Degrees without direction

Sadia Khan Education is the foundation of country’s future. But learning without real-world skills, character-building and discipline not only useless—it is dangerous. Unfortunately, this is exactly the trap Pakistan is stuck in. Top-down fixes such as Single National Curriculum have barely scratched the surface of our massive illiteracy problem. Beyond broken classrooms and mismanagement, there is a much bigger reason behind dropouts: people have realized that a school degree no longer guarantees a job or entrepreneurship. Because of this, the middle and lower classes have completely lost faith in the system. Instead of seeing school as a path to a better life, struggling parents now view it as a financial burden. With inflation crushing household budgets, many are forced to choose immediate survival through child labor over long-term schooling. It is a tragic calculation, but a logical one considering state priorities. Pakistan’s public education spending has dropped to a miserable 0.8% of GDP. We hail our massive youth population as our biggest asset, but the reality is painful. A huge percentage of our youth is being left behind without skills, discipline, or hope. Meanwhile, those who can afford it are leaving the country causing a massive brain drain. This crisis is the result of decades of political neglect. For too long, Pakistan’s leaders have treated education as an afterthought, rolling out minor, superficial reforms just to keep international donors happy. Worst of all, they have completely ignored character-building. We should look at countries like Japan and China for inspiration. They intentionally design their early childhood education around manners, community values and discipline in addition to curriculum supporting critical thinking, emotional intelligence and adaptability. The success of these nations serves as an example of exactly how investing in a child’s character can lift an entire society from ruin into a global powerhouse. Right now, Pak