As soon as the new state of Pakistan was established, it recognized the importance of education. As "one of the first attempts in the field of education and literacy," Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah called for a national education conference in 1947, which was 77 years ago.

In his speech to the conference, he stated, "We should not forget that we have to compete with the world, which is moving very fast in this direction. The importance of education and the type of education cannot be overemphasized."

In 2010, Article 25A was added to the Pakistani constitution, which mandated that the government "provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years."

Over the past ten years or more, the judiciary has been holding the state and governments accountable, issuing significant court rulings, and highlighting the critical role that education plays as a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution. The judicial mandate for educational equity, inclusive education, and social justice, the transformational power of education, and how all of these will not only contribute to a more just and equal society but also foster social cohesion, human capital, and long-term national security have all been made abundantly clear by certain rulings.

I could continue to cite everything from Islamic decrees to decisions made by the nation's highest court of law to my own experiences interacting with kids without stressing how important it is that all kids, boys and girls, attend school and learn.

As per Article 28, Pakistan was among the initial nations to adopt the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, thereby ensuring education for all. With an emphasis on SDG-4, Pakistan also reaffirmed its commitment to the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Nevertheless, Pakistan has one of the highest rates of out-of-school youth in the world, with over 26 million school-age children missing out on their education.

This is more than 10% of all children who are not in school worldwide; Pakistan's population makes up no more than 3.0% of the global population. In fact, the nation may have the highest percentage of out-of-school youth worldwide. The majority of these kids are girls, from disadvantaged backgrounds, have impairments, or live in remote locations.

By the time they are ten years old, 77% of kids—even those who attend school—cannot read and comprehend a basic paragraph. Investment in education is falling at a time when it ought to be rising. It made up 2.3% of the GDP in 2019. However, it is 1.7% for 2023–2024.

Given these startling statistics, it seems logical that the nation declared an emergency in education last week. A cynic may counter, "What's new?" This is not our first visit here.

Since Pakistan's founding, emergency education conferences have been held—this most recent one being the sixth or seventh—and constitutional challenges and amendments have been filed in courts, with the state receiving explicit instructions at both the federal and provincial levels. When will these calls for action take effect and yield a concrete outcome to permanently solve the issue of children not attending school and the quality of education?

Pakistan's future economic and national security are at risk from the learning crisis if the moral imperative fails to compel us all to act, thereby depriving millions of youngsters of their right to an education.

There are several ways in which this learning crisis appears. Human capital, for example, is described by the World Bank as "the knowledge, skills, and health, including nutrition and cognitive development, that enable people to realize their potential as productive members of society."

In the South Asian region, Pakistan has the lowest World Bank Human Capital Index score (0.41), whereas the regional average is 0.48. The only way to change this is to invest in children's health, nutrition, education, employment, and skill development.

Some essential steps that must be taken to ensure that children can contribute to a prosperous and productive Pakistan include giving them access to clean water and nutritious food, shielding them from abuse and exploitation, and preventing them from being forced into child labor or early marriage. Additionally, early childhood education classes should provide children with the opportunity to play and learn.

Pakistan is distinct in a number of respects. It is the first contemporary state to use the designation Islamic Republic, one of only three nations whose official state titles include the word Islam.

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the three oldest in the world, is located there. Pakistan, having inherited a millennium-old history of knowledge, stands as a beacon for those civilizations. Our ancestors ushered in an era of exceptional progress during the Islamic golden age, leaving a lasting impression on human history.

By quantity of scientific and technical journal publications, it comes in at number thirty on the list of nations. It is one of the fourteen nations or organizations that have sent astronauts to the moon.

Declaring a learning emergency may serve as the catalyst for better mobilizing partners, resources, and leadership.

Children must return to school; parents, kids, and communities must be made aware of the value of education not only for lifetime earnings but also for the economy and society; teachers must be equipped and supported to raise standards; schools must be built to be climate-resilient; girls' and children with disabilities must have adequate facilities; and we must send a clear message to the kids and their parents that we are prepared to invest in their futures.

We need to spend wisely in education, which includes offering organized pedagogy to support instructors, offering young children a high-quality pre-primary education, cutting down on school commute times, awarding merit-based scholarships to underprivileged children and youth, and much more.

The government's development partners, including us, find it encouraging that the pressing need to enroll and educate every child has been acknowledged. As required by the courts, this synthesis of societal requirements and legal principles highlights the pressing necessity for coordinated measures to guarantee universal access to high-quality education.

The judiciary plays a crucial role in advancing the constitutional mission of promoting the welfare and dignity of all citizens by holding the government accountable for guaranteeing universal access to high-quality education.

It is currently envisaged that action will take the form of a sponsored, time-bound, and cost-bound action plan. The plan's lofty but attainable goals include ensuring that all Pakistani children can read by the age of ten by 2030, increasing yearly spending on education by 0.5% of GDP, and bringing down the number of out-of-school children to less than 10 million by 2029.

Let's get Pakistani children enrolled in school and educated before they sue us all for violating one of their fundamental rights. This would be the first step towards creating the affluent and successful Pakistan that we all desire.