 “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.

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 Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”

Introduction
Importance
Personal
Community
National
Levels of education
Overview of education in Pakistan
Education is necessary to build the edifice of the nation.
The literacy rate of Pakistan.
Pakistani educational institutions.
Causes of the falling standard of education.
Education is an investment for the future of the country
Remedies
Decentralization of decision making
Greater autonomy of Institutes
Coordination of different educational institutes
Remove political interference
Enhance information and research base
Free education
Scholarship
Effective examination system
Assurance of merit system
Curriculum reforms
Practical and activity base teaching
Reforms

While education levels vary from country to country, there is a clear correlation between the quality of a country's educational
system and its general economic status and overall well-being. In general, developing nations tend to offer their citizens a higher
quality of education than the least developed nations do, and fully developed nations offer the best quality of education of all.
Education is clearly a vital contributor to any country's overall health.
According to the Global Partnership for Education, education is considered to be a human right and plays a crucial role in human,
social, and economic development. Education promotes gender equality, fosters peace, and increases a person's chances of having
more and better life and career opportunities.
The annual Best Countries Report, conducted by US News and World Report, BAV Group, and the Wharton School of the
University of Pennsylvania, reserves an entire section for education. The report surveys thousands of people across 78 countries,
then ranks those countries based upon the survey's responses.
Education is all the more necessary to build the edifice of the nation, to mold the national character, to inculcate a sense of duty
among the people, to foster discipline and to develop the country on modern lines. Education promotes national welfare and
personal happiness. If we want to progress, to preserve our freedom, to see democracy flourishing and earn respect in the amity
of the nations, we must be educated and well-informed; otherwise, we make a mockery of ourselves and our freedom.
Pakistan is a middle-income country with a literacy rate of only 59.13 %. United Nations Development programmes report puts
Pakistan in the category of “Low Human Development “ and on the basis of several other attributes ranks it at 120 out of 160
countries on the Human Development Index. The question is, in countries like Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Singapore, China, Indonesia and Maldives can achieve 100% primary participation rate and above 80% literacy rates in 30 years,
why has Pakistan remained so behind?
The present Pakistani educational institutions are a hybrid of the old colonial institutions and a feeble Islamic revivalist
movement. The education they provide is an incongruous mixture of pseudo-Islamic institutions imparted without ethical or
moral underpinnings. The outdated curriculum is geared to produce batteries of neo-colonial bureaucrats. Under such an
educational system, the students who specialize in scientific and technical fields generally become mercenaries. They learn to
earn a living but their contribution to the welfare of society is minimal. Such education has failed to develop the moral fiber
necessary for socio-cultural growth of the individual and the Ummah.
A radical review of our educational system reveals the following causes of a falling standard of education in Pakistan.
Lack of purpose.
Lack of political will.
The limited sphere of secondary education.
The low standard of secondary and higher education.
Vocational a scientific education is very limited.
The medium of Instruction controversy.
Poorly –trained, poorly-paid and overworked teachers.
Lack of formal education.
Financial restraints.
High population growth rate.
Education is an investment for the future of the country. Education plays a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of a
nation, enhances prosperity and improves the quality of life of a nation. Furthermore, education and technology edge solely
determines the potential and status of the country from being a consumer to a producer country. The rapid economic development
of a nation is based on enlarging its supply of educated and trained manpower which, inturn is dependant on the broadening of
the educational system. Education generates new ideas, accelerates the pace of technological advances and ensures efficiency and
competency.