ICC Note:

Discrimination in Pakistan against Christians and other religious minorities is a day to day reality. Unfortunately, the discrimination and marginalization is causing the majority of an entire generation of Christians to receive a very poor education. This will inevitably continue the cycle of discrimination and marginalization. According to a new report, schools set aside for Christians in Pakistan have poor facilities. Will the international community be able to help these suffering Christians or will Pakistan finally jump in and start providing for its Christian citizens?

11/30/2016 Pakistan (Christian Post) – A new survey has revealed that half of the hundreds of low-cost schools for Christians in Pakistan have no playground, about 15 percent of the students do not have notebooks, and a quarter of primary and middle schools lack useable drinking water.

The survey, commissioned by an education charity, Starfish Asia, also found that 13 percent of the schools it surveyed had no toilets for children, and around half had no separate facilities for staff.

The survey, first reported by World Watch Monitor, was conducted with 604 schools, nearly all of which were co-educational with 52 percent girls.

It found that 1 in 10 high schools had no blackboard in the classroom, and that only 23 percent of high schools had access to the internet. Further, only about 5 percent of primary and middle schools had a library.

Furthermore, 45 percent of class 2 students had no footwear.

“The Christian Schools Survey carries an urgency that cries out for the attention of educationalists, philanthropists and donor agencies, and gives insight into a deprived world that many Pakistanis, let alone other authorities, are unaware of,” said the survey report.

Article 25-A of Pakistan’s Constitution ensures “free and compulsory education to all children of aged 5 to 16 years.” Of the 182 million people in Pakistan, it is estimated that about 5 million are Christian.

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