THE TRICHOTOMY OF PAKISTAN’S EDUCATION SYSTEM: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Abstract

The education system of Pakistan has evolved greatly to what it was at the time of independence; however, the system has not been able to deliver the intended objectives expected from a robust educational setup. The education system of any country is aimed at attainment of certain social and economic goals pinned upon higher literacy rates. An effective educational setup produces educated population leading to intellectually capable human capital having a greater social awareness in addition to their domain or field knowledge. The development and wellbeing in the modern world revolve around technological advancement which is also the consequence and corollary of a progressive educational system. A well established and potent system of education warrants social and economic inclusion, financial prosperity, and skilled workforce eventually leading to overall welfare of the masses. The system of education that was inherited at the time of country’s existence was modeled around different tiers and educational subsystems including the religious seminaries (madrasahs), governmental educational institutions and private educational institutes. The paper discusses the current situation of education in the country by shedding light upon the problems, challenges and prospects in the context of education’s existing triple-tier structure encompassing the national, religious and transnational educational streams. The paper also presents some recommendations to achieve the potential success based upon a powerful educational setup to ultimately guarantee a prosperous nation.