THE recent report of the parliamentary committee on the protection of child rights is very depressing. It says that over 2.25 million children are out of the school in the country. Some 200 educational institutions were destroyed in terrorist attacks in the tribal areas, as a result of which half a million children were forcibly deprived of education. In Sindh and Balochistan hundreds of schools exist only on paper…. …

There might be a number of reasons for terrorists’ anti-education attitude. Experts say that it is easy to motivate an uneducated child to become a suicide bomber. Therefore they have always tried to keep children of the tribal areas away from education. This is not only unethical but inhuman.…

Regarding low literacy and good education, there are number of complaints against the government. Since the inception of Pakistan no proper attention has been paid to this important sector and it has remained at a low priority. This indicates that our rulers have almost the same attitude towards education as the extremists. Not only did they allocate a very small budget to development, they did not take notice of its quantity and quality either. They felt that if people were educated, their feudal system based on exploitation would come under threat. Their promises about education- and health-sector development were hollow.

During the past 65 years … the elites and bureaucracy have become richer, while the common man has become poorer. This has further deepened the social, economic, and political divide, while corruption and crime have become common practice. It is regrettable that not just the government, but saner elements too, are silent on the situation.

All these reports about education should constitute danger signals. If we do not respond in time, we’ll be led to a world of illiteracy and darkness. We will be responsible for our own destruction. —(Aug 23)

Selected and translated by Sohail Sangi.