Pakistan’s national education system comprises twelve years of education spread across four levels: primary (grades 1–5), middle school (grades 6–8), matriculation (grades 9 and 10), and intermediate (grades 11 and 12).

The system of education includes all institutions that are involved in delivering formal education (public and private, for-profit and nonprofit, onsite or virtual instruction) and their faculties, students, physical infrastructure, resources, and rules. In a broader definition, the system also includes the institutions that are directly involved in financing, managing, operating, or regulating such institutions (like government ministries and regulatory bodies, central testing organisations, textbook boards, and accreditation boards). The rules and regulations that guide individual and institutional interactions within the set-up are also part of the education system.

The education system has been vulnerable for too long in Pakistan because of incompetent education policies by incompetent policymakers in every regime until now. The need to establish a strong education system was neither aimed at, designed for, nor implemented in all of Pakistan.

A strong education system deals with imparting quality education with international standards to the students, having qualified faculty, and holding exams without the students involvement in cheating. Such a strong education system with English as the medium can’t be found in most of the public and private schools, colleges, institutes, and universities in Pakistan.

Moreover, the international language is English, and all of the subjects related to graduation and post-graduation studies are in English. There should be an English-medium education system everywhere in Pakistan. It can help develop the Pakistani economy in the future, likewise.

Only a few private schools, colleges, institutes, and universities are providing quality and internationally standardised education in Pakistan. The few among them are Karachi Grammar School in Karachi, Beaconhouse School Systems, City School, etc. in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. H.S.N. College in Lahore, Beaconhouse University, CBM University, Szabist in Karachi, Lums in Lahore, Nimil University in Islambad, Beaconhouse University in Lahore, Islamabad, etc.

Unfortunately, none of the public schools, colleges, institutes, and universities are providing quality and internationally standardised education in the country yet.

Most of the students can usually be found opting to cheat in public and private schools, institutes, and universities all over Pakistan, and they are all allowed to cheat, likewise causing a cheating culture in the education system in the country.

The reason why students opt to cheat exams is because of the vulnerable education system, where they are not given quality and internationally standardised education with qualified faculty in public and private primary and high secondary schools, colleges, institutes, and universities in the country.

The ratio of the students in the class who can make their professional career successful in the future is almost 90 percent in a strong education system and 10 percent in a vulnerable education system.

To start English medium education as a strong education system throughout the country, English coaching centres need to be established in all the cities and towns of Pakistan so that public and private schools’ students can start learning English language from eighth grade and grasp English language skills until intermediate/A’level so as to study graduation and post-graduation properly and efficiently.

Similarly, a strong education system should be introduced in public and private primary schools so that the next generation can benefit and make their professional careers successful.

Shahjehan Soomro