Child Labor and Deprivation of Children from Basic Education

Pakistan’s deteriorating socio economic condition coerces the underprivileged and lower income families to make their children work at a very early age due to which they stay deprived from basic education. It is very disheartening to see many children on the streets looking at the other children in school vans, with regret of not being able to go to school in their eyes.

These ill-fated children have this silent wish in their hearts to play cricket with the other children together in an educational institution, but the poor financial condition of their families keeps them distant from their innocent dream. Some of them are made to work consistently for entire day. When asked, parents of such children have just one thing to say i.e. they are left with no choice. Due to the rising rate of inflation they have no option, but send their children to contribute in earning for the family. They have this in their mind that, if they send their children to school then the rest of the family members would suffer because of that.

Most of these children work in workshops, as barbers, waiters, etc. Many of them work in factories for entire day due to which they suffer from various health problems as well like abnormality in their spinal column and vision problems.

Three years ago Punjab government came up with the campaign launched by them in which their major goal was to provide admissions to all the street children present in the province, ranging in the age group between five to nine years. In this campaign the schoolteachers were supposed to visit the children and the poor families residing nearby the school and convince the parents to send their children to school near their house and the government would take care of the provision of books, uniforms and stationeries for the children. This campaign failed to be executed as most of the children did not show up in schools.

According to the Executive District Officer (education) Qazi Zahoorul Haq  for this year their provincial government has been allocated this target in which they will have to enroll at least 12,000 children overall, so far 25% of the target has been achieved till April. Efforts are still being made to achieve the remaining target by the end of 2014.

Recently the former MNA and PML-N leader Malik Shakil Awan initiated a survey in his district in which data was collected regarding the children who were deprived of basic school education. After the completion of this survey the PML-N leaders would be asked to visit the parents of such children and would try to convince them to send children to school.

It is high time for the governmental authorities to endeavor to save the future of Pakistan and cease it from getting ruined in the form of child labor and street children.