Poor Board Exams Results in Gilgit Baltistan by Dr Rizwan Karim

The poor performance of government schools of Gilgit Baltistan at primary and middle schools’ level is both sad and alarming, but this may well be the true representation of state of education in GB. The notion that GB is educated gets thrown around at every other forum whether its in discussion within Pakistan or internationally. This delusion goes without getting questioned since it supports GB’s soft image. The reality however seems grimmer, especially to the most underprivileged faction of society, people who do not have access to the luxury of private education because of lack of accessibility or affordability. 

In a recent conversation with a professional in Islamabad the topic of quality education came up. After the introductions, she stated that almost everybody she has met from GB are very well educated. She admired the quality of education as well, and asked me what could be the reason? I gave credit to the role of private schools and the lack of resources that pushed the students to work harder. I also mentioned that the state of governments school is far better than most government schools in cities. However, I should have thought more deeply about this question before responding and should have questioned my statement about government schools. 

I should have questioned her statement about almost everybody from GB being well educated. The people in cities for the most part get to deal with the educated people from GB. People who don’t have access to education or quality education usually spend most of their lives in villages, and even if they get to travel to the cities their interactions with others may be very limited. It’s about time we acknowledge the fact that a major faction of our society still lacks access to quality education so we ourselves can come out of the delusion of GB being well educated. 

The poor results of this year follow what was termed as “major spending on education” last year by newspapers. The spending may have increased in comparison to previous year, but it was still less than 1.5% of the total budget, which goes to show the seriousness of government about education, not to mention the scandalous way this meagre sum was utilized. In addition to the lower spending on education, there are other reasons as well including but not limited to lack of accountability in teachers’ performances, the nonseriousness of students and parents, the scarcity of future opportunities, and the normalization of unhealthy behaviors in youth. 

The reason for these poor results could be one or a combination of the above-mentioned reasons but our response seems to be finger pointing every year. It’s in the best interest of everybody from GB to acknowledge the poor state of education and collectively work towards building a conducive environment for learning in government education system. The previliged have options, but to bring a lasting and true change in society we have to ensure everyone gets access to quality education. Students, parents, teachers, and everybody in society need to come together to work towards ensuring a better future for the next generation.