Literacy Trends in Pakistan - UNESCO Islamabad

Table-3 above, indicates that countries like Malaysia, Maldives, Indonesia, Iran, Japan and Thailand who spend about 4 percent of GNP oneducation have literacy rates between 75 and 100 percent. A major indicator is the percentage of GNP spent on primary education, which has adirect bearing on the literacy rate. Countries like Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and India, invest about 1-2 percent of GNP on primaryand basic education, and have relatively low literacy rates as compared to the other countries listed in the table. Central Asian countries likeAzerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, Mongolia, and a few others are exceptions due to an emphasis on literacy and consequent achievement inthe past during the socialist regime. Pakistan is ranked at 138 (out of 172) position in HDI rank (with HDI index 0.499)* in the globe.When we glance at the global scenario of literacy, it appears that another important factor in raising both literacy and participation rates in 2000at primary level is public expenditure on primary education per pupil as a simple percentage of per capita GNP. Majority of the countries arespending from 8 to 15 percent of their per capita GNP per pupil in primary education. East Asian countries spent most of their education budgetson basic education — as much as 70 per cent. Forged alliances with the private sector, NGOs, civil organizations and many grassrootsmovements to spread education at a faster pace and in a more cost-effective manner, has also proved helpful in rising the literacy rate of most ofthe East Asian and other developing countries.In the early 1980s, under the umbrella of UNESCO an investigation into the factors that contributed to accelerated growth of literacy and basiceducation in countries of the region that were low in literacy, revealed that either the progress was due to the authoritarian nature of the systemof government like in Myanmar where the ruler, an Army General, had put literacy high on- his agenda, therefore the entire system was gearedto achieving long strides in literacy, or the delivery of literacy and basic education programmes was through the local cells of a politicalprogramme in which basic education was part of the ruling party's manifesto like in Vietnam and Laos.The international comparisons have a clear message that Pakistan lags behind many nations in its literacy efforts even at the dawn of the 21 stcentury. Therefore, if Pakistan has to make progress and achieve a respectable position in the world community, it has to accelerate efforts forthe realization of higher rates of literacy through basic education for specific age groups of children, and eradicating illiteracy among adults by anation-wide literacy campaign, and a literacy program on a war footing.10. LITERACY AND BASIC EDUCATION IN PAKISTANAdult literacy has remained a neglected area in terms of planned action in Pakistan. The overall strategy, from 1947 to 1998 has been restrictedto formal institutions only. Thus reflected replication of the existing formal model has been the major approach for the solution of the problemsof the basic education sector. Low investment in basic and primary education, successive failure of the promises made in every plan andeducation policy, and the practice of missing well marked deadlines, have created a credibility gap.13