human development while reducing or eliminating negative side effects and unintended consequences.

Retrofitting car engines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or replacing traditional biomass-burning cook stoves with solar cookers are both “green” activities, but the latter can have greater meaning for human development if it frees women and girls from having to collect firewood and enables them instead to take part in economic activities or go to school.

Educationist Fakhra Yousuf said empowering women will accelerate human development. “In Pakistan women work more than men, even if a large part is relatively invisible because it takes place in unpaid care activities,” she said. “Unpaid care work carries within it an overriding human and social imperative.” However, such a pressing imperative can also result in limiting the choices of those who are expected to provide it. As the need for care evolves and alternatives such as state-provided services do not keep up, these expectations and traditional roles can further circumscribe options, unless structural shifts take place towards a more equitable sharing of such work.

At the skill training institutes, workers should be trained in multi tasking. In the new world of work, workers need to be more flexible and adaptable — and prepared to retrain, relocate and renegotiate work conditions. They also need to dedicate increasing amounts of time to searching for new opportunities. In addition to constantly thinking about their current work, they have to think about their next job.

Analysts said Pakistan is among few countries where agrarian economy still exists but is diminishing with time. Planners should keep the modern trends in mind before formulating human development policies. Though industrial activities persist, they are being transformed and replaced by computer-based technologies and workplaces. The reality is that the growth of knowledge societies and innovations in business models are bringing enormous transformations to work environments and in the skills demanded for many jobs. Work environments are technology- rich, and a whole new set of occupations has emerged based on the production, analysis, distribution and consumption of information.

Human development score of Pakistan would remain very low if we continued to neglect health of our nation and tolerate ghost schools, teachers and doctors.

Mansoor Ahmad