Although providing quality ed­ucation to children is includ­ed in one of the primary respon­sibilities of the state, around 22.8 million children in the age group of 5-16 remain out of school in Pakistan, according to the Unit­ed Nations Children’s Fund (UNI­CEF). Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country, ranks second on the list of out-of-school children after Ni­geria in the world. As the country is heading towards electioneer­ing once again, and political par­ties are designing their election agenda, they must earmark the alarming issue at the top of the list. As policymakers are keen to limit the threats posed by climate change, they should not turn a blind eye to the volcano of illit­eracy and an uncontrolled popu­lation rate that is going to wreak havoc shortly.

Politicians have mastered the art of making lofty promises to the people every five years and drinking the water of Lethe af­terward. Instead of devising pol­icies to overcome the looming crisis of education and health­care, time and resources of the nation facing a financial crunch are wasted with apathy. Educa­tion is the key to success for any nation while awareness of fami­ly planning among the masses is equally important for the coun­try’s sustainable development. The significance of the latter cannot be preached unless the people are provided basic edu­cation. Pakistan recorded an in­crease of 33.81 million people in its population in 2023 since 2017 and reached 241.49 mil­lion, according to the latest cen­sus data, while basic facilities, including health and education, continue to get out of reach as 95 million people live below the poverty line.

Each year, taxes collected from the blood of poor Pakistanis are wasted on financing state-owned entities, including the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Pakistan Railways, which always earn nothing but losses of billions of pounds while their employ­ees keep protesting for salaries. The upcoming elected govern­ment should take steps to priva­tise these entities and spend the taxes collected from the people on their uplift. The country can­not be put on the track of devel­opment unless the state decides to address the primary issues. While the ballooning population poses an existential threat to the country, most of the population comprises young people whose energies can be used to turn the tide by providing the right direc­tion. Each year thousands of stu­dents graduate from the univer­sities but many of them prefer to escape abroad by fair or illegal means due to insufficient oppor­tunities at home.

It is high time for the politi­cal parties to review their pol­icies and to ensure that public money is spent on the welfare of the people and the development of human resources. Most of the Pakistanis have already lost their trust in the country’s polit­ical system, and the ongoing po­litical crisis and uncertainty re­garding upcoming polls have further aggravated the situation. It is incumbent on any political party which comes to power to consume its energies to restore the trust of the electorate and to take the country out of the eco­nomic and political quagmire. The rulers should also make sure that the number of out-of-school children is minimized, and more career opportunities for the graduates are created during the next five years of gov­ernment while controlling the unbridled population rate.

MUHAMMAD FASEEH UL HASSAN,

Gujar Khan.