Introduction

Pakistan potentially faces a major climate change challenge. A concerted effort by the government and
civil society at all levels is required to mitigate these threats. In the last 50 years, the annual mean
temperature in Pakistan has increased by roughly 0.5°C. The number of heat wave days per year has
increased nearly fivefold in the last 30 years. Annual precipitation has historically shown high variability
but has slightly increased in the last 50 years. Sea level along the Karachi coast has risen approximately
10 centimeters in the last century. By the end of this century, the annual mean temperature in Pakistan
is expected to rise by 3°C to 5°C for a central global emissions scenario, while higher global emissions
may yield a rise of 4°C to 6°C. Average annual rainfall is not expected to have a significant long-term
trend, but is expected to exhibit large inter-annual variability. Sea level is expected to rise by a further
60 centimeters by the end of the century and will most likely affect the low-lying coastal areas south of
Karachi toward Keti Bander and the Indus River delta. Under future climate change scenarios, Pakistan is
expected to experience increased variability of river flows due to increased variability of precipitation
and the melting of glaciers. Demand for irrigation water may increase due to higher evaporation rates.
Yields of wheat and basmati rice are expected to decline and may drive production northward, subject
to water availability. Water availability for hydropower generation may decline. Hotter temperatures are
likely to increase energy demand due to increased air conditioning requirements. Warmer air and water
temperatures may decrease the efficiency of nuclear and thermal power plant generation. Mortality due
to extreme heat waves may increase. Urban drainage systems may be further stressed by high rainfall
and flash floods. Sea level rise and storm surges may adversely affect coastal infrastructure and
livelihoods. Adapting to these impacts may include: development or use of crop varieties with greater
heat and drought tolerance, modernizing irrigation infrastructure and employing water-saving
technologies, integrated watershed management, reforestation of catchment areas and construction of
additional water storage, diversification of energy mix including investment in renewable and small
hydropower projects, improved weather forecasting and warning systems, retrofitting of critical energy
infrastructure, and construction of dikes or sea walls. The National Climate Change Policy of 2012 is
Pakistan’s guiding document on climate change, setting out the goal of achieving climate-resilient
development for the country through mainstreaming climate change in the economically and socially
vulnerable sectors of the country. Approximately 6% of Pakistan’s federal budget during 2010–2014
comprised climate change-related expenditures, predominantly in energy and transport. As described in
its Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, Pakistan intends to reduce up to 20% of its 2030 projected greenhouse
gas emissions, subject to availability of international grants to meet the cumulative abatement costs
amounting to approximately $40 billion. The country’s adaptation needs have been identified to range
between $7 billion to $14 billion per year.

causes of climate change

A variety of factors, both natural and human, can influence the earth’s climate system. Forces that
contribute to climate change include the sun’s intensity, volcanic eruptions, and changes in naturally
occurring greenhouse gas concentrations. But records indicate that today’s climatic warming—
particularly the warming since the mid-20th century—is occurring much faster than ever before and
can’t be explained by natural causes alone.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), concentrations of carbon dioxide,
methane, and nitrous oxides “have increased to levels unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years.”
Indeed, the atmosphere’s share of carbon dioxide—the planet’s chief climate change contributor—has
risen by 40 percent since preindustrial times.

Climate Change Impacts

Agriculture Sector Agriculture is a key economic sector that contributes 21% to the gross domectic
product (GDP), employs 45% of the total workforce and contributes about 60% to exports.31 The total
cropped area is 23.4 million hectares (Mha), representing 29% of the total reported area32 of which
irrigated areas make up 18.63 Mha (24% of the total irrigated area) with the percentage by province of
77% in Punjab, 14% in Sindh, 5% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 4% in Balochistan.33 Currently, 3.8 Mha
are under Sailaba/Rod-Kohi, riverine, and Barani farming systems commonly called the spate irrigation
farming system.34 The potential area under spate irrigation is estimated to be around 6.935 Mha,
divided as follows: 4.68 Mha in Balochistan, 0.862 Mha in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 0.571 Mha in Punjab,
and 0.551 Mha in Sindh.

Crops grown in both irrigated areas and those under spate farming systems are highly sensitive to the
amount of water available and temperature variability. It is estimated that with rise of temperature
(+0.50C–20C), agricultural productivity will decrease by around 8%–10% by 2040.36 Different simulation
studies, using the crop–growth simulation model, estimated a decrease in yield of major crops,
specifically for wheat and rice, and the length of growing season in four agroclimatic zones of Pakistan.
The model predicted the largest decrease of around 14 days for 10C rise in temperature in the growing
season’s length of wheat in the northern mountainous region compared to southern Pakistan.

Livestock Sector

Pakistan, the livestock sector contributes 56.3% of agriculture sector output and 11.8% to the national
GDP, and supports more than 8 million rural families involved directly in raising livestock. The emissions
of this sector make up a large part of the total emissions of the agricultural sector of Pakistan. For
example, only enteric fermentation and manure management make up approximately 90% of the GHG
emissions of the agricultural sector, and thereby contribute approximately 40% of Pakistan’s total GHG
emissions . Vast rangelands and pastures in the country support the livestock sector, and it is estimated
that 60% of land is used as a rangeland in northern Pakistan, Balochistan, and arid and semiarid areas of
Sindh and Punjab. These rangelands support around 93 million livestock, and in Balochistan alone,
approximately 87% of the total population derive their livelihood from livestock.38 While sufficient
evidence is available on how climate change is impacting crops in the agriculture sector, very little
evidence is available in the literature on how climate change affects the world’s dairy and livestock
system.39 Even the IPCC’s AR5 contains very limited information on the projected impacts of climate
change on livestock and livestock systems, specifically in Asia. A general assumption is it will be through
degradation of grazing systems such as pastures and grazing lands due to drought, floods, and a rise in
temperature and, ultimately, loss of land productivity, decrease in fodder quality and quantity, and
increase in disease epidemics. Considering the size of the livestock sector and its importance in
supporting rural livelihood, it is imperative to explore the impacts of climate change on this sector.
However, the research studies performed on livestock management in the face of climate change in the
sub-Sahara Africa region indicate there are limitations and high costs attached to the various adaptation
options explored for the enhanced resilience of households and food security.

Climate Change Impacts on Water Sector

In Pakistan The water sector is one of the most sensitive sectors to the impacts of climate change.
Pakistan has the world’s largest contiguous Indus Basin Irrigation System that is largely dependent on
precipitation, glaciers and snow melt, and ground water abstraction. The primary sources of water are
rainfall during the monsoon season (50 million acre feet [MAF]), and river inflows (142 MAF) in the IRS.
Ground water contributes around 48% of surface water available at the canal head of the irrigation
system. Water is currently used in agriculture (92%), industries (3%), and domestic and infrastructure
(5%). It is expected that in the future, sector water demand will increase due to socioeconomic
development and the increase in population.

Climate Change Impacts on the Health Sector

Climate change has the potential to affect both environmental and social determinants of health—safe
drinking water, clean air, sufficient food, and secure shelter. This may play out through extreme heat
events, natural disasters, and variable rainfall patterns. Heat wave events are projected to increase both
in frequency and duration. The heat wave of Karachi in June 2015 took more than 1,200 human lives in
Karachi alone, and about 200 lives in other parts of the Sindh Province. In Karachi, a maximum
temperature of 44.8°C was recorded which is the second highest temperature after 1979. In Pakistan,
heat waves are common in the premonsoon months (May–June) in the plains of the country. The
variations in rainfall and temperature were correlated with the spread of different infectious diseases
and food security. During the floods in 2010, in a preliminary study by UNDP, it was found that the
proportion of population below the minimum level of dietary energy consumption increased by 3%,
thereby adding an additional 5 million to the population of undernourished people.58 Similarly, extreme
events were correlated with the mental health of the affected population, i.e., extreme events generally
cause depression, distress, aggression, etc. With the rise of temperature, the risk of water-borne and
vector-borne diseases also increases. Higher numbers of dengue and malaria cases are due to changes in
temperature and heavy precipitation, possibly resulting in the increased number of breeding sites for
mosquitoes.

Climate Change Impacts on Energy Sector

The energy sector is the major contributor to climate change through its high GHG emissions and is also
sensitive to its impacts. It is predicted that rising population, economic growth, and changing patterns of
consumption including rising demand for air conditioning in the summer months will likely increase
energy demand and consequently increase GHG emissions from the energy sector in Pakistan. In
Pakistan, the energy sector is the largest contributor of GHG emissions. In 2012, energy sector emissions
accounted for 46% of the total national GHG emissions inventory (footnote 38). The major likely impact
of climate change on the energy sector is predicted to be changes in precipitation patterns,
temperatures rising, and extreme weather events. The country’s current energy needs are heavily
dependent on oil and gas while the demand far exceeds supply, consequently translating into a severe
energy crisis that has crippled the country since 2006.

climate change impacts on humans.

As climate change transforms global ecosystems, it affects everything from the places we live to the
water we drink to the air we breathe.

Higher temperatures worsen and increase the frequency of many types of disasters, including storms,
floods, heat waves, and droughts. These events can have devastating and costly consequences,
jeopardizing access to clean drinking water, fueling out-of-control wildfires, damaging property, creating
hazardous-material spills, polluting the air, and leading to loss of life.

Future plan

The "Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme, Phase-I” is a four-year (2019-2023) project by Government of
Pakistan with the total cost of 125.1843 billion. The project is being implemented across Pakistan by the
Ministry of Climate Change along with Provincial and territorial Forest and Wildlife departments. The
Prime Minister of Pakistan inaugurated this Programme on 2nd September 2018 during "Plant for
Pakistan Day".

future Objective:
The overall objective of “Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme” is to revive Forest and Wildlife resources
in Pakistan, to improve the overall conservation of the existing Protected Areas; encourage eco-tourism,
community engagement and job creation through the conservation.

Covid-19

Climate change is expected to cause around 250,000 additional deaths annually between 2030 and
2050. COVID-19 has already claimed the lives of 2.3 million people worldwide since the start of the
pandemic. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are known to impact certain demographic
groups more so than others

During the Global COVID-19 pandemic, the Forest and Wildlife Departments provided green jobs
through green stimulus to 84,609 daily wagers under Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme. A total
plantation target of 430 million was achieved and a total of 1 billion plantation target is set for 30th
June,2021
What is health?

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity.”

“A resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social
and personal resources, as well as physical capacities.”

This means that health is a resource to support an individual’s function in wider society, rather than an
end in itself. A healthful lifestyle provides the means to lead a full life with meaning and purpose.

In 2009, researchers publishing inThe LancetTrusted Source defined health as the ability of a body to
adapt to new threats and infirmities.

They base this definition on the idea that the past few decades have seen modern science take
significant strides in the awareness of diseases by understanding how they work, discovering new ways
to slow or stop them, and acknowledging that an absence of pathology may not be possible.

Health impact on economy

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected about 210 countries with more than 67 million confirmed cases
and over 1.5 million deaths across the globe including Pakistan. Considering the population density,
health care capacity, existing poverty and environmental factors with more than 420,000 infected
people and about 8300 plus mortalities, community transmission of the coronavirus happened rapidly in
Pakistan. This paper analyses the short- and long-term effects of COVID-19 peak on the socio-economic
and environmental aspects of Pakistan. According to the estimates, an economic loss of about 10%, i.e.
1.1 trillion PKR, will be observed in the FY 2021. Certain pandemic impediment measures like lockdowns,
social distancing and travel restrictions taken by the Government have been thoroughly analysed to
determine how they impacted the livelihoods of nearly 7.15 million workers. Consequently, a rise of
33.7% of poverty level is projected. While many negative impacts on primary, secondary and tertiary
sectors of the economy such as agriculture, education and health care are observed, a drastic
improvement in air quality index of urban centres of the country has been recorded amid lockdowns.
With current economic crisis, fragile health care system and critical health literacy, a well-managed and
coordinated action plan is required from all segments of the society led by the public authorities.
Thorough assessment of COVID-19 scenario, management and control measures presented in this study
can be assistive for the provision of policy guidelines to governments and think tanks of countries with
similar socio-economic and cultural structure.

Keywords: Air quality; Coronavirus; Disaster preparedness; Disease outbreak; Environment; Lockdown

Pakistan's already fragile economy had only just been moving towards stability when the health crisis
struck. Experts fear that the pandemic's economic fallout will considerably derail the country's recovery
process.
Pakistan's exports primarily comprise of textile products. These exports are down since the COVID-19
crisis started, with some orders even being canceled. Moti does not expect demand to pick up again
post pandemic. "All of this will negatively impact foreign reserves and ultimately the currency value. In
the long run, financial markets will also be negatively affected," he said.

When Khan took power in 2018, Pakistan's GDP growth was around 5.8%; now it is 0.98% and is likely to
decline further. The country's fiscal deficit is almost 10% and revenues have plummeted in the past two
years.

In early 2019, in the face of a monetary crisis, Pakistan reached out to the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) for a bailout package worth six billion dollars. The economy was only just recovering from the
crisis when the pandemic struck.

Due to the pandemic, an additional 2.45 million people now suffer from food insecurity. One third of
Pakistan's population live below the poverty line while 66% of the population — or 145 million people —
living in poverty, requires immediate relief.

Woeful economic indicators

Investment banker and risk analyst Khurram Schehzad expects Pakistan's economy to shrink by $15
billion as a result of the pandemic. He also predicts a 10% decline in gross domestic product (GDP) in the
fourth quarter of the financial year 2020.

"Complete or semi-lockdowns can result in no real GDP growth for or over 2% negative growth in FY-20,
spreading over to the first quarter of the next fiscal,” Schehzad told DW.

Arecent survey byIslamabad-based research organization Gallup found that Pakistan's unemployment
rate is predicted to surge to a whopping 28%. The number of unemployed people in the country is
estimated to reach 6.65 million during the fiscal year 2020-21, compared to 5.80 million in the outgoing
financial year.

A 30% layoff in the formal sector is also projected due to a prolonged lockdown, resulting in a 189 billion
rupees impact on the private sector,

International aid

In June, the Pakistani federal government unveiled an economic recovery plan worth 1.2 trillion rupees.
Provincial governments are also in the process of preparing their own financial packages.

In addition, Islamabad announced support funds for businesses which include 100 billion rupees in tax
refunds and an additional 100 billion rupees in deferred interest payments.

The State Bank of Pakistan cut interest rates for its borrowers by 225 basis points in mid-June, easing
pressures from the federal government and businesses facing cash flow problems.

Considering Pakistan's limited financial capacity to bear the costs of the pandemic, experts warn that the
country may in the future require assistance from not only the IMF and the World Bank but also from
strategic allies like China and Saudi Arabia.
Government some steps for the helth:

A fractured health system

Outbreaks of such scale expose gaps and fractures in the underlying healthcare system. This can be
related to the timely detection of disease, availability of basic healthcare, tracing contacts, quarantine
and isolation procedures, and preparedness beyond the health sector. All of these issues are especially
prominent in resource-constrained settings.

Pakistan spends 2% of its GDP on healthcare, against a global average of 10%. It also fares much worse
than its neighbours, Iran and India, in terms of health-related indicators. The latest data from the World
Bank, presented in figure 1 below, show that in 2016 Pakistan spent around $40 per citizen on
healthcare. By contrast, the comparative figure in India was $62, and Iran $415. With the growing crisis
in Iran despite this higher spending on healthcare per capita, it is clear why policymakers in Pakistan are
deeply concerned.

Some feel that Pakistan focuses on public health preparedness only sporadically, mainly as a reaction to
episodes when vulnerabilities spike. The country, therefore, lacks a health system that can scale up both
detection and treatment to adequately and timely address large-scale outbreaks.

Moreover, disease prevention is not just about a sound health system, but also concerns confronting
factors that create conditions for poor health outcomes. For example, certain segments of the
population (such as the poor or those with underlying health issues) remain disproportionately at risk of
the disease. Low income is associated with higher rates of chronic health conditions such as diabetes
and heart disease, and lower uptake of precautionary health measures.

Unequal access to healthcare combined with a lack of social protection

Unequal access to healthcare is a problem for everyone, since this disease does not differentiate
between the rich and poor. Yet the poor are far less resilient than the rich in having tools such as access
to private health care, better education, option to work from home, and access to insurance to lessen
the shock of such outbreaks. In fact, this particular coronavirus can be up to 10 times more deadly for
the poor.

The need for social protection is also almost always accentuated during an emergency. In Pakistan,
social protection expenditure is just under 2% of GDP, far lower than the global average of 11.6%. Most
of the informal sector is not covered by such schemes despite its contribution to the GDP (almost one-
third) and employment (72% of all jobs outside agriculture). The Pakistani equivalent of a public
distribution system, the Utility Stores Corporation, is grossly underfunded and unlikely to plug gaps if
food supply chains are disrupted.

Dealing with resistance

The Government of Pakistan is particularly hampered in its ability to deal with COVID-19 by the social,
political and cultural context of the country. Resistance created by community dynamics, local/religious
beliefs, political instability, economic fragilities, and a lack of trust in government and institutions, has
made Pakistan struggle with far less infectious diseases like polio. The fight against Ebola in Africa was
subjected to similar challenges. Pakistan is now facing the same obstacles with coronavirus.

To counter this, mosques have been shut down in most Muslim nations including Saudi Arabia.
However, Pakistani policymakers have not adopted such stringent measures for fear of a backlash from
the religious wing. They have so far only restrained congregational prayers on Fridays. It is nonetheless
important to explore ways of working with religious organisations and leaders to influence outcomes
and behaviour.

Cooperation between different levels of government:

On top of the challenge from religious institutions, within government there are cooperation obstacles
that must be overcome. There is a lack of coordination between the federal and provincial governments.
Well-coordinated governance structures are critical for a quick and efficient response to such a crisis. As
most critical services including health and social protection are now the responsibility of the provinces,
each province is making decisions independently. However, border control and aviation remain with the
federal government and provinces lack jurisdiction to tighten surveillance at airports.

Moreover, for countries as populated as Pakistan, local governments can play a pivotal role in reducing
disease transmission and resistance to health providers by leveraging local networks. An absence of
local governments has meant a delay in reaching communities to offer both healthcare and relief.

Government funding

Pakistan’s GDP is approximately US$ 163 billion, of which about US$ 21 billion (about 12%) are from
exports. These revenues are declining due to contracting international markets that limit national
earnings, while increasing prices and recent devaluations of the Pakistan rupee are making commodities
and food more expensive in the international markets. Pakistan saw robust growth during the previous
few years; as this growth slows down, revenues for government and hence income for the population
will reduce and further constrain the fiscal manoeuvring space available to the government. Finally,
government agreements over structural adjustments may further constrain investment in health and
development by limiting allocations for personnel, equipment and infrastructure that are crucial for
health care provision, controlling preventable diseases and life-saving interventions. Furthermore, as
private individuals’ ability to pay for health erodes, the public sector may see an increased demand for
health care, further constraining the already challenged services. Since facility-based treatments are
more visible, the government may shift funding from prevention to treatment or may decrease spending
on problems such as environmental pollution and poor sanitation, all of which can have impact on
health, as was seen during the last cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe

Advantages Health

Increased healthcare spending aimed at improving quality of healthcare services results to a decrease in
medical care expenses through increased and improved access to new technologies that provide for new
treatment options and treatment for large number of individuals (Newhouse, 1993).

At local level, healthcare spending is beneficial because it creates employment for healthcare specialists,
increases wages for health care workers, expands local tax revenues and increases demand for related
goods and services.

As the health sector becomes a greater portion of GDP, employment and related activities in health
sector also grow. The national Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that health sector employed 6.3 million
practitioners and technical workers in by November 2003 (US Department of Labor, 2004), and a further
3.2 million Americans were employed in health care support occupations. The health sector is therefore
a significant source of employment for America workers. Further statistics reveal that American
hospitals account for over $1.3 trillion in economic activity annually (Trend Watch, 2004) while by state,
hospitals account for 4.1- 13.3 percent of employment. It is therefore evident that although healthcare
costs are a significant burden to all levels of government, the spending represents a substantial
economic asset and potential leverage for improving job growth and wages.

Disadvantages

Raising healthcare spending could lead to slow economic growth and employment (Monaco & Phelps,
1995). Raising healthcare spending has significant impact on federal budget (Monaco & Phelps, 1995).
Many employees are interested in limiting their contribution to increasing healthcare costs by requiring
their employees to increase their contributions or by providing different forms of coverage that
potentially reduce available household income as more costs are shifted from employer to employee
(Monaco & Phelps, 1995).

The overall economic growth for US is 3.6 percent, while healthcare spending is estimated at 9.3
percent. A larger share of resources is therefore allocated on health care, negatively impacting on
private and public sectors of economy (CMS, 2003). Furthermore, federal states and municipal
governments are faced with the cost rising more rapidly than revenues, placing high scrutiny on all
discretionary healthcare spending. Companies faced by rising healthcare spending may be forced to cut
other expenses, reduce wages, reduce health insurance benefits, or advocate for the employees to pay a
greater share of costs. This leads to shifting of more costs to consumers, making them to choose
between high value of health care and other goods and services.
Q1: Is the plan given by government good enough to cover the deficiency or increase its strengths
identified by you in second step?

Pakistani leadership time to prepare and develop a plan to manage the public health crisis. However,
because COVID-19 is a new disease and much about which is yet unknown, the policy decisions
associated with managing the pandemic are characterized by uncertainty.

• Many governments responded to the crisis by imposing strict economic lockdowns, forcing many
sectors to ‘work from home’. However, for developing countries like Pakistan, curbing the spread of the
disease by locking down certain sectors has come at the huge cost of people’s welfare.

Q2: How is that area effected by covid-19 and how it has recovered. Specific measure by governments..

•Since the pandemic is affecting all aspect of our lives, it is appropriate to examine the effect on our
environment.

•The result shows that poor air quality is one of the key factors for a higher COVID-19 spread rate in
major Pakistani cities.

• It is perceived that expanded air discharges will bring about viral respiratory infections influencing 12–
24% of the populace.

Safety measures:

• Three-pronged approach of trace, test and treat needs to be aggressively implemented to halt the
community transmission leading to exponential increase in cases.

• The plan outlines the three pronged approach of identification, isolation and early care of patients, risk
communication, minimization of social gatherings.
EDUCATION SYSTEM IN PAKISTAN

Introduction:
Education in Pakistan is overseen by the Federal Ministry of Education and the provincial governments,
whereas the federal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and in the
financing of research and development. Article 25-A of Constitution of Pakistan obligates the state to
provide free and compulsory quality education to children of the age group 5 to 16 years. "The State
shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such a
manner as may be determined by law".

Education in Pakistan:
Educational oversight
Shafqat Mahmood
Minister of Education
General details
Primary languages
English, Urdu
System type
State, federal and private
Literacy (2019)
Total
68%
Male
76%
Female
49%
Enrollment
Total
72,029,310
Primary
50,650,011
Secondary
20,884,400[
Post secondary
4,949,000

The education system in Pakistan is generally divided into six levels: preschool (for the age from 3 to 5
years), primary (grades one through five), middle (grades six through eight), high (grades nine and ten,
leading to the Secondary School Certificate or SSC), intermediate (grades eleven and twelve, leading to a
Higher Secondary School Certificate or HSSC), and university programs leading to undergraduate and
graduate degrees. The literacy rate ranges from 82% in Islamabad to 23% in the Torghar District. Literacy
rates vary regionally, particularly by sex. In tribal areas female literacy is 9.5%, while Azad Jammu &
Kashmir has a literacy rate of 74%. Moreover, English is fast spreading in Pakistan, with more than 92
million Pakistanis (49% of the population) having a command over the English language. On top of that,
Pakistan produces about 445,000 university graduates and 10,000 computer science graduates per year.
Despite these statistics, Pakistan still has low literacy rate. And Pakistan also has the second largest out
of school population (16.8 million children) after Nigeria.

Performance:
Studies conducted in Pakistan conclude that the average rate of return to another year of schooling is 5
to 7 percent (Jamal, 2015). The constitution of Pakistan allows free and compulsory education for the
children of ages (5-16) years. After the 18th constitutional amendment (2010) education has become a
provincial subject, but federal government has always played an imperative role in this regard.

The overall literacy rate was 18% while male and female literacy rate was 19%, 12% respectively in 1951
in Pakistan. It augmented to 60%, 71%, and 49% respectively in 2018-19.Pakistan is ranked 152 out of
189 countries in the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI)
ranking. The Human Development Report 2019 stated that Pakistan has not exhibited improvement in
key educational indicators, such as literacy rate, gross enrolment ratio, and expenditure on education, as
compared to regional countries.

Pakistan’s literacy rate 57 percent lags well behind its neighboring countries. The primary school
dropout rate is 22.7 percent (3rd highest in the region after Bangladesh and Nepal), which is alarming
given it as at the stage of formative learning (Economic Survey of Pakistan, 2019-20).The United Nations
Global Education Monitoring Report 2016, concluded that Pakistan is 50 years in primary education
while 60 years behind in secondary education to achieve the education goals. The number of children at
primary, secondary and upper secondary level still from out of school were 5.6, 5.5, 10.4 million
respectively. This is an alarming and mind boggling situation for the whole nation. Why this happened?
Let us try to find out the answer of the question.

Negative Causes:
The education system in Pakistan despite major claims and programs faces the following problems
which is analyzed by analysis below.

Lack of uniformity:
The education system in Pakistan according to Iqbal (1981) is not based on the same principles .
Different educational programs operate simultaneously in the country. The curriculum also does not
exist
a uniform full of different schools of thought. For example there is a different world among the attitudes
of students from community learning institutions, Deeni Madaris and
a few specialized institutions. This practice has accelerated the pace of social isolation. In accordance
with
Zaki (1989) this is the result of Pakistan’s segregated education system. This program has created a huge
gap
within the nation and even deeper into the cultural veins of the nation. The latest wave of
terrorism and the proliferation of sectarian systems are the logical results of this divided system of
education. As a result of the current divisive education system there has been a huge social divide
in society for political, social, and economic reasons rather than social cohesion
deepening is the foundation of the ideological and social fabric of the nation that leads to the further
division of language and regional causes that may undermine social cohesion and social fabric.

Education without direction:

A sound education system is important for all nations of the world . Each nation is building its own
generation on the basis of intensive training and education in social, political, economic and ideological
reasons. Pakistan’s education system because it has no direction and is weak could not develop and
manage
its people for legitimate political and social reasons. There is a lack of unity in the system and it is very
common with regard to general education that does not bring skilled workers to the market. The result
is there increased unemployment. This condition can promote feelings of deprivation among many
people . Due to this has cultural and political tensions in the community. Apart from that, there is a lack
of educational opportunities for science and technology. In this way the development of thinking,
reasoning and art of students is not polished.

Outdated curricula:
Curriculum is the tool through which the goals of education are achieved. The curriculum of
education in Pakistan does not meet the demands of the current times. It is an old and traditional
curriculum which compels the learners to memorize certain facts and figures without taking into
consideration the reality
that education is the holistic development of an individual. It places much emphasis on the psychology
of the
learner as well which cannot be negated in the process of teaching and learning. The objectives of
education
must be developed the psychological, philosophical and sociological foundations of education. The
present
educational curriculum of Pakistan does not meet these modern standards of education and research.
Hence
this curriculum is not promoting the interest of the learner for practical work, research, scientific
knowledge
and reflective observation, rather, it emphasizes on memory and theory.

Lack of professional development of teachers:

Training is essential for quality performance. Teaching is a challenging job. There is lack of training
opportunities for teachers in Pakistan. Although there various teacher training institutes in the country.
These
institutes are either not well resourced or being poor run due to lack of fund and trained human
resource such
trainers and administrators. There are no proper training standards in the available training institutes
around
the country. Most of the training institutes have been closed down due to lack of funds. The courses
being
run in the teacher education intuitions are outdated and very traditional which does not enhance the
skills,
motivation and quality of teachers.

Lack of quality teachers:

Teacher is the backbone of education system. The quality of teachers in Pakistani schools is
deplorable. According to a UNESCO report, the quality of the teachers and instruction in schools is of
low
quality. This situation is grimmer in remote parts of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan where even there are
no teachers available in schools. Research has found that teachers do not use new methods and
strategies of
teaching and learning. Majority of the teachers do not know about lesson planning which renders them
incapable of dealing with various problems in the process of teaching and learning. Teachers encourage
cramming of the materials by students. Students do not know the use of libraries in educational
institutions.
Thus the reading habits are decreasing among the students. Teachers are highly responsible for all this
mess.
It is their professional responsibility to guide the students towards book reading. Teachers rely on
lecture
methods which do provide an opportunity to students to participate in the process of education as
active
member. They only note does the information and memorize this just to pass the examination. Thus
students
are evaluated on the basis of memorization of facts and information rather than performance.

Poor supervisory standards:

The role of supervision is to explore weaknesses or faults of teachers and showing a harsh treatment
in form of transfers to remote areas or even termination from services [12]. Supervision is the
monitoring of
teaching and learning. Through effective supervision techniques the process of teaching and learning
could be improved. The system of school supervision is aimless. There is not only lack of supervisory
activities in
schools but the process of supervision itself does not bring any positive results for teachers and
students. Supervision system is concerned with controlling and harassing the teachers rather than
providing help and
guidance for improvement of performance

Internal and external influences:

Education system in Pakistan is not free from external and internal influences. Externally the system
has been made hostage to political interference and internally it is plagued by the bureaucratic
manipulations. There is a greater favoritism and nepotism in matters of transfers, appointments and
promotions. Due to
this the basic infrastructure of the education system in Pakistan has affected.

Lack of resources:
Towards Setting Up a State of the Art Basic Education System in Pakistan Education resources such as
books, libraries and physical facilities are important for smooth running of educational process. There
are despairingly no facilities of books, libraries and reading materials in all
educational institutions of the country. Besides, there are overcrowded classrooms, inadequate teachers
and
ill-equipped laboratories. This entire grim situation has resulted in a despair and low standard education
system.

Policy implementation:
Since the inception of Pakistan a number of education policies were created. There has been lack of
political will on the part of successive government to implement the policies vigorously. The policies
were
highly ambitious but could not be implemented in true letter and spirit. There has been problem of
corruption, lack of funds and gross inconsistency in successive planning on the part of various political
regimes in Pakistan. Moreover, in the overall policy formulation teachers have been ignored. They are
regarded as unimportant element which has led to alienation between the teachers and the system of
education.

Low budgetary allocation for education:

Finance is considered the engine of any system. The education system of Pakistan has been crippled
mainly due to scarce finance. The successive governments have been giving less than 2.5 percent budget
to
the education sector which is not sufficient for the growing educational needs of the nation in the
present
changing times. In many of the developing regional countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh the
budgetary allocation for education has increased. But in Pakistan it is declining day by day.
According to International Crisis group, Pakistan is amongst the 12 countries in the world that spent
less than 2 percent of their GDP on education sector. With this insufficient budgetary allocation, the
country is hardly going to meet the targets of universalization of primary education as a signatory to the
Dakar Conference’s MDG goals by 2015 and onward.

Corruption:
Among other causes, corruption is the main contributing factor which has deeply affected the
education system of Pakistan. There is a weak system of check and balances and accountability which
has
encouraged many criminal elements to misappropriate funds, use of authority illegally and giving
unnecessary favors in allocation of funds, transfers, promotions and decision making. According to
Transparency International, Pakistan is included in the list of the most corrupt countries of the world.
Due
to low salaries, teachers in search of decent life standards and to keep their body and soul together
attempt to
unfair means in the examination and matters relating to certificates, degrees and so on.

Positive Performance: Education:

Education is the process of learning, or the gain of knowledge, values, skills, beliefs, and habits.
Education can take place in academic or informal settings and any experience that has a sensitive effect
on the way one determines, feels, or performs may be considered educational. A right to education has
been recognized by some governments and the United Nations.

Set A Proper Place For Schooling System:

It is a necessary thing that our government should have to set proper places where the school can build
and a proper educational system can be established. As these days everyone knows that in rural areas
there are 2 teachers under a tree giving education to a group of children. So, this is the duty of the
Federal Ministry to provide those students with a proper setup to get the education and make their
future bright and successful.

Information About The Student If Not In School:

This is a basic task which has to be performed by the school faculty. If any student is not present in
school then the principal should contact the parents and take the information about the student. They
should know why the student is not present and try to promote the value of better education to the
students as well as the parents.

Focus on Lectures:
Teachers should have to educate the students in such a way that will inspire them to concentrate and
learn quickly. Most of the subjects found boring for the students but if a teacher wants, he/she will be
showing creativity in the topic by which every student will focus on the lectures and for sure understand
that.

Educate Girls:
The concept of our ancestors, which is followed by the families, belongs to rural places that what a girl
will do after being educated. This is our duty to start campaigns and aware those families that in this era
girls are more educated, strong and successful as compared to the boys. By the help of these campaigns,
the villagers get to know the fact that the work of household is getting modernized and girls are getting
success through these works too.

No Corruption:
The main negative point about the educational system of Pakistan is corruption. When Board
examination of SSC and HSC has been conducted. Just because the members of the government are
assigned for the invigilation and checking purpose many of the higher grade officers take more 50,000
PKR for one examination sheet and because of this corruption the genius students score low marks as
compared to the duffers and failures. We have to justify this problem and make improvement by doing
fair work.

Transporting For Teachers and Students:

As this is the responsibility of the school to provide proper and safe transporting to the teachers and
students. Make this rule necessary that no student will go home alone until parents or any guardian
come to pick otherwise go by van. Every school should assign a person who will manage the transport
department by checking the vehicles and make everything safe for the students and teachers. Also,
make sure every student is going by a van whose parents are not available. Van drivers should be having
an identity card issued by the school. Parents must be having the contact number of the transport
manager and van driver.

Stop Violence:
As we all know that, the schools that are situated in small and local areas, there the teachers create
violence by giving crazy punishments to the students. Also beat those students so hard and treat them
like their slaves and the most negative point is that principles also treating them like this. Parents are
not taking any action to stop this violence and students are days by day getting severe wounds and they
literally do not want to study in this kind of environment. This is called mental torture which can destroy
the future of the students.

Provide Co-curricular Activities:

Schools should have to provide different co-curricular activities for the student’s relaxations during
studies. Schools should arrange the sports week, cricket tournament, or football matches or other
different sports. These can be said the basic need of the students whether they are schools students or
universities, to get relaxed is a basic need to fresh mind. These activities will also help students for being
fit and mental exercise to release the stress and burden. This will help students in better learning.

The above-explained solutions will help in making the educational system strong in Pakistan. Our
government has to build proper buildings for the institutions, the information for students non-presence
is very important for the schools and parents. Students will focus when some creativity would be
provided to them, girls of rural areas should be getting the education and we all have to say no to
corruption for better result of students. For the security purposes make sure that every student and
teacher use school transport which should be safe for them. Teachers should treat every student very
politely and in a humble manner and schools should provide the sports facilities to the students for
being relaxed.

Future Planning:
Current Era:
We live in a fast evolving era where things become obsolete in months. Do we remember the black and
yellow taxis? It took around thirty years to replace that black and yellow taxi with the yellow taxi when
the Nawaz Sharif Government introduced Yellow Cab in 1993. How much time does other ride hailing
services required to launch after the advent of Careem in Pakistan? Almost simultaneous, within months
Uber, Daewoo Cab, mLift, Paxi, and the list goes on. The pace of evolution has increased exponentially.

Professions:
The changing environment has also impacted the work we do. Every now and then we hear about the
robots and AI replacing humans in every day routine jobs. There is a website named will robots take my
job. It shows that what are the chances that your job will be taken over by robots. Guess what it says
when you type accountants in there?
94%
There is a 94% chance that accountants’ job will be taken over by Robots. Seriously!

So, what should we do to secure a good career for our self and the next generation. As per LinkedIn the
following are the most searched new skills:

• Content writer • Animator

• Cloud Computing • Artificial Intelligence
• Analytical Reasoning • People Management
• Mobile Application Development • Business Analysis
• Journalism • Digital Marketing
• Industrial Design • Competitive Strategies
• Customer Service Systems • Software Testing
• Data Science • Computer Graphics
• Corporate Communications • Data Analytics
But is our educational system ready to cater the change?

Pakistan Education System

In Pakistan we have one of the most disordered education system where several streams of education
run with their own distinct domain and output. First, there is a mixture of provincial and federal boards
than the Cambridge system of education where only the privileged class have access. The students
belonging to working class either go to the Government School System or succumb to the Madarsahs.

As a surprise, the Constitution of Pakistan claims that the State is responsible to ensure free and
compulsory education to all children of age 5 to 16 years. However, in reality we know that the
performance of the Government schools has not performed at par.

In a normal private school, children are admitted from the age as early as 2-3 years and in some cases
even before their birth, where the institutions test their ability to memorize rather than their ability to
apply and create something out of what they learn.

As per the latest figures available with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the total educational institutions
till the 10th grade and the teachers teaching in those institutions are as follows:

Total Educational Institutions* No. of Teachers*

Year Total Female Male Total Female Male
2015-16 242,899 108,262 134,637 1,377,600 816,500 561,100
2016-17 251,073 101,970 149,103 1,501,200 929,100 572,100
*As per Pakistan Bureau of Statistics year book for 2017

Whereas the population of Pakistan in the same period was:

Population under the age of 14 years**
Year Total Female Male
2016 (est.) 61.28 million 31.65 million 29.63 million
2017 (est.) 64.28 million 31.27 million 33.01 million
This means that we have around 1 institution for every 256 students and 1 teacher for every 43
students. That’s not bad, but what the above stats don’t show is the quality of the educational
institution and teachers. Government often declares inflated number of schools to show the educational
reforms. Recently a renowned artist and social worker, Shahzad Roy quoted in one of his articles that
when his NGO took over the Fatima Jinnah Government School[1], there were actually 8 schools
operating under a single premises. It is also a very common practice that 10th graders having no
experience or training of teaching is hired to teach the primary students.

Some of the common problems that you will witness in our schooling system are:

Lack of qualified and trained teachers

No one standard of education, multiple education systems are in operation
Lack of innovation. Students still have the same limited number of options i.e. either to select pre-
medical, pre-engineering or commerce.
Rote learning. Students are judged based on what they remember rather than how to apply a particular
concept
However, if we look at some of the established nations such as the Scandinavian countries which have
revolutionized the education sector, we found that they have implemented the following to achieve
excellence in educating their children:

Elevated teaching profession – A teacher must have a minimum master’s degree to qualify as a teacher
No standardized tests – Focus on collaboration and not competition
No home works – Integrating fun and play in studies
Shorter school days – appropriate time is provided to students to spend with their families and play
Starting school at an older age – Students are enrolled at the age of 7

Vision 2030 of Planning Commission of Pakistan looks for an academic environment which promotes the
thinking mind. The goal under Vision 2030 is one curriculum and one national examination system under
state responsibility. The strategies charted out to achieve the goal included:

(i) Increasing public expenditure on education and skills generation from 2.7% of GDP to 5% by 2010 and
7% by 2015.

(ii) Re-introduce the technical and vocational stream in the last two years of secondary schools.

(iii) Gradually increase vocational and technical education numbers to 25-30% of all secondary
enrolment by 2015 and 50 per cent by 2030.

(iv) Enhance the scale and quality of education in general and the scale and quality of scientific/technical
education in Pakistan in particular.
Conclusion:
The world is changing and changing rapidly. If we want to keep pace with the changing dynamics, we
need to change our self and change the way we do things. Our Child’s future is our responsibility and we
need to take steps now to help him to be compatible with others. A lot has to be done at the
Government level, but small steps can always be taken by individuals. In this information age, you can’t
make the excuse that you don’t have the resources to be what you want to become. Resources such as
Khan Academy and Coursera are available for all to benefits at no cost. The world is changing and it’s
important that we change our thinking caps. Let’s promise that we all will put in serious efforts in the
education of our children and let them have the freedom to choose what they want to do.

Government Plans: In the

light of the above, it may be concluded that the proposed SNC has not been formulated in accordance
with pedagogical imperatives of the development of a child’s cognitive skills or to promote intellectual
growth and social and economic productivity. Instead, it has been designed to further religious
nationalism, homogenization and centralism. There is lip service to the ideas of diversity, inclusion and
mutuality but, in reality, a SNC that is gender-biased, sectarian and class-based, will sharpen social
differences, undermine minority religions and sects, and violate the principles of federalism. There are a
number of methodological problems related to how it is to be implemented, given the lack of basic
facilities, teacher training and infrastructural deficiencies. As long as education is not declared a priority,
these problems will persist.

WAF Lahore rejects the SNC and its forced imposition on every province. WAF demands that the
government honor its commitment to provide free education responsive to the social and economic
needs of the time, and ensure quality based on a minimum standard of education applicable to all
school systems. While ensuring adequate financial and infrastructural support, the government should
involve educationists and teachers with on-the-ground knowledge and experience of classroom contexts
for realistic and child-friendly educational policies. Pakistan’s essential ethnic and religious diversity
must be respected in any educational process. To this end, WAF believes that the provinces should
develop their own curricula in line with their own histories and cultures, and in accordance with the
18th Amendment of the Constitution. This policy brief has been prepared through the collective efforts
of the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) Lahore. The primary authors are both educationists

Education system and COVID-19: An

estimated 930,000 children are expected to have permanently dropped out due to school closures
during the times of Covid-19. At the brink of Covid-19's deadly spread in early 2020, Pakistan was
pushed to institutionalize school closures across the country. To prevent the virus from reaching the
youngest segment of society, classrooms across the world were locked down. The developing world,
including Pakistan, followed suit. The pandemic has been aiding the learning crisis which continues to
widen the divide between the privileged and not so privileged, straining out the poor once again due to
a serious lack of opportunities that could hand over physical classrooms to the internet. In the summer
of 2020, close to 54 per cent households reported a sharp decrease in earnings, manifesting elevated
poverty and hunger across the country. Education is far from these households' most primary concerns.
This year, the International Day of Education is pushing the world to come together and make efforts
towards recovering and revitalizing education for the Covid-19 generation. How far behind is Pakistan in
its quest of fighting the catastrophic effects of the pandemic on its children's education?
Disengaging from schools:
In Pakistan, over 300,000 schools were shut in March last year due to the pandemic, and the financial
and economic strains that followed. This may take up the country's learning poverty rate to 79 per cent,
reports the World Bank. As the first wave plummeted, lockdowns were lifted from schools and students
invited back into physical classrooms. The question is how many children are actually returning to
school? The broader issue is we urgently need to dismantle inequity in education. Have a look at how
some Pakistani parents and students reacted to the reopening of schools last year: According to a recent
study, an estimated 930,000 children, out of the 22 million that are already missing school in Pakistan,
are pushed to drop out by the pandemic. With parents' income steadily decreasing due to loss of
employment, more and more children are now showing up at jobs instead of classrooms. It is expected
that close to a million of out-of-school children will never opt to see a classroom again. And that's not
all. Along with indiscriminate, large-scale drop outs, the pandemic has been threatening as well as
stalling progress on girls' education across the country. With resources further strapped for most poor
parents, educating girls is now more secondary than ever.

The great digital divide: is access to the internet the silver bullet for our crises?
With the pandemic bent on upending the world's goals and efforts to build human capital and end
poverty, there is little that can now be done to challenge the crises that have for long crippled
developing societies. While the state has introduced noteworthy e-portals, TV and radio programs to
promote remote learning, we have one glaring question to answer: is access to efficient internet the real
answer to our classroom problems? A report on girls education in the times of Covid-19 in Pakistan,
commissioned by Malala Fund in collaboration with Education Champion Network, reveals that girls,
belonging to households that have access to the internet, are very often not 'allowed' to use any
devices. In fact, compared to boys, girls are now pushed to spend a lot more time engaging in household
chores than any other activity. For the residents of the poor and remote corners of most cities in
Pakistan, the fundamentals of (what most would call) a normal life, in the heavily tech-reliant years of
the pandemic, remain out of reach. Smartphones, laptops - even basic desktop computers - are far from
available to the masses; hi-speed, broadband connections are not just unavailable, they are expensive,
dreamlike and symbolic of privilege outside of the country's major cities. Teachers and parents in the
faraway areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are sure that it's going to take a long time to have children go
back to the level of learning they were at before the pandemic-induced lockdowns began; very few will
even feel the need to return to schools, leaving behind the jobs they've now taken up to fight the
financial distress. Though fairly unsurprising for a developing country like ours, these situations seek far
bigger interventions than just those offered by an internet-enabled device.

Efforts to fill Pakistani classrooms once again:

Pakistan’s economy is said to lose between $67 -155 billion if learning losses remain as large as they
seem right now. It is said that this economic loss is equivalent to the government's spending on
education in the past two to five years.
To galvanize country-wide action towards putting students back into classrooms, a number of programs
are funding efforts to ensure quality and equity in education.

Among the currently active ones is the European Union's Development through Enhanced Education
Program (DEEP) in Sindh, which has been supporting educational reform since 2006.
Providing support to meet the needs of children who are out of school or whose education has been
disrupted, the EU has made contributions worth 210 million euros from 2014 to 2020.

During 2020-2021, the World Bank has also allocated USD 20 million, which aim to support an all-
inclusive learning system targeting an estimated 19.1 million children who might choose to stay out of
schools due to economic pressures brought on by the pandemic.

In March 2020, the UNICEF office in Pakistan allocated a GPE grant of USD 140,000 to support the
ministry of education in developing its response plan.

Several apps, portals and TV-based shows, like Malala Fund Education Champion Haroon Yassin’s
Taleemabad app and the government's eTaleem portal, are also expanding their lesson base to reach
more and more children, encouraging them to build habits of at-home learning till the Covid-19
catastrophe decides to fade.