Education on the Verge of destruction in Balochistan.

 

    

Education is the utmost need of a child. A quality of basic education is the basic right of everyone living on Earth. Education is not only restricted to schools, but it is also about inculcating good manners and making children responsible citizens of the country. However, if we look at Pakistan, things seem weird. The education system in Baluchistan, the largest province of Pakistan, is in turmoil.

A famous philosopher, Diogenes Laertes, once addressed, “The foundation is only the education of its youth”. Education in Baluchistan is deprived of quality standards. The current report of HEC (Higher Education Commission) showed Baluchistan last with a literacy rate of 54.5%. Along with it, there are many factors contributing to the failed education system of Baluchistan. This article debunks the deep-rooted fractures in the Educational system of Baluchistan.

Pakistan itself doesn’t have a standardized education system. It ranks 136^th in the list of countries about the quality of education. According to the World Pulse, 49.9% of children are out of school. Lack of Education has left Pakistan a globally uncivilized land. Educational disparity has left Pakistan in hot water. However, the western province of Pakistan, Baluchistan, is in a much weirder situation, as compared to the educational quality of other provinces; it ranks last in providing quality education. Regional disparity is only one problem, which throughout history has deteriorated the situation in Baluchistan. It has resulted in some sort of isolation for Baluchistan, which has infuriated the socio-politico-economic development of the province. Apart from it, many converging and stern factors have contributed to the current situation of Baluchistan.

The lack of direction in the educational system of Baluchistan rises as a major problem while dealing with it. Similarly, the educational system is not coherent, as the students are not clear about their future goals and their careers in life. Exceptional talent is common in Pakistan, but nourishing and polishing it is rare. This educational dilemma has instilled a sense of competition. This competition overwhelms the thinking capacity of the brain. As children in Baluchistan are not mentally strong, they ignore their strength. Not being coherent about their strengths, the children ultimately get demotivated and destroy their lives. Apart from it, the government has no efficient policy to help students perceive their career, which is defined by their passion. The government has not given local autonomy to the institutions in Baluchistan. This has resulted in slow decision-making. This restriction of solving problems at the local level restricts reflex action to catalytic problems. While problems are addressed at the federal level, the situation deteriorates. Furthermore, local institutions don’t identify the standards or goals that their students are required to achieve. This results in a very weird output as students’ abilities mismatch the standards of the federal system, ultimately destroying their lives.

Lack of professional teaching is also a major hindrance to providing quality education. The whole teaching system is full of loopholes. Teachers are bound to teach outdated concepts, which destroy the skill of critically analyzing today’s world. Teachers also tend to encourage cramming and getting good marks, which ultimately diminishes a sense of creativity and innovation. Teachers also bind students to bookish knowledge and seem reluctant to teach and answer questions out of the box. This creates rigid boundaries in the mentality of students, making them statues of knowledge with no application and innovation. However, if someone challenges this social norm, he is greatly pressurized or sometimes inflicted with corporal punishment. Additionally, the curriculum is not well standardized. It doesn’t include technical skills, which restricts students from honing their skills. Lack of practical education also results in unemployment, unskilled laborers, and aimlessly roaming youth. Technical education will enable the students to earn and pursue their careers easily. But no, it is considered a curse such as a student thinks that after having no practical source of income, society will mock him for wasting his life.

The recent UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) report 2023-2024 showed Pakistan having the lowest Human Development Index (HDI). So, to tackle these problems, one has to come up with new solutions. Rafiullah Kakar, while stating about the failed education system of Baluchistan, articulated in his article published by PDR in 2023 that sudden reforms and budget allocation are necessary to uplift the standard of education in Baluchistan. The BTTN survey of 2023 stated in its final results that public awareness about education and a strong collaboration between the public and private sectors are required to improve education in Baluchistan. Apart from it, Kutztown University Research Commons (KURC), while stating about the major problems of Baluchistan, elaborated that a system of checks and balances must be introduced to tackle overwhelming corruption and imbalance in the education sector. This article, published by KURC in 2022, also marked the education system of Baluchistan descending and depleting. Along with all these solutions, The Express Tribune stated that a remedy of clear and strategic approach is needed towards problems in its article published in 2024. Moreover, this article also unraveled that self-autonomy should be granted to local institutions despite federalizing the body of education.In addition to this, the JDSS (Journal of Development and Social Studies)article narrated that technology integration should be an integral part of the education system of Baluchistan.

In conclusion, the government must be much more pragmatic about the contemporary problems of Baluchistan. The Baluchistan Express stated in 2023 that the colonial neglect and the ignorance of former governments towards Baluchistan have created despondency in people. Einstein once stated that “Education is what remains in your mind after you have forgotten all the things that you have learned in school.” So, teaching out of the box and inculcating modern concepts will certainly bring a positive change. The Chinese president, Xi Jinxing his book The 48 Secrets of China, exposes a truth that the best way to solve problems is to bring change in your system, not imitating the Western school of thought. Furthermore, Einstein stated that Education is n99%imagination and 1% knowledge. So, innovation and a practical approach should be encouraged in Baluchistan as well as in Pakistan. Let's struggle together, be united, and become a cause of prosperous change in Baluchistan.