Schooling and Social Change in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – The importance of education – and especially schooling – cannot be overestimated. Not only has the expansion of primary and secondary education been linked to accelerated economic growth, poverty eradication, and improved income equality, but education also appears to be closely associated with social enrichment and inclusion, the upgrading of human capital, increased opportunities, and enhanced freedom and welfare. That is why, as Pakistan’s prime minister, I have placed universal access to education very high on the national agenda.

Education influences the way people perceive the world around them, understand issues, and find solutions to their problems. It makes them more aware of their rights and duties and affects how they interact within their communities and with the state and its institutions. Above all, it enables them to think critically and question established wisdom, thereby enabling them to rise above prejudice, myth, and restrictive historical legacies.

In this sense, education is a major driver of social progress. And it is the key to fulfilling my promise, made when I took office two years ago, to create a new framework for social change in Pakistan, one that ensures equal opportunities and social justice for everyone and stops the exploitation of the poor and harnesses their potential.