When
giving your child quality education only costed Rs10
By Shakir Lakhani Published: February 24, 2018
A Pakistani
female student writes a sentence on a black board at a government school in
Peshawar on October 25, 2012. PHOTO: AFP
During the 1950s, I was
studying in a missionary school (St Patrick’s). Many people in position of
power have studied from the same school, such as a president, a prime minister,
many army officers, government ministers and the famous Indian politician LK
Advani. I still remember how the school fee at that time was only Rs10.
But one day, in 1956 or
thereabouts, the fee structure was changed. For some boys, the fee remained at
Rs10, for some (like my brother and I) it was raised to Rs25, while the rest
had to pay Rs37. Even though the school was informed that my father’s income
was not enough for him to be able to pay Rs10 per child, they concluded that we
were from a middle-class family – perhaps it was assumed so because my brother
and I came to school in a second-hand car, while the families considered
wealthy had new cars or maybe more than one car – and so had to pay the fee
accordingly.
To the children of today, Rs10,
25, 37 or even 100 does not mean much, but in those days, a bank manager’s
salary was Rs400 per month and it was sufficient for him and his family to live
comfortably. It cost a total of Rs1,500 (including books) for me to get through
four years of engineering college and acquire a degree.
It was Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s government
that dealt a death blow to education. By indiscriminately nationalising
most private schools and colleges (including
some which were run by missionaries), he ensured that poor Pakistanis would
never be able to get quality education, and only the children of the elite
would get reputable jobs.
As the years went by, the
standard of education deteriorated so much that it was sometimes very difficult
to find a graduate who could write a simple sentence in any language. This was
honestly not surprising though, considering that most schools had ghost
teachers who turned up only to collect their salaries (as they were party
activists who were otherwise unemployable). Men from the rural areas were
appointed as school principals, despite not being able to sign their own names!
Private schools were allowed by
General Ziaul Haq who also returned some schools to their original owners. But
the damage had been done. Even today, those who set up new schools are afraid
that some future government will nationalise their schools, which is one reason
why the fees in private schools are so high.
The least expensive school today charges Rs1,800 a month,
missionary schools Rs6,500, while monthly school fees in most other schools are
Rs10,000-20,000. There are some which charge even more (from Rs20,000-117,000)
but these are only a few, where the children of our feudal lords, smugglers and
tax evaders go to be educated. To get a professional degree requires millions,
as a result of which only children from very rich families can become doctors,
engineers or graduates with business degrees from quality institutes.
The question then arises, where
is a poor man supposed to send his children for quality education?
My driver has nine children,
earns Rs20,000 per month and it’s obviously very tough for him to survive and
sustain, and provide for his family. His sons study in a madrassa which charges
Rs200 per boy, while his daughters, according to him, don’t need any education
as they are married off as soon as they attain puberty.
Can you imagine what his sons
will do once they leave the madrassa? They will have no technical and lingual
skills, so they will not be able to earn enough to support their own families.
Most of them will be recruited by religious parties as activists. However, one
thing is sure – none of them will be hired as managers, and will have to settle
for meager jobs such as that of peons or watchmen, if at all.
What of those who earn Rs35,000
to 40,000 a month and have two or three kids (officers in a banks or commercial
organisations)? They would be able to get their children educated in missionary
schools (provided their children are admitted there). But knowing the number of
applicants desiring to be educated in good schools, it is doubtful if this
would be possible.
When men cannot earn enough to
survive, they turn to crime. Lack of proper training and education results in
unemployment which drives them to resort to committing unlawful activities such
as mugging and theft. No wonder we have so many street crimes in our cities!
The situation is hopeless. Even though there have been protests against fee hike, the situation has remained the
same. The courts forbade private schools from increasing fees by more than 5%, but then, there are other ways for
schools to make money, such as increasing admission fees (which in some cases
is one to two lakhs). They can also increase other charges like sports fee –
there is nothing to prevent them from extortion and plunder. The government is
powerless because there is no law in place which can force private schools and
colleges to reduce their fees, while the state has no funds to establish more
quality schools and colleges.
Hence, I suggest all schools
and colleges reserve 10% of their seats for children from poor families. Draws
could be held to determine who would be admitted, and no fee should be charged
from such students. This way, at least, some children from poor families would
have an equal chance at educations and employment.
Every generation has certain
responsibilities towards the next generation, and education being a vital
foundation is one of them. If we cannot even provide basic necessities such as
quality education and create a fair and equal environment for our children, why
bother with bigger things and better opportunities?
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