The Question of Education

Economists like Marshall, Becker, and Sen have emphasized on the crucial role of education for human capital formation and economic development. According to them, education has got multiple benefits for the individuals as well as the society. Unfortunately, Pakistan suffers badly from deficiencies in quantity and quality of education. Despite the guarantee, through a constitutional amendment, for free education to the children, much improvement is not visible in bringing the OOSC to schools. Gaps of commitment and implementation are galore. The problem of OOSC is discussed as an economic problem as the opportunity cost is involved, especially for a poor family, in sending a child to school. A disaggregated analysis of the household survey data is conducted at the district level which reveals huge variations and inequities in terms of gender, location, and SES in access to schools. Learning is differentiated from schooling and the argument is made in the light of empirical studies that it is the quality of learning that matters for economic growth. The learning outcomes are very poor in Pakistan. Some empirics suggest that if Pakistan improves the quality of education and children are just able to attain a basic level of competence, huge dividends shall accrue for economic growth. Suggestions are made in the light of empirical studies to enhance access and learning. The poor quality of public education is not due to low salaries or low per-pupil spending by the state rather its poor accountability of the system. The low quality of school education permeates upwards resulting in poor quality of research in universities. A case is made for changes in the incentive structures to generate wealth-creators, and not rent-seekers, from the schools and universities.