By Mehrab Shah Afridi
Pakistan finds itself at a critical juncture, where the rapid pace of population growth is colliding with the country’s already fragile education and health systems, creating pressures that cannot be ignored. For decades, policymakers have grappled with the challenge of providing adequate schooling, healthcare, and employment opportunities to a burgeoning population, but the urgency of the problem has intensified as demographic trends outpace institutional capacity. Experts warn that without decisive action, the consequences could ripple across society, undermining economic stability, human capital development, and th e prospects of future generations.
Nowhere is the crisis more visible than in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the closure of the five-year Alternative Learning Pathways (ALP) initiative has pushed an estimated 15,000 additional children out of school. This setback adds to an already alarming total of approximately 4.9 million out-of-school children in the province, according to official estimates. For families and communities, these are not mere statistics but lost opportunities: children whose potential may remain unrealized, whose dreams are deferred, and whose lives are constrained by the absence of education. The failure to sustain programs like ALP underscores the fragility of interventions that are dependent on bureaucratic approval and short-term funding cycles rather than long-term vision.
Attempts to address this gap have been repeatedly stalled. The Elementary and Secondary Education Department proposed an Annual Development Program scheme aimed at providing alternative learning opportunities to children affected by the closure of ALP. Yet, after five months, the initiative remains mired in administrative delays. Similarly, the Mar Jadair Education Foundation submitted a PC-I proposal six months ago for the establishment of ALP centers and community feeder schools in the merged districts. Procedural bottlenecks and departmental objections have left the proposal pending, depriving children of urgently needed educational support. These delays are more than bureaucratic inconveniences; they are a failure to safeguard the right to education for thousands of children who have already fallen through the cracks.
Analysts are clear that the education crisis cannot be disentangled from Pakistan’s demographic trajectory. The country’s population continues to expand at a steady pace, creating ever-greater demand for schools, teachers, healthcare facilities, and jobs. Without proactive planning, resources will remain stretched, and gaps in essential services will widen. Education and health are mutually reinforcing: a child denied schooling is more likely to face health challenges, while families with limited access to healthcare are often less able to support educational attainment.
Public health experts argue that a central component of any long-term solution lies in strengthening family planning services and improving access to reproductive healthcare. Informed family planning empowers families to make decisions about the timing and size of their households, reducing maternal and child health risks while enabling households to allocate resources more effectively. In turn, this allows children to stay in school longer, creates healthier communities, and supports sustainable economic participation.
The effects of rapid population growth extend beyond schools and clinics. Urban planners point to the strain on housing, water supply, and sanitation infrastructure, particularly in cities experiencing unplanned expansion. Slums and informal settlements proliferate when growth outpaces planning, creating conditions that exacerbate poverty and reduce quality of life. The interconnection between population growth, urbanization, and public services makes clear that education cannot be addressed in isolation; it must be integrated with broader social, health, and development strategies.
Observers warn that unless population management strategies are closely linked with education and development planning, the number of out-of-school children is likely to rise further, threatening the formation of human capital and jeopardizing the country’s economic future. Expediting stalled education projects, enhancing coordination between departments, and prioritizing comprehensive family planning initiatives are not optional measures—they are essential to ensuring sustainable development. The window for meaningful intervention is narrow, and delay carries consequences that will be felt for decades to come.
For Pakistan, the stakes could not be higher. Every child denied education represents not just a personal loss but a collective setback for society. The government’s ability to respond decisively, to align education policy with demographic planning, and to implement family planning strategies will determine whether the country can transform these pressures into an opportunity for inclusive growth. Without such measures, the nation risks perpetuating cycles of deprivation and instability. With them, however, Pakistan has the chance to secure a future in which its children are educated, its communities are healthy, and its economic and social potential can finally be realized.
(The writer is a journalist in tribal region, covers various beats, can be reached at news@metro-morning.com)
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