The State Of 'Dis- Education' In Pakistan, A Devastating Dilemma!

Pakistan enters the new century, illiterate, uneducated, uninformed completely unprepared for the challenges to face the future. In this brave new world of technology, competition, informed choices and decisions ,where the competition for old resources will increase, where the floodgates to new discoveries and resources to humanity will be vastly opened, we are bieng pushed into a rat hole!
As if the assault on the education by the militants and Jaahil  at the primary level, especially for the girls in the frontier regions and now by threats in large urban areas was not enough, a heart breaking picture, a nightmare appears before me. This is ignored by the party that claims to be the representative of the millions of Karachi residents.Who else will give voice to the young people who are residents of this area and who are the future of not only this city but  the whole of Pakistan.
The 'Ostrich like ' attitude of education department and ministry, the MPAs , the MNAs to this massive injustice to the youth in Landhi, Korangi was expressed by a young girl whom I met in a seminar today.
She is studying  in Bcom , a bachelor's degree after which she can take a commerce path.Her desire to read English literature as she liked the goodness expressed  in character building and her need to communicate in English led us to an interesting and a very heart wrenching discussion about the state of education in Karachi.
I was asking her if she read Charles Dickens in matriculation, a board for school education in Pakistan.She could not even say the name properly. then she told me that all good authors are in 'advanced' English option.
I was shocked as I had even read Shakespeare when I was doing my pre-college after matric.
She said that the standard of matriculation which is offered to millions of Karachi youth has fallen down so much that it is unbelievable. The textbooks are very small in content. There are no choices of subjects. There is poor attendance of teachers in govt., schools where only attendance to collect salaries is counted. The same is for colleges. Most of the teachers are doing private tuitions where they are recruiting from govt run institutions. All administration and principals are involved in this racket.
Many students who have to take tuitions give tuitions to smaller students themselves to get financial help. Their problems are multiplied by lack of resources and time to improve.
The colleges attendance is so poor that  in a whole day only one lecture is given, while the teacher does not attend all days in a week. Most students take group tuitions where they pay exhobitant fee to private centers or tuitors.
The standard is so poor that the students just pass in most subjects. They cannot even dream of getting into a good college or university in the city.
All exams are passed by cheating,in which teachers, school , college administration, and political party workers are involved. 
The sad story is that this region of Landhi -Korangi is very thickly populated by a very low middle, and labour population.The citizens either work in factories, or offices in lower grades and as laborers. Most of them even cannot afford any education but send their children to govt., run schools to give some semblance of education. Those who can start from cheapest private schools.  Even who can afford have to go far away to some better schools and colleges.
The private schools and colleges are also a racket all over Karachi. Their fees are exhorbitant and the quality of education they impart is very poor and mediocre. Most of the elite schools are also useless. A good student, one in a million will learn and do his/her own thing anyway. The O , A level education is also a huge burden on our children as the teachers are neither trained nor is the curriculum conducive to learning in this highly deficient environment. A good, substantial. across the board matriculation syllabus is the need of the times. Othewise we are doomed. My sincere advice to the largest political force representing  this area is to completely revamp their attitude of getting it's children passed by sifarish or cheating and really fight to get these children really educated. If the provincial govt, under whom the education department comes is not cooperating, they should find out of the box solutions by  immediately forming think tanks on education  including educationists such as Dr Tariq Rehman and others. This has to be done immediately and on a flood control, disaster management basis. It is high time that the leading political party in these urban areas thinks of the future of these young ones.
I have seen my mother , a selfless teacher, educationist work for Karachi , built schools, colleges, not looking for acknowledgment, but just to do good to it's citizens. My heart cries for these youth who if given the right chance and opportunity in education , will build our nation's future. The Sindh provincial govt., whose education department is the most corrupt in the world should also do it's house right and not put it on fire. For when the fire of illiteracy burns , it engulfs all identities, every nationality, whole country.
It is high time that the youth of Sindh, be it urban or rural, given a good solid education, preparing it for a bright future and employment for progress.http:www.ireport.com/docs/