Nizam Hassan;
Education, as per the constitution of Pakistan, is the undeniable right of the citizens irrespective of ethnography, color, race and geographic area. After the passage of the 18th amendment in the constitution, it is unfair to put the whole heap of blame on the federal government; because provinces have the lucid jurisdiction to decide the affairs of education. Therefore, it is the provisional governments that are responsible for providing unrestricted, easy and hurdle-free access to educational centers. However, the people of Balochistan-Who enjoy the lowest literacy rate in the country- have been sidelined and alienated from the array of education the most. Thus, the deprivation has led to an increase in the scale of alienation and polarization of the province. Balochistan shares an absolutely large portion of [44%] of Pakistan’s total geography, hence attains the distinction of the largest federating entity of Pakistan. The people of Balochistan face way too much educational inequities, albeit they are not novel things for them. Quetta-the provisional capital of Balochistan- is the only education abode for the people of Balochistan. However, the city now resembles a protesting ground rather than an education epicenter of the victimized students. Every week, if not every day, the resonating voices of the students, civil society organizations and human rights activists can be heard chanting slogans of justice though their voices hardly reach in the ears of those sitting in the assemblies. Despite of accepting the legitimate and legal demands of the students, what they receive in the result are torture, incarceration, and humiliation. Pathetic! Even though the right to protest, which is the last option for the people of Balochistan, is being brazenly violated. Most recently a peaceful protest conducted by Baloch students in Quetta against the non-transparency of Pakistan Medical Council(PMC) in the online MDCAT test, where police launched a severe baton-charge and injured a number of students. Even the police did not respect the sanctity of Baloch girls who enjoy a prime position of honor and homage in Baloch society. A definite culture of apathy has taken shape in the Balochistan government which compels the people from all walks of life to come on roads roaring their grievances; because they see no other reliable approach to make their voices heard. On the one side students are considered the architects of the future by the government, while on the other side they are being beaten, tortured and humiliated on the roads of Quetta. Such hypocrisy from the Balochistan government is quite condemnable! This is, however, not the first time the Baloch students are bearing the lashes and sticks of authorities, nor will it be the last. It seems from the ostrich approach of the government that it is not interested in promoting education. Since poverty is on the peak and education opportunities are akin to nonexistent, parents take every possible step to send their children a long way to Quetta in order to get education. Such occurrences, in fact, are a matter of every day for the Baloch students who can be seen chanting and shouting slogans of justice. In Pakistan, protests are usually considered the last tool for getting attention of ruling classes, unfortunately, in Balochistan, people are losing this right, too. Balochistan is already boiling up with the sense of polarization, such tactics are equal to rubbing salt on the wounds of people. Being the owner of unbounded natural resources, like Warm-sea of Gwadar, Gold mines of Reko Dek, Sui Gas field, and so forth, still the children are on the roads protesting for even their basic rights which are clearly enshrined in the constitution. Educational collapse in the province can be attributed to the local government’s failure which is being run by the feudal politicians; who are injected into the system, thus eating up the rights of citizens.
