Pakistan was reviewed on 8 May 2008. The troika consisted of Saudi Arabia, Ghana and Azerbaijan.
Education is dealt with in several points of the summary by the High Commissionner for Human Rights.
67. La HRCP (1) 67. HRCP and JS7 (2) noted the Government did not make the required financial commitment to realise this right and was unlikely to meet the MDG on universal primary education by 2015. JS6 (3), JS11 (4), JS14 (5), noted that although the Constitution provides free and compulsory education to all children aged 5-16, low investment has resulted in poor education and low literacy (just over 50%).
68. JS6 (6) stated that schools are in poor condition and poorly equipped and noted that whilst the tuition fees in government schools may be low, the monetary cost of purchasing books and school uniforms prevent access to education among the poorer families.
69. JS14 (7) noted the curricula for schools and colleges are loaded with so-called religious material laden with biases and recommended removing material instigating discrimination and hatred towards religious minorities.
70. JS9 (8) recommended the Government take serious measures to ensure equal access to education, including for children from the Scheduled Caste community.
76. CSW (9) CSW recommended Pakistan accelerate and prioritise the reform of the national school curriculum to eliminate discriminatory teaching materials and practice. 149
80. JS14 (10) recommended incorporating human rights education in the curriculum of educational institutions, and that the security of women and children living in IDP camps be ensured.
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(1) HRCP Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan
(2) JS7 Joint submission (5) of Justitia et Pax and 10 Pakistani CSOs;
(3) JS6 Joint submission (JS6) of Marist International Solidarity Foundation (FMSI), Franciscans International (FI), Dominicans for Justice and Peace: Order of Preachers, VIVAT International;
(4) JS11 Joint submission (JS11) of the Child Rights Movement (CRM);
(5) JS14 Joint Submission (JS14) of South Asia Partnership-Pakistan, National Commission for Justice and Peace, Aurat Foundation -War against Rape - SUNGI, Muthida Labor Federation, Centre for Human Rights Education, WISE (Women in Struggle for Empowerment), PODA-Pakistan;
(6) JS6 Joint submission
(7) JS14 Joint Submission
(8) JS9 Joint submission (JS9) of the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) and the Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network (PDSN);
(9) CSW Christian Solidarity Worldwide, New Malden, United Kingdom;
(10) JS14 Joint Submission
Thirty eight communications have been submitted by the following NGOs for Pakistan's second UPR.
AMC Ahmadiyya Muslim Lawyers Association, USA;
AI Amnesty International*, London, United Kingdom;
ADF Alliance Defense Fund, Pakistan;
BPCA British Pakistani Christian Association, United Kingdom;
BWA Baptist World Alliance, USA;
CHRI Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative*, New Delhi, India;
CRIN Child Rights International Network, London, United Kingdom;
CSW Christian Solidarity Worldwide, New Malden, United Kingdom;
EN Equality Now, USA;
ECLJ European Centre for Law and Justice , France;
GIECP Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, London, United Kingdom;
HRI Harm Reduction International;
HRF Human Rights First*, New York, NY, USA;
HRW Human Rights Watch*, New York, NY, USA;
HRCP Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan;
ICJ International Commission of Jurists*, Geneva, Switzerland;
IDMC International Displacement Monitoring Centre of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Geneva, Switzerland;
IHRC Islamic Human Rights Commission, London, United Kingdom;
JS1 Joint submission (1) of Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA), ECPAT international and Acting for Life, Lahore, Pakistan;
JS2 Joint submission (2) of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and the Pakistan NGOs Forum (PNF), Mithi, Pakistan;
JS3 Joint submission (3) of International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) and South Asia Centre for Peace (SACP);
JS4 Joint submission (4) of ARTICLE 19 and BoloBhi’s;
JS5 Joint submission (5) of Bytes for All (B4A), Pakistan, Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Freedom House (FH);
JS6 Joint submission (JS6) of Marist International Solidarity Foundation (FMSI), Franciscans International (FI), Dominicans for Justice and Peace: Order of Preachers, VIVAT International;
JS7 Joint submission (5) of Justitia et Pax and 10 Pakistani CSOs; JS8 Joint submission (JS8) of Global Human Rights Defence, (GHRD) and Human Rights Focus Pakistan, Faisalabad (HRFP);
JS9 Joint submission (JS9) of the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) and the Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network (PDSN);
JS10 Joint submission (JS10) of the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and Action by Christians Against Torture France (ACAT-France);
JS11 Joint submission (JS11) of the Child Rights Movement (CRM);
JS12 Joint submission (JS12) of Rahnuma Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP), the MDG5b Alliance and the Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI);
JS13 Joint Submission (JS13) of Shirkat Gah on behalf of Aurat Foundation, Home Net Pakistan, Bedari, Church of Pakistan-Lahore Diocese, Simorgh, Sudhar Development Organization, Women in Struggle for Empowerment (WISE), Ittehad Foundation and Women’s Organization for Rights and Development (WORD);
JS14 Joint Submission (JS14) of South Asia Partnership-Pakistan, National Commission for Justice and Peace, Aurat Foundation -War against Rape - SUNGI, Muthida Labor Federation, Centre for Human Rights Education, WISE (Women in Struggle for Empowerment), PODA-Pakistan;
Liberation Liberation, United Kingdom;
PFP Peace Foundation Pakistan;
RWB Reporters Without Borders, Geneva, Switzerland;
STP Society for Threatened Peoples;
UNPO Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, The Hague, Netherlands.
The report submitted by Pakistan deals with the follow-up to the education-related recommendations (recommendations 3, 34 and 36)
B. Education (Recommendations 3, 34 and 36)
91. The literacy rate in Pakistan is 58 percent. 34 It is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. There is also a disparity between men and women and between the provinces. Efforts are being made to remove this disparity and to increase emphasis on education. With the passage of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, right to free and compulsory education is now recognized as a fundamental right.
92. In July 2012, the Parliament passed a bill to provide free and compulsory education to all children, aged between five and 16 years, in Islamabad. The aim of this is to start a national tradition for providing free education to all children. “Every child regardless of sex, nationality or race shall have the fundamental right to free and compulsory education in a neighbourhood school.” It provides that both boys and girls of migrants, including nonPakistani families should benefit from attending schools.
93. At the federal level, Higher Education Commission (HEC) awards scholarships for higher education in Pakistan and in select universities abroad. Furthermore, programmes like Presidents’ Funni Maharat programme and Prime Minister’s Hunarmand Pakistan Programme have been introduced to increase opportunities of vocational training to the youth. In 2011-12, a total of 134, 118 youth received this training. 35
94. In the Punjab province, a sum of Rs 10 billion have been allocated to the Punjab Education Foundation for promotion of school education in marginalised areas through public-private partnership. Under the Women Empowerment Plan launched in 2012, the Punjab government plans to earmark at least 70 percent of jobs for women in primary education. About 60 percent of the funds out of Punjab Education Sector Reforms Programme will be earmarked for the provision of missing facilities for girls’ schools in the Annual Development Plan for 2012-13.
95. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has announced an educational emergency in the province aimed at improving literacy rates and standards of education. It has increased its educational budget to 4 percent of its GDP and has allocated 64 Billion PKR for education in the 2012-13 budget. The province has also introduced a policy of establishing daycare centers in women colleges to facilitate students and teachers. 96. In Sindh and Balochistan budget allocations for education have been increased considerably. 36 Sindh will spend PKR 9 billion on education while Balochistan has allocated PKR 22.4 billion for the education sector, most of which would be spent on renovation of school buildings.
Download the report http://www.upr-info.org/IMG/pdf/A_HRC_WG6_2_PAK_1_E.pdf