Triple disadvantage of Pakistani children

Asem Mustafa Awan

This picture is a gruesome representation of the state of education in Pakistan. Seeing it conjures up feelings of frustration and anger. This should not be happening in our beloved country but the years of neglect is putting the future of  the nation’s children in peril.

The child is in his teens. His courage along with three siblings is amazing. Undoubtedly, he is breaking the law in a lawless country.  It gives rise to the question: Who is to blame?
Obviously, the government has to share much of the blame.
It is an indictment of the dysfunctional education system that continues to grossly fails to instil respect for law amongst children.
The child is a minor and driving the motorbike in busy traffic taking his younger siblings to safety of home. It points to many inherent anomalies, for example, the inadequacy of the public transport the hazards of public roads. We only have to remind ourselves of the story of Zainab which is not lost on most people.
This picture depicts a plethora of issues that have remained unanswered for decades. Khurram Butt‘s photograph is a poignant statement of many things.
The cost of transport, uniforms, books and school fees are inhibitive. The school fees are particularly exorbitant as schools apply and operate a business model in which the essence of education is lost.
The fact that the child in the photograph and thousands of others like him are able to take these risky drives points to the haplessness of the traffic officials.
Obviously, parents seem to have faith in the ability of their eldest child to bring his siblings safely home. They also need to rethink and evaluate their approach to the safety of their children.
The risks to which our children are daily exposed are many. This points to decades of neglect. Sadly, as a nation, we are persistently guilty of compromising and underscoring on the welfare and the well-being of our children. The successive government must take the lion responsibility for this for failing to provide leadership, direction, and resources.
Taking Pakistan to become a beacon of hope for millions of children, those with power and resources must rethink to rescue our children and with it the hope for Pakistan.

The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad and writes on a wide range of issues.

Photo Credit: Khurram Butt