"Saida" can't decide whether to rely on breast milk or the much touted formula a local company has been advertising on the radio and billboards to feed her child.

"Adnan", a farmer, wants to find out what kind of crops will be good for his family and community in terms of yield. He's been unsuccessful, despite an adequate water supply, fertile land as well as relatively good weather conditions.

"Haroon" can't decide who to vote for in the local elections. Since he can't read, he hasn't been able to figure out each candidate's position on a number of issues. He decides to choose the same person his older brother is voting for.

These are just some examples of how a lack of education hurts the average Pakistani, and in turn, all of Pakistan. The general problem is that many people don't know what's good for them (like Saida and Haroon). And if they do, they don't know how to go about doing what they need to (like Adnan).

Pakistan has a dismal literacy rate of 38 percent. If you divide it up by gender, males have a 50 percent literacy rate while for females it's 24.4 percent. The 38 percent literacy rate also takes into account all those individuals who are only able to write their name. The Pakistani government is no help in this area. The total expenditure out of the National Budget spent on education is a meager 2.5%.

Once upon a time, a nation's best defense was a strong offense. In other words, a powerful army was what was needed to keep the enemies at bay. But today, even brawn is not enough for soldiers. If the technological nature of the 1991 Gulf War is any indication, the military will need plenty of brains as well to be able to guard Pakistan and maintain its position as defender of the nation. After all, it was the technological know-how of the Americans that played a key role in their victory over Iraq.

Education is the cure Pakistan has needed since its inception for all kinds of ills: poverty, violence, corruption of all sorts. A strong educational policy, government commitment to it in terms of funds and a crackdown on corruption in the education sector (such as the phenomena of "ghost schools") is where the Pakistani government can start fulfilling its responsibility to its people.

An educated populace will not only be able to choose the right leaders, commit to Islam and democracy, and have its framers produce more yield from its land (if you compare Pakistan and the US, Pakistan's agricultural yield is one-tenth of that of the US).

With proper education, not only will Pakistan as a nation be on more solid ground, but its army will also have the technological know-how to properly defend the country in the face of high-tech weapons that require a soldier to know more than basic literacy.

Date/Time Last Modified: 9/6/2001 7:21:06 PM

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