Pakistani political commentator Hassan Nisar said the country lacks both a functional higher-education sector and a basic primary education system.
This critique comes as Pakistan faces a critical budget cycle and ongoing struggles to modernize its academic infrastructure. The failure to establish a reliable educational foundation hinders economic growth and limits the competitiveness of the workforce on a global scale.
Nisar said that the systemic failure extends from the earliest years of schooling through to university levels. This perspective highlights a deep-seated crisis in how the state manages human capital, a gap that persists despite various government initiatives.
Financial constraints are central to the issue. Pakistan spends approximately four percent of its GDP on education [1], a figure that remains far below regional averages. This chronic under-investment is compounded by political conflict between federal and provincial authorities, which has left the national system underdeveloped [1].
However, the extent of the collapse is a point of contention. While Nisar suggests a total lack of functionality, other reports indicate that universities are currently at a critical juncture of reform. Some institutions have introduced the semester system to modernize student assessment and academic delivery.
Despite these localized reforms, the broader budgetary reality remains a hurdle. The gap between the promised investment and actual spending continues to define the landscape of Pakistani schooling. Without a significant increase in the percentage of GDP allocated to the sector, the divide between the current system and international standards is expected to persist.
“Pakistan lacks not only higher education but even a basic education system”
The tension between Nisar's assessment of total systemic failure and reports of university reform suggests a fragmented education landscape. While individual institutions may be modernizing, the overarching lack of federal and provincial alignment—coupled with spending that lags behind regional peers—indicates that structural improvement is stalled by budgetary and political gridlock.
