If you’re looking for where to donate in Ramzan, adopting a school, classroom or student might be an option to consider.
Covid means more Pakistani children will drop out of school. It’s not just about the vaccine anymore, we have to fix the pandemic fallout in all aspects of our lives. Scroll down to see which province has invested the most and the least in education & why we must push for a change!
“Pakistan no longer has the luxury to focus on bringing the colossal pre-pandemic figure of 22.8 million out-of-school children into schools but must now actively strategize to prevent a roll-back on important gains made vis-à-vis education, especially girls’ access to education in the last decade. Inaction can result in millions of more Pakistani children dropping out of schools.”
Areebah Shahid, Executive Director Pakistan Youth Change Advocates (PYCA) at the launch of the #InvestInEducationStrengthenPakistan campaign.
Education activists, influencers and media personalities from around the country gathered for this virtual event. The virtual consultation was aimed at garnering the support of key influencers from all walks of life to ensure that education and the future of over 80 million Pakistani children does not take a backseat during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Cuts in education budgets and more specifically within the education development expenditure are a routine practice and have little to do with the fall-out of emergency situations such as the on-going pandemic.” … The most recent budget (fiscal year 2020-21), for instance seems to be a continuation of past trends rather than a result of the fall-out of the COVID-19 emergency.
The Provinces That Invested The Most & Least In Education In Pakistan
Except Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the non-development expenditures, as usual saw an increase in all the provinces and at the federal level. In the same realm, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was unparalleled in terms of its planned increase in the education development portfolio, which it enhanced by 46.2 per cent Sindh and the federal government introduced meager increases of 7.7 per cent and 1.4 per cent respectively. Balochistan and Punjab, on the other hand, budgeted huge cuts worth of 23.9 per cent and 16.3 per cent respectively.”
There is however, little justification for this especially after the government itself claimed the feat of a V-shaped recovery. By doing so, the government has also effectively acknowledged that the tide of anticipated financial losses has been reversed. An early and sustained path to economic recovery coupled with international monetary support in turn means that the state does, in fact, have the fiscal space to prioritize development spending on education and other social sector subjects.
“Elaborating on the key linkages that education has with climate change, livelihoods or security can go a long way in ensuring that more people appreciate the importance of greater investment in education.”
George Fulton
“Bringing more children to schools is just one aspect of the education dilemma in Pakistan, quality is another huge concern. Investment in education should be geared towards making schools places of true learning for our children”
social commentator Fasi Zaka while speaking at the event.
It’s not a bad idea to start at home
Ask your household helpers how they’re coping with covid. How their families are managing to subsist on a reduced income, and perhaps, ill-health within the household. Are they considering terminating a child’s school going routine over sending them out to earn instead. What are the challenges they face in 2021? Sometimes, all it takes is the right question to get the answers you need. So get asking now, and be the change in your community. Support one child in Pakistan to attend school and convince others to do the same – Tall Oaks from Little Acorns Grow!
