ASIA/PAKISTAN-Public education neglected by the government, madrasas are on the rise

Lahore (Fides Service) - While public education in Pakistan is in a state of total neglect, the madrassas (Islamic schools) are on the rise: it is the complaint that Fides receives from local sources of civil society, following the publication of the "Economic Survey of Pakistan 2010-2011", the official report published by the Government of Pakistan on the occasion of the presentation of the budget bill.
According to official data, 43% of primary schools do not have drinkable water and 55% have no toilets, these problems have existed for years and have never been faced. Over 16 thousand public schools do not have a building and more than 100 thousand do not have electricity. Rural schools, in particular, are left to themselves, without facilities and teachers, with serious repercussions for students.
This "disastrous" public education condition- note sources of Fides - creates and is understandable why there has been a huge increase in enrollment to madrasas, which often convey a restrictive and extremist vision of Islam.
The government Report defines education as "central to the development strategy of a nation" and recognizes a "vital role" in human capital formation. But the budget allocated to education in the Budget Law 2011-2012 has dropped to 9.2 million rupees (from 11.3 million in 2010-2011). The greater part of the education budget is spent primarily for salaries, in contrast with the scarce resources allocated to quality teaching, teacher training, curriculum development, monitoring of the conditions of the schools.
The literacy rate in Pakistan - according to the report - is 57.7%, a difference between urban areas (73.2%) and rural (49.2%) and with a clear gender gap: 69.5% for men, 45.2% for women. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 06/04/2011)