Moalims

Pakistan has been facing various problems including energy, security, and socio-economic development for the last many years. The present government is making efforts to resolve these issues. Several projects of power generation and infrastructural development have been completed and many others are in progress. However, there is a need to give more importance to education. By investing in education, we can get rid of many problems caused by illiteracy. Primary education should be made free of cost for all by declaring a state of emergency regarding education in the country. This must be implemented with serious efforts and action should be taken against those parents and guardians who are not willing to send their children to school. The federal government should increase its budget allocation for education from the current two percent of GDP to seven percent of GDP. In Malaysia, Mahathir Mohammed had allocated 30 percent of the annual budget for education that brought revolutionary changes in that country. It must be ensured that at least 25 percent of the federal budget of 2015-16 is allocated for higher education, which is vital for the uplift of the economy. Unfortunately, only 12 percent of the already small educational budget of 2015 is allocated for higher education.
The federal government should remember that without increasing funds, it is impossible to increase the literacy rate in the country. If we want our country to have 100 percent literacy, a decision should be taken immediately to allocate an increased amount of budget to improve the quality of education in Pakistan.

SEEMAB FATIMA KAZMI
Rawalpindi