Ihsan Trust - playing active role to achieve SDG on education in Pakistan.

• Author: Imtiaz, Isra
• Position: Global education goal

Byline: Isra Imtiaz

In 2015, UNDP proposed seventeen 17 goals including a new global education goal (SDG 4) that need to be achieved in 15 years time. The goals are stretched from education and partnerships to health and peace. All goals are equally significant for the world to sustain, and Pakistan is no exception in this regard. Fortunately, Pakistan is actively playing its role in achieving them. Where social and corporate sector is dedicatedly working to achieve them, the Government of Pakistan is also coming up with initiatives to assist them.

Although, all goals are correspondingly important, the goal number 4 which is related to education has attracted more attention in Pakistan than other goals. One reason for this hype might be the fact that Pakistan has been among the countries with lowest literacy rate. Even though the figures have improved lately, that 'literacy rate' exemplifies a person with age 15 or above who can read and write.

Education has by far been the most neglected necessity in Pakistan. Where education can open the doors of opportunities for many, poverty is the main reason for them to not even approach that door. Utilizing time in seeking education is seen as an opportunity cost. It is often argued that time utilized in studying can be utilized in earning to feed the family. This dispute is mostly raised when considering higher education. Having 23.4% of population living below poverty line in Pakistan, this concern is valid. As the opportunity cost is not only related to time, but also money.

In order to address these obstacles, numerous non-profit organizations have emerged to enable primary and secondary education in Pakistan. However, the tertiary education hasn't been the highlight in the social sector due to the hefty cost it involves. Although, there are handful of scholarships available by the corporate sector and government on need cum merit basis, many exceptionally brilliant students are compelled to quit higher education due to lack of funding opportunities. Scholarships being an unsustainable solution always requires more and more funds every year to financially assist the same number of students.

As the target number 7 of SDG-4 requires equal access to higher education, it is very important that these students are provided with a better solution than scholarships to get access to quality education.

Ihsan Trust (IT), a non-profit organization based in Karachi, introduced the idea of interest-free...