The state of education in Pakistan has been grim ever since the nation's inception, and with the onset of militancy since 2001 the situation has become worse. With militants firmly holding the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the already low literacy rate of 29 per cent has nosedived to 17 per cent in the region.
Pakistan has, time and again, been included in the list of developing countries, but unlike its competitors, it has an abysmally low literacy rate. Only one quarter of the adults in Pakistan are literate. The measly 2 per cent GDP spending on education reveals the level of seriousness among policy makers regarding this issue. Although Pakistan has had to face various crises over the past decade, education was never given due consideration.
The current spate of militancy and violence in the FATA and its implications on stability, especially of the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) province, has drawn the attention of the world. This wave of terror that hit KP, FATA and other parts of Pakistan after September 11 not only damaged the economy but also the education foundations.
The province, which used to be a land of hospitality, became a breeding ground for militants. Schools were blown up and students threatened not to pursue 'worldly' education — i.e. any form of education other than Islam.
The roots of the deteriorating state of education can be traced back to the 1980s when President Zia's regime supported the US war against Soviet expansion. Religious schools, madaris, were transformed into Jihadi training institutes. Rural students seeking education in madaris were indoctrinated as guerilla fighters in the name of religion and war against the infidels (communists).
The curriculum developed for madaris propagated militant Islamic Jihad and contributed to the evolution of militancy. Even today, madaris are perceived as places of affordable education by common rural dwellers, while to the outer world, they remain breeding grounds for militancy.
This suspicion to some extents holds correct as most of this religious schools are unregistered. (With registration, the curriculum is regulated by state officials, who help keep a check over the activities.)
The fear of terrorism halted all recreational activities in educational institutes from 2003 to 2011. Female students felt pressured to use veils to avoid negative consequences from the Taliban. Co-education institutes received constant threats of suicide attacks.
Militancy spread a wave of panic among students. Faizan Azeem Khan, a bachelor's student from South Waziristan (FATA) recalls:
Militancy has set us apart from our relatives and ... I don't think I'll ever get a chance have a reunion with them in Waziristan. This situation has put a drastic effect on my education due to stress and anxiety. The militants only seem to have one agenda ... stop the youth from attaining worldly education.
The government, to a large extent, holds responsibility for not taking solid measures to curb militancy through education. This is because the already low GDP spending on education of 2.5 per cent (in 2006) has been cut to 2 per cent (in 2012) by the current government.
Militancy, coupled with substantial cuts in higher education spending, has led to the abandonment of various educational projects in KP. The recent decision by the government devolving the Higher Education Commission to provincial governments also put a dent in the future education prospects of financially weak provinces.
Higher education projects planned for Hangu, North Waziristan and Bajaur had to be shelved due to concerns of reaction from militant organisations; as a result, hundreds of scholarships offered for FATA students were wasted. This was heartbreak for thousands of students for whom the universities of Peshawar were inaccessible.
Recent educational setbacks in KP as a consequence of militancy include the destruction of more than 700 schools, loss of infrastructure worth millions of dollars, kidnapping of Ajmal Khan — a moderate founding vice chancellor of a renowned university, and attacks on school transport resulting in deaths of innocent students.
The staggering difference between public and private sector education standards leads to decreasing employment opportunities for the underprivileged, generating a sense of frustration among the masses, which in turn opens them up to the influence of the militant organisations.
Substantive measures need be taken to eliminate roots of extremism from the madaris of Pakistan. The government needs to realise that maintaining an ambiguous policy on militancy and minimal spending on education and development will not help in nurturing future moderate leaders.
Calls for total eradication of madaris hold little logic as most of Pakistan's population, which is living below the poverty line, depends on this free source of education.
Grass roots reforms, such as those introduced by the nonprofit sector, need to be introduced in these seminaries, to impart for example vocational and computer skills to the students. In coming years, bringing reforms to the structure of madaris and implementing a uniform curriculum would be of utmost importance in order to nurture generations of enlightened youth and ensure they are equipped to face the challenges ahead.
Farooq Yousaf is a research analyst, program consultant and content editor at the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad.