IMARAT Group Produces Pakistan’s First Unicorn
It seems like the continuous hard work and dedication of the IMARAT Group of Companies is only pushing the company to greater heights. The Group, which has been receiving the ICCI Presidential Awards consecutively during the last three years, has now achieved another massive milestone.
Graana.com, a company under the IMARAT Group, is reportedly Pakistan’s smartest property portal. It has become the country’s first homegrown unicorn. That means that the company has reached an investor valuation of $1 billion USD!
Understanding the Value of Liberal Arts Education in Pakistan
A liberal arts education offers a multidisciplinary curriculum, including social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, among others.
Sameer Sohail finds there to be a palpable absence of liberal arts education in Pakistan.
He believes that a liberal arts education would help strengthen the Pakistani economy, contribute to holistic futures, and prepare individuals for success in all aspects of life.
The Plight of Afghan Women Under the Taliban
With Afghanistan having already become the victim of immense sanctions imposed upon it by the West, the Taliban’s recent ban on women’s education will only continue to disrupt the lives of the people of Afghanistan. Myra Imran Rafiq recommends intervention and engagement by international actors to minimize the cost of human suffering.
Calling for Social Justice in Classrooms
There is apparent social injustice in education, which is marked by inadequate efforts made towards minorities’ education, disparities in girls’ education, and the culturally irresponsive pedagogy widening racial segregation in Pakistan.
Iqra Abid believes that for an education system to be socially just, it must be built on inclusion, activism, reciprocal community relationships, and ethnographic narrative.
The Lacking 2022-23 Federal Budget of Pakistan
The federal budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 is termed the ‘growth budget’ by the government. However, it does not seem promising, since the taxes imposed will undoubtedly lead to inflation, and because the amount earmarked for the education sector remains unsatisfactory.
Wasif Hassan provides a summary of the budget and briefly analyses the imposition of taxes and education spending allocated under the federal budget 2022-23.
Education in Balochistan: A Conversation with Sangeen Khan
In our conversation with Mr Sangeen Khan, a strategic affairs analyst and a social activist from Balochistan, we understand that education seems to be the only cure to the plight of the people in the province.
Girls’ Education under Taliban
In this opinion piece, Shuraim Ahmad Malik stresses the need for girls’ education in Afghanistan. He discusses the reasons that have led to Afghan girls and women being deprived of this fundamental right, before concluding with possible solutions that the Taliban and the international community can take.
UK’s £130 Million for Girls’ Education in Pakistan
Due to an estimated 22.8 million children being out of school in Pakistan — about 12.2 million of them being girls — the UK has just pledged £130 million under its ‘Girls and Out of School: Action for Learning (GOAL)’ programme, to enable education for girls in Pakistan.
Digital Education in Pakistan: Prospects & Challenges
According to UNESCO, 58 million children over the age of 15 are illiterate in Pakistan, while 22 million children in the age group of 5-16 years are school dropouts. With the pandemic impacting every part of the world, the situation of Pakistan’s education sector is worsening. The author, Muhammad Hashir, notes that the state has adopted several digital education measures and introduced several initiatives—eLearn.Punjab, Teleschool, and Radio School, etc.—to improve Pakistan’s literacy rate and educational outreach. Regardless, the efforts are greatly hindered due to several socio-economic constraints. Apart from these challenges, a survey conducted by the author reveals that education in rural areas is greatly forestalled due to internet connectivity issues and the lack of digital infrastructure.
The Singapore Model Explained & Lessons for Pakistan
Since its independence in 1965, Singapore has come a long way. Now, it ranks as the 5th largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) worldwide. The state is also renowned for its high living standards, public administration, and commendable infrastructure. The author notes that the “economic miracle” has achieved this by letting go of its colonial baggage, reforming its education curriculum and public sector, and successfully establishing a national identity without assimilating its multi-ethnic population. The author asserts that while Pakistan’s identity and geopolitical issues are more complex than that of Singapore, the Singaporean model can still provide the state with lessons in nation-building and identity construction.
The Single National Curriculum (SNC) in Pakistan: An Inadequate Option
The current government has proposed a single national curriculum (SNC) for all educational institutes in Pakistan. The curriculum encompasses the indoctrination of a singular view of religion (and may continue to encourage rote learning) posing a continuing threat to pluralism, child development, and the quality of education in the underfunded education sector.
The Case for STEM Education in Pakistan
Education, in particular STEM education, has the potential to inhibit wars and pave the path for development. For Pakistan, that is clearly imperative.
Pakistan & The November Lockdown? Possibilities & Prevention
Will Pakistan’s decision of re-opening educational institutions cause another wave of COVID-19? If so, that will surely propel another lockdown, possibly in November.
The Relationship Between Education and Earnings in Pakistan
This paper examines the effect education has on the earnings of salaried people in Pakistan. The analysis confirms that education has a positive role in determining an individual’s earnings – i.e. every extra additional level of education increases the earnings of an individual.