The SDGs of Education and Health Sector in Pakistan: Post Devolution Implementation Issues and Way Forward for Pakistan
Keywords:
Health, Education, SDG, GovernmentAbstract
The state of human development varies in every region of the world. Due to traditional and historic disparities, people inhabiting one part of the world can and do have lesser access to educational and health facilities and socio-economic opportunities as compared to people inhabiting other areas. In order to ensure that “no one is left behind‟ in terms of human development, the United Nations launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. The global implementation of these 17 goals is being carried out with the help of the member states. Being one of the initial signatories of the SDGs, Pakistan had also committed to implementing the SDGs in the country. Hence while the commitment was made by the federal government of Pakistan in 2016, yet the provinces are also bound to honor the commitment of the federal government in terms of implementing the SDGs. This is in spite of the fact that all the subjects included in the SDGs pertain to the provincial governments in the post 18th constitutional amendment devolution. By way of its international commitment Pakistan is bound to implement UNSDGs. Therefore, there are some crucial social, economic and legal challenges that impede the implementation of the SDGs in the provinces in the post devolution environment. Although all the 17 SDGs are important, socially Goal # 3 relating to health and Goal # 4 relating to education are the most important. Hence, this research paper endeavors to explain the post devolution challenges in the implementation of these two goals. The present study explores the way forward for ensuring the quality education and health condition in Pakistan. However, all these challenges and impediments were overcome by undertaking suitable measures at both the provincial and federal levels in Pakistan. Dataset is taken from Economic Survey of Pakistan 2021-22 (Government of Pakistan, n.d.). With the help of synergetic relationship between all the stakeholders, Pakistan could effectively achieve the target of sustainable development thereby leaving no one behind in the overall development process.
Downloads
References
Aftab, W., Siddiqui, F. J., Tasic, H., Perveen, S., Siddiqi, S., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2020). Implementation of health and health-related sustainable development goals: progress, challenges and opportunities–a systematic literature review. BMJ global health, 5(8), e002273. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002273
Ahmed, N. (2021). Rapid urbanization and a rise in infectious diseases. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/views/opinion/news/rapid-urbanisation-and-rise-infectious-diseases-2141591
Akhtar, M. (2023, February 23). Literacy Rate in Pakistan 2023. ILM.COM.PK. https://ilm.com.pk/pakistan/pakistan-information/pakistan-literacy-rate/
Aslam, Z. (2022). The Reality of Health Sector in Pakistan. The Nation. https://www.nation.com.pk/03-Jun-2022/the-reality-of-health-sector-in-pakistan
Awan, A. G., & Hussain, S. F. (2020). The role of quality education in sustainable development of Pakistan. Global Journal of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities, 6(2), 293-319.
Batezai, I. K., & Kiazai, A. N. (2022). Impact of accelerated learning programs (ALPs) to Achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) targets in district Quetta. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 3(2), 748–761. https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2022(3-II)68
Bilal, F. (2019). Establishment of Wafaqul Madaris Pakistan. Zia-e-Tahqeeq, 10(19), 46-56 https://ziaetahqeeq.gcuf.edu.pk/issue/vol-10-issue-19/English%20Articles/05.pdf
Brollo, F., Hanedar, E., & Walker, M. S. (2021). Pakistan: Spending needs for reaching sustainable development goals (SDGs). International Monetary Fund.
Diemer, A., & Khushik, F. (2020). Sustainable development goals and education in Pakistan: The new challenges for 2030. Paradigms, Models, Scenarios and Practices for Strong Sustainability, Oeconomia Editions, 359-370.
Ghaus, K., Ahmed, N., Toru, S. K., Manzoor, R., & Sohaib, M. (2016). Implications of Implementing SDGs at the National Level: A Case of Pakistan (No. 32). Southern Voice.
Government of Pakistan. (2019). Pakistan’s Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Voluntary National Review. SDG Section, Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms.
Government of Pakistan. (n.d.). Federal SDGs support unit. https://www.sdgpakistan.pk/web/sdgs
Government of Pakistan. (n.d.). National Vocational & Technical Training Commission. https://navttc.gov.pk/competency-based-training/
Government of Pakistan. (n.d.). New Curriculum. https://www.mofept.gov.pk/Detail/NWJmMmM2YTQtM2YzYi00NjJkLTgzNDEtYzMxMTI4MTllY2Qw
Government of Pakistan. (n.d.). Pakistan Economic Survey. https://www.finance.gov.pk/survey/chapter_22/Economic%20Survey%202021-22.pdf
Government of Pakistan. (n.d.). Pakistan SDGs status report. https://www.sdgpakistan.pk/uploads/pub/Pak_SDGs_Status_Report_2021.pdf
Gurbo, M. (2017).Why are Sustainable Development Goals Important? Institute for Development of Freedom of Information. https://idfi.ge/en/why_does_sdgs_matter
Hinduja, P., Mohammad, R. F., Siddiqui, S., Noor, S., & Hussain, A. (2023). Sustainability in higher education institutions in Pakistan: a systematic review of progress and challenges. Sustainability, 15(4), 3406. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043406
Hussain, N. (2022). Pakistan’s progress on SDGs. The News. https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/955905-pakistans-progress-on-sdgs
Junaidi, I. (2022). Curtain falls on NCOC as nation looks beyond Covid. DAWN. https://www.dawn.com/news/1682861
Khan, A. J., & Ali, W. (2019). Capacity development challenges in the way of SDGs implementation in Pakistan. (Working Paper No. 166). Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad. https://sdpi.org/capacity-development-challenges-in-the-way-of-sdgs-implementation-in-pakistan-w-166/publication_detail
Khushik, F., & Diemer, A. (2020). Education and sustainability, how sdg4 contributes to change the representations of developing issues? The case study of Pakistan. International Journal of Management and Sustainability, 9(2), 101-119. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.11.2020.92.101.119
Kumar, S., Kumar, N., & Vivekadhish, S. (2016). Millennium development goals (MDGS) to sustainable development goals (SDGS): Addressing unfinished agenda and strengthening sustainable development and partnership. Indian journal of community medicine, 41(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-0218.170955
Nadeem, M., Zaidi, S. A. H., Shakir, M., & Ali, M. Y. (2021). secrets of past and promises of future: Analysis of affordable quality education in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 41(2), 433-442. https://pjss.bzu.edu.pk/index.php/pjss/article/view/1001/902
Naqvi, M. (2021). Single National Curriculum & Educational Disparities in Pakistan. The London School of Economics and Political Science. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/2021/10/04/single-national-curriculum-educational-disparities-in-pakistan/
National Assembly of Pakistan. (2018.). The constitution of the Islamic republic of Pakistan. https://na.gov.pk/uploads/documents/1549886415_632.pdf
National Health Vision 2016-2025. (n.d.). https://extranet.who.int/countryplanningcycles/sites/default/files/planning_cycle_repository/pakistan/national_health _vision_2016-25_30-08-2016.pdf
Rana, M. A. (2020). Decentralization experience in Pakistan: the 18th constitutional amendment. Asian Journal of Management Cases, 17(1), 61-84. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972820119892720
Rashid, T. (2021). Pakistan’s substantial development challenge: Significant change may be a long way off. Policy Forum, 1-2. https://www.policyforum.net/pakistans-substantial-development-challenge/
Saqib, Z. A., Zhang, Q., Ou, J., Saqib, K. A., Majeed, S., & Razzaq, A. (2020). Education for sustainable development in Pakistani higher education institutions: An exploratory study of students’ and teachers’ perceptions. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 21(6), 1249-1267. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-01-2020-0036
Sengupta, S. (2021). The relevance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for companies. Seventeen Goals Magazin. https://www.17goalsmagazin.de/en/the-relevance-of-the-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs-for-companies/
Shah, A. (2012). Making federalism work – The 18th constitutional amendment. The World Bank. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/687281468057882110/pdf/871020NWP0Box30ing0Federalism0Work.pdf
Single national curriculum to help bridge divisions. (2022). Tribune. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2348478/single-national-curriculum-to-help-bridge-divisions
Sustainable Development Report. (n.d.). SDG Dashboards and Trends. https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/pakistan
The 1973 Constitution of Pakistan-Federal and Provincial Powers. (2020, October 02). Content Generate. https://contentgenerate.com/federal-and-provincial-powers-with-reference-to-1973-constitution-of-pakistan/
The Constitution of Pakistan. (n.d.). Concurrent Legislative List. https://pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/schedules/schedule4.html
The Pakistan Code. (n.d.). The Federal Supervision of Curricula, Textbooks and Maintenance of Standards of Education Act of 1976. https://pakistancode.gov.pk/pdffiles/administrator2b9f48ff4791d066505c4dd5a66f39fb.pdf
UNICEF. (n.d.). Integrated Approaches to Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support for the SDGs. https://agora.unicef.org/course/info.php?id=18192
United Nations Development Program. (n.d.). Policy Support for Mainstreaming the Sustainable
Development Goals in Pakistan. https://www.undp.org/pakistan/projects/policy-supportmainstreaming-sustainable-development-goals-pakistan
United Nations Development Program. (n.d.). Partnerships for the SDGs. https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals/partnerships-for-the-goals
United Nations Pakistan. (n.d.). Our work on the sustainable development goals in Pakistan. https://pakistan.un.org/en/sdgs#:~:text=SDGs%20in%20Pakistan
United Nations Sustainable Development Group. (n.d.). Leave no one behind.
https://unsdg.un.org/2030-agenda/universal-values/leave-no-one-behind
Vinayak, A. (2021). Single national curriculum in Pakistan-A recipe for disaster. Vivekananda International Foundation. https://www.vifindia.org/2021/october/29/single-national-curriculum-in-pakistan-a-recipe-for-disaster
Wasif, A. (2022, July 30). Education conundrum in Pakistan. Pakistan Today. https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/07/30/education-conundrum-in-pakistan/
World Health Organization. (2019, January 04). Pakistan and Afghanistan: the final wild poliovirus
Yousafzai, F. (2021). Pakistan ranking in SDGs drops from 115 In 2016 to 134 in 2020. The Nation. https://nation.com.pk/2021/01/25/pakistan-ranking-in-sdgs-drops-from-115-in-2016-to-134-in-2020/
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Asmatullah Junejo (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
