How to increase the demand for education in Pakistan

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And the servants of the All-Merciful are those that walk in the earth modestly and who when the ignorant address them, say, 'peace'; Who when they spend are neither prodigal, nor stingy, nor slay the soul God has forbidden, neither fornicate. Quran 25:63-5.

How to increase the demand for education in Pakistan

By YesPakistan.com Staff Writer

When it comes to convincing Pakistanis that education is important, especially the rural poor, the key individuals that arguments must be targeted to are parents. Parents must be persuaded that education is valuable and necessary for their children. Without their support for this, Pakistan will remain behind, with primary school education for all, a dream that will hardly become a reality.

There are three main methods that can be used to increase the demand for education amongst parents in Pakistan.

The first is reducing the costs of education. Financial constraints are a main reason that many, many parents in Pakistan cannot send their children to school. These costs are also incurred in government schools which aim to provide basic education for all.

A number of studies have indicated that families may spend up to 20 percent of their income on sending just one child to school, as is the case in Nepal, or more than a thousand rupees in India. Some of the expenses incurred by sending a child to school include the costs of books, pencils, exam fees and school uniforms.

There have been efforts made however, to reduce these costs. For example, in Pakistan, the government's Mohalla school project decreased schooling costs by holding classes in homes and dropping the requirement that students wear uniforms, even shoes. As a result of this step, girls' enrolment increased dramatically.

The second method of increasing demand is to increasing the benefits of schooling. Parents must be convinced they are getting a better deal by sending their children to school than to work, which is a reality for about 19 million children in Pakistan, who are considered child laborers. Their labor helps the family eke out an existence. Sending them to school, however, is often perceived as a burden with little advantage to the family.

One way to offset this opportunity cost is to offer schooling with flexible timings and holidays. Right now, school times do not take into account agricultural cycles, which limit school attendance in rural areas. By revising the school year to accommodate the seasonal demands for child labor on the farm and in the fields can be met without sacrificing children's education.

Another way to do this is to compensate families for children's lost wages through methods like providing stipends to parents which can help households offset the income lost when children attend schools.

A third way is to offer child care for younger siblings. This is especially important for girls, who are often the caretakers of their smaller brothers and sisters in Pakistan and must leave or miss school because of this. One Pakistani NGO, Bunyad, came up with an interesting solution to this dilemma. They established a 'spin-off- program, where the younger siblings of girl students are also enrolled in special primary classes.

A fourth method is to offer programs that allow work and school to take place for child laborers. Cost-effective strategies to send working children to school have often combined some limited work in factories with opportunities for schooling provided right in the factories.

The third method of increasing demand for education among parents is mobilizing community support to change perceptions about the benefits of education. This can only be done by ensuring active community and parental participation. When parents are active in the process of education, their children are also more likely to attend school.

The non-formal school system has adopted this principle wonderfully in its work and this to some degree explains why non-formal schooling is supported in many rural communities in Pakistan.

Convincing parents of the benefits of sending their children to school is often a challenge. However, if the above-mentioned strategies are taken into consideration, parents, especially in poorer and rural areas, can help Pakistan achieve the goal of a population with at least a basic level of education.

Date/Time Last Modified: 6/17/2002 3:44:49 PM