‘Renewed social contract required to elevates education'
LAHORE: Experts at a session held here on Tuesday stated that Pakistan's education system is at a crossroads and there is urgent need of reforms and equity-driven policies.
The Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP) and the Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan (PILAP) organised the event.
The afternoon began with the book launch of Educational Conundrums of Pakistan and a fireside chat between author Dr Faisal Bari and Maroof A Syed. They discussed entrenched failures in the education system, from the weak enforcement of Article 25-A to the culture of rote learning, exclusionary curricula, and widespread systemic neglect.
The book launch was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Maroof A Syed (President & CEO, CERP and Vice Chairman, PILAP), featuring Dr Amjad Waheed (CEO, NBP Fund Management and Founding Member, PILAP) and Dr Faisal Bari (Vice Chancellor, National Institute of Technology and Senior Fellow, IDEAS). Together, they examined critical themes ranging from the effectiveness of public interest litigation and the fragmentation of education governance to the risks of increasing privatisation and elite capture.
'Even though everyone agrees that Education is an important public policy issue, quality and equitable access to education remain intractable challenges,' said Maroof A Syed in his opening remarks. 'We need a renewed social contract that elevates education from a hackneyed policy discussion to a political and civic demand.'
Dr Faisal Bari raised urgent concerns about equity, exclusion, and institutional inertia. 'We can't just talk about access; we must interrogate who is being left behind and why,' he stated. 'Without quality and accountability, the system will continue to produce inequity by design.'
Dr Amjad Waheed offered insight from PILAP's public interest perspective. 'Article 25-A gives us a constitutional tool, but laws alone don't guarantee justice. This is why institutions like PILAP are crucial for citizen engagement to hold the policymakers accountable,' he emphasised.
The session ended with a collective commitment to leverage research, litigation and civic voice to transform education into a right realised, not just a right promised, shifting the focus toward equitable access and ensuring quality education reaches beyond the privileged few.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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