Islamabad:
The former mayor and educator of Lahore, Mian Amer Mahmood, said that the governance system of Pakistan could not work effectively without the creation of new provinces, arguing that the current structure with the major provinces has become impracticable.
Speaking during an awareness -raising seminar at a private Islamabad university, Mahmood warned that the country’s education crisis was deepening, with 25 million children outside the school – one of the largest populations outside the world. “These children will become an obstacle to the country’s progress,” he said, citing an investigation which revealed that 70% of seventh year students cannot read a second year manual.
He noted that only one percent of the population goes to university, while 44% of children suffer from malnutrition, which makes fear that future generations are not even able to work in a productive manner. “We have strengthened our defense, but we failed in public well-being,” he added, stressing that the government must prioritize social, economic and political well-being.
Mahmood has criticized successive governments in the past 80 years for not having made significant changes, stressing that countries that have acquired independence at the same time have exceeded Pakistan in development.
He said that the Punjab government spent 4,400 rupees per child per month – less than decent private school costs – but public schools continue to underperform despite the facilities.
With regard to broader governance issues, the former governor deplored that murder trials take 16 to 18 years to conclude, devastating the families of victims and authors.
