An Urgent Letter to the Pakistani Rulers

An Urgent Letter to the Pakistani Rulers

Excellency Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan
Excellency Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Honorable Yusuf Raza Gilani, Chairman Senate of Pakistan
The Honorable Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan
The Honorable Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Punjab
The Honorable Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister Sindh
The Honorable Ali Amin Gandapur, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The Honorable Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, Chief Minister Baluchistan

Subject: Suggestions for Urgent Legislative and Executive Actions to Enforce and Expand Free Schooling for Deserving Children in Private Schools – A National Emergency for Pakistan’s Future

اسلام وعلیکم

I write to you with profound urgency regarding Pakistan’s catastrophic failure in enforcing free and compulsory education for underprivileged children in private schools.

Here the most important aspect of the case is that only the government of Sindh has enacted law which binds the private schools to provide free education to 10 per cent disadvantaged children as detailed below:

The Sindh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2013 mandates that private schools in Sindh provide free education to disadvantaged children. Specifically, Section 10 of the Act outlines the responsibilities of private schools:

Section 10: Responsibility of private school for free and compulsory education

“A private school—

(a) shall provide free and compulsory education to such proportion of total strength of children admitted as mentioned hereinafter.

(b) shall admit in class-I and subsequent classes not less than ten per cent of the strength of that class to disadvantaged children.”

This means that private schools are required to allocate at least 10% of their seats in each class to disadvantaged children, providing them with free and compulsory education. The Act defines a “disadvantaged child” as one who belongs to a socially and economically disadvantaged class or group, or whose parents’ annual income is lower than the minimum limit, or whose parents have become victims of terrorism, as notified by the Government.

In view of the foregoing it is strongly suggested that the Provincial governments of the remaining three provinces namely Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the ICT may also immediately enact its respective laws to stipulate providing free education to the deserving students. in line with Article 25-A of the Constitution, so that our coming generations are not robbed of their fundamental rights enshrined under Article 25-A of the Constitution.

Pakistan stands at a historical crossroads in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, and digital economies. Education is no longer just a means of progress—it is the sole determinant of survival in the modern world. With one of the lowest literacy rates in South Asia, Pakistan is on the brink of irreversible economic collapse if urgent corrective actions are not taken.
No amount of World Bank loans, foreign aid, or short-term economic policies will ever make Pakistan a prosperous and self-reliant nation unless we give the best of the best education to our children. Nations are not built by borrowed money—they are built by educated minds.

The Reality of Pakistan’s Education Crisis

 Pakistan has the worst literacy rate in South Asia, lagging behind even war-torn and crisis-ridden nations.
 Millions of children remain out of school, while in the Sindh province (where 10 per cent free education law is enacted) the private institutions violate laws with impunity.
 Without a skilled and educated workforce, AI and automation will replace millions of Pakistani jobs, making the country even more economically irrelevant in the global market.
 Global power and influence are no longer measured by military strength alone but by the quality of education a nation provides to its children, especially at the primary and secondary levels.
 The current 10% free education quota for private schools in Sindh is absurdly low, given that Pakistan is at the lowest rung of literacy. This is an emergency situation that demands an urgent increase of free education quota in all the terrorities of Pakistan to at least 30% to ensure rapid national upliftment.

Recommendations for Immediate Action
To reverse this existential threat, I strongly urge the government to take the following measures:

1. Expansion of Free Education Quota to 30%.
   • The current 10% requirement (that too only in the provinces of Sindh) is grossly insufficient and must be urgently increased all over Pakistan to 30% to address the massive education deficit. Any school or a school system not accepting this enhancement to 30 % should be taken over by the government and may be later on auctioned in a competitive bidding.
   • This should be implemented through new legislation with immediate effect, ensuring full enforcement across all private schools.
2. Special Fast-Track Courts for Education Law Violators
   • Establish special education enforcement fast track courts to prosecute private schools violating free education laws.
   • Ensure swift trials and severe punishments, including heavy fines, school closures, and legal disqualification for school owners who repeatedly defy the law.
   • Amend laws to criminalize non-compliance, leading to imprisonment for offenders.
3. Mandatory Compliance and Transparency
   • Launch a real-time online education compliance portal where private schools must report the names and details of the 30% underprivileged students enrolled.
   • Conduct regular government audits to verify compliance
4. Strict Government Oversight & Revocation of Licenses
   • Grant immediate powers to the Ministry of Education to revoke licenses of non- compliant schools.
   • Implement hefty financial penalties and direct these funds toward government education initiatives
5. Formation of a National Education Corps (NEC)
   • Establish a National Education Corps (NEC) consisting of lawyers, reputed NGOs, and relevant government departments, with the mission to go door-to-door in poor neighborhoods to ensure every eligible child is enrolled in school.
   • Armed Forces Units should provide logistical and security support to NEC teams, ensuring that every child in the nook and corner of the country is reached.
6. Integration of Polio Eradication & Health Initiatives
   • NEC should simultaneously work on polio vaccination drives, ensuring that every child receives both education and essential healthcare.
   • Grants may be sought from international donors to support both education and polio eradication efforts, strengthening Pakistan’s standing in global health and education sectors.
7. Government-Supported Reimbursement Fund
   • Establish a Private School Education Fund to support private schools that genuinely lack financial resources for free admissions.
   • Tie this fund to strict compliance measures to prevent misuse.
8. Mass Public Awareness & Legal Aid for Parents
   • Launch a nationwide awareness campaign informing parents of their legal right to free education for their children in private schools.
   • Set up free legal aid centers to assist underprivileged families in filing cases against law-breaking schools.

Epilogue: A Nation’s Future is Decided in Its Classrooms.

Pakistan will never progress or achieve prosperity unless every child, regardless of economic background, receives a world-class education. The greatest power and influence of any nation is determined by the quality of education it provides to its future generations, particularly at the primary and secondary levels.

History has proven that nations with strong education systems dominate the world, while those that neglect their children’s learning become irrelevant, weak, and dependent. Pakistan’s economic life and death now depend on one thing alone: education. This is not just a policy issue—it is a national emergency.

The government must immediately:

1. Enact laws for the free education quota to 30%.
2. Criminally prosecute all violators in special fast-track courts.
3. Deploy a National Education Corps with the Armed Forces’ logistical support to ensure no child is left behind.
4. Combine education efforts with a nationwide polio vaccination program to secure Pakistan’s future in both health and knowledge.
   This is the only path to a long-term national survival and global relevance. The world will not wait for us to catch up—either we reform our education system now or risk being permanently left behind.

I urge all of you to act immediately and decisively to save Pakistan from a future of ignorance, poverty, and global insignificance.

Sincerely,
Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad
Lahore.
+92 321 9402157
1st February 2025.