Education is fundamental to the development

Education is a fundamental human right. And, like other human rights, it cannot be assumed. 59 million children and 65 million adolescents are out of school worldwide. Over 120 million children do not complete primary school. Behind these statistics are children and youth who are denied not only a right, but also an opportunity: a fair chance to get a good job, escape poverty, support their families, and develop their communities. This year, decision-makers will establish global development priorities for the next 15 years. They should prioritise education at the top of their priority list.

Only 200 years ago, the disparities in economic conditions between people living in different parts of the world were minor. Britain gained an advantage due to the invention of the steam engine and other technologies in the early 18th century.  The industrial revolution, with its automated means of production, was responsible for global imbalances in production levels and economic conditions. Countries that were able to adapt to new technologies during the industrial revolution outperformed the rest of the world in terms of wealth. The ability to develop and apply new technologies has made a significant difference in economic development. Access to quality education and knowledge diffusion, among other things, contributed significantly to the developed world's technological change. Literacy rates in north-west Europe were above 50% in 1800, compared to less than 0.5 percent in most Asian countries. Western Europe and the United States are 20 to 35 times wealthier than some developing countries in the world today. This growing disparity in wealth creation is due to the accumulation of knowledge and technological advancement over the last 200 years.

Students today require "twentieth-century skills" such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and digital literacy. Learners of all ages must become acquainted with new technologies and adapt to rapidly changing workplaces. The International Labour Organization estimates that an additional 280 million jobs will be required by 2019. Policymakers must ensure that the proper frameworks and incentives are in place to allow those jobs to be created and filled. The cornerstone of this effort will be robust education systems supported by qualified, professionally trained, motivated, and well-supported teachers.

Education has played a critical role in developing economies and raising living standards around the world. Improvements in education quality and access in Malaysia since 1979, a renewed emphasis on technical and vocational education in South Korea since the late 1960s, and similar developments in Singapore and Taiwan all contributed to these newly developed countries' economic success. Since 1978, education reforms in China, as well as technical and vocational education, have played a critical role in transforming this vastly populated country. China became the world's second-largest economy as a result of increased globalisation and technological advancement. India's success in the IT and auto industries is due in part to an increase in the availability of quality education to its population.

Pakistan faces significant challenges in improving education quality and access for its citizens. The public education system has fallen short of providing high-quality education. Pakistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world (57.7 percent) (144th country out of 160). Only 68.5 percent of children attend primary school. Only 15% of 15-16 year-olds are enrolled in secondary school, and only 5.1 percent of 18-23 year-olds are enrolled in universities.

Teachers' lack of motivation and absenteeism, as well as poor school and district management, all contribute to low-quality education and a low retention rate. There are no incentives for schools that perform well, nor are there any penalties for schools that perform poorly. Politically motivated teacher appointments have resulted in a teacher shortage in rural areas. The majority of teachers assigned to rural areas live in urban areas and lack the motivation to relocate or travel to remote rural areas.

Private-sector education, which has grown in popularity over the last decade, has provided much-needed hope. Private schools provide a higher quality of education and have a higher retention rate than public schools. When compared to their public-sector counterparts, private school teachers are less qualified and have less experience in education. Teachers in the public sector earn five times more than those in private schools. The local independent and empowered private sector management makes all the difference. In comparison to the public sector, the private sector has fewer financial resources. Not only does Pakistan need to improve its literacy rate – which only represents primary education – but it also needs to improve access to secondary, higher, university, and vocational education. Pakistan lacks the much-needed funding to kickstart education reforms, with GDP growth peaking at between four and five percent, owing in part to the country's low rate of educated and skilled population.

A portion of the gap can be filled in the short and medium-term by encouraging and subsidising private education, particularly in the country's urban areas, by taking the following steps. The first and most pressing need is to increase primary enrollment to 100%.

Provincial governments must identify unenrolled children of primary school age and enforce Article 25-A for all children aged 5 to 16. Birth certificate computerization and enrollment with birth certificate numbers can aid in this identification and enforcement effort.

Private schools can also be encouraged to open their doors in previously un-enrolled children's neighbourhoods. The school fees of identified unenrolled children should be covered by provincial governments. The government can deposit the fee for the children into the parent's bank account. In the short to medium term, the cost to the government of providing private school fees will be much lower than the cost of building and managing schools. Private school retention rates are much higher than public school retention rates, and the same enrolled children will improve secondary school retention rates.

The government should establish strong independent provincial education regulators with representatives from all districts. The regulator should compare the educational quality of each private and public school to standard national attainment levels. It should also compare agreed-upon minimum standards for school services such as clean drinking water, hygiene standards, child nutrition, and sports facilities.

The government should redirect education development resources (saved in urban areas as a result of private education intervention) to remote villages where the private sector may be unwilling to invest. Targeted local teacher recruitment for a specific local school would increase teacher presence and motivation in new village schools. The private-sector intervention will give the government time to implement much-needed education reforms in the public sector. Local sub-district and school-level empowerment, performance competition among schools, and pre-agreed performance targets evaluated by the education regulator each year are some of the steps that can be taken to improve the public education sector. Education in the public sector is critical to the country's long-term educational needs. It must be reformed in order to meet the economic challenges and opportunities presented by globalisation and rising international and regional competition. Knowledge and skill diffusion can help to reduce inequalities.