As Malcolm X once remarked, “Education is the passport to the future.” But even when education is regarded as the single passport to a bright future, in the case of Pakistan, only a handful of people have access to it whilst millions get absolutely nothing, and it does not work out in their favour either. To put it simply, the system is set to expand the dreadful inequality we are faced with. While elite institutions serve to produce world leaders, government schools fail at even the basics of literacy.

As per UNICEF, around 22.8 million Pakistani children lack basic access to education

For a perfect example, take Aitchison College where the annual fee is Rs. 1.5 million which is considered to be the average lifetime income of a Pakistani family. Students there have their very own, Olympic-sized swimming pools, horseback riding, and Ivy League mentors. A tad bit too exclusive don’t you think? There emerges the fact that Pakistan’s ruling elite dominated leading, in turn making a single circle to joke around, which Antonio Gramsci called a “hegemonic culture.” Government schools, where the vast majority study these days, suffer from broken benches, unqualified teachers, and relevantly crude outlines, far removed from anything cutting edge, pose other issues to these institutions. As per UNICEF, around 22.8 million Pakistani children lack basic access to education, for those who “do” manage to bribe their way in have to learn in environments that make a mockery of progressive ideals.

What of that young chap in Karachi, who after slaving away for over 12 hours a day at the mechanic’s shop, studies by the light of a candle?

Here, the idea of meritocracy doesn’t stand. Think of the boy in Balochistan who drops out of school to look after goats in order to help his widowed mother, Or what of that young chap in Karachi, who after slaving away for over 12 hours a day at the mechanic’s shop, studies by the light of a candle? Now, consider the lavish student enjoying their education worrying about nothing other than having a full suite of tutors at their disposal. As the saying goes, “Break one competitor’s legs and feed another competitor steroids, then call it a fair competition.”

This is how the gap gets engineered. Spending on entrance exam coaching, for instance, Tafreeh’s boutique-style private schools Beach House and Roots, sometimes charge as much as Rs 100,000. This cost is astronomical for impoverished students who sift through photocopied notes. English, the language of opportunity, turns into another hurdle to overcome.

There should be a redefining of merit and value placed on technical abilities, the arts, and other fields that represent what are quintessential skills of our youth, rather than rote memorization

There is need to make a radical change to our educational model. There should be a redefining of merit and value placed on technical abilities, the arts, and other fields that represent what are quintessential skills of our youth, rather than rote memorization. In order to build a more inclusive and advanced system, the government ought to place taxes on the wealthiest sustaining educational institutions, funneling that money to improve public schools while also increasing spending on education to at least 5% of the GDP, which is more in line with global standards. Moreover, it is time to do away with the stubborn elitism within the so-called prestigious Aitchison College and other institutions that have long provided service to consolidate power instead of serving the public.

This will, in turn, relieve the nation, so to speak, from the sluggish advancement we have been undergoing due to the prevailing stranglehold of some select privileged elites. From now onwards, the government should focus on these so-called public educational institutions and aid their transformation into elite schooling standards by developing modern infrastructure, recruiting accomplished educators, and establishing a proper system of checks and balances. Only then can the clout of elitism in education begin to be effectively subdued.

A person’s sole passport to a better future is education

A reminder of Malcolm X’s principle still reverberates today: A person’s sole passport to a better future is education. Yet, in Pakistan, it is exclusively accessible to the wealthy. The result is a country where no matter how skilled one is, they are destined to fight for the resources, pits us deep in inequality. The choice before us is straightforward: let this gap in educational opportunity persist or hope to build a future where true potential decides one’s fate instead of money.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.