Balochistan: a case of social injustice.

A child in Loralai, Balochistan.

It might have been reported several times in the last six decades that there is an education crisis in Balochistan through various advocacy and human rights organizations, NGOs and even through government statistics. Over the years, the fact has become obvious that low literacy rate is the root cause for all the crises the province is engulfed with. The question is why all stakeholders have turned deaf? Stakeholders include the government at the center and province; it includes people like you and me who are based in developed urban centers.


As per the economic survey of Pakistan of 2009-2010, the literacy rate of Balochistan is hovering at 45% and the gender parity index (GPI) is 0.38 i.e. is the ratio of female enrollment to male enrollment. A GPI of more than one indicates that, in proportion to every male in the school, there is more than one female. So, you can see how critical the situation is in the province, especially for females. Additionally, the basic infrastructure at government schools is also in a wretched condition. 681 schools are without buildings, 7,689 are without boundary walls, 4197 are without drinking water facilities, 8,425 are without latrines, and 9,806 are without electricity.

The most critical gap is the lack of quality teachers and for this issue one party cannot be held as a scapegoat. The government has been unable to train quality teachers and Aghaz-e-Haqooq Balochistan has just given jobs with hefty salaries to teachers who barely qualify to be called one; cock eyed amongst the blind to be brutally honest. Moreover, only the rare honest ones give quality time to their students while the rest prefer to reach home before their duty hours are over. Most of them just spent a couple of hours at school and head back to their shells depriving ‘the future’ of a better future. Teachers are nothing less than guides; and if we are going to have such guides for our children, especially those in Balochistan, then only God can save Pakistan.

To control the backlash and the concerns of the Balochi people, the government was speedy in offering jobs to the unemployed youth in Balochistan and since education was a major concern several jobs were given in this particular field. But, due to hasty planning and non-existent monitoring and evaluation system, we look forward to a Messiah to descend and stop the carnage of education by the hands of government and the opportunists who are not performing their duties properly. A catastrophe which could have been easily avoided.

The above facts and figures are extremely worrying, considering the fact the population of Balochistan is approximately 1/3^rd of Karachi. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel and that light will not fade away only if we all start working with pure intentions – karma has its own unique way of handling issues. The change we dream about will not come out if we do not break the chains which tie us and come out of the cage (shells) we live in i.e. our comfort zones; our drawing rooms. Yes, debate is necessary, but taking instant and sensible actions is imperative.

Honestly speaking, even if an honest political and administrative is established, the revolution will not come overnight; especially considering the fact the internal and external debts of this country cross a 100 billion dollars. The solution lies in the hands of the Balochi people, you and me. The Balochis (which includes 45% Pakhtuns living in the province) have to instill the feelings of honesty in their teachers so that they perform their duties properly and have to make sure they also send their daughters to schools. In the meantime, you and me have to rally around in order to provide them the resources which can help them and the government to build basic infrastructures which will make a facility eligible to be called a 'school'. We have to step up and show our support so that the students can gain education comfortably because the economic situation in Pakistan will not allow to fix the budgetary issues related to education all of a sudden; we need to self-generate the resources required to restore sanity into the education system of Balochistan.

We accuse that the government indulges in luxuries; come to think of it, aren’t they from us and quite similar to us? No? Well, if ‘no’ is the case do remember constructing a boundary wall is less than the price of the latest 15” Macbook Pro, providing a drinking facility to 200 people costs less than the registration you pay in order to get your new Honda Civic registered with government authorities in Islamabad and constructing latrines sufficient for 50 students costs less than a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

No matter how corrupt our system and politicians are, but we cannot be oblivious in pushing them in a corner. Putting our leaders, our servants in real terms, in constant pressure will surely make them perform well. But, as emphasized earlier, the change has to start within us - the ordinary people, if we want to see it reciprocating in the masses and eventually in our leaders/system of governance. This is the only solution to exterminate illiteracy in one of the oldest civilization of the world – Balochistan.

Actions speak louder than words.

STEP UP, PAKISTAN!