In 2023, Google launched a bold initiative called “Next Billion Users.” It was a global vision: bringing the internet to people in developing countries, most of whom had never used it before. The majority of these new users wouldn’t be sitting in front of desktop computers   they would be holding smartphones. These were the “inheritors of technology”, born into a digital world, navigating their way with touchscreens and apps. Meanwhile, in a government school somewhere in rural Pakistan, a child flipped through a tattered textbook last revised in the 1990s. The teacher, chalk in hand, repeated lessons that had been taught the same way for generations. The world outside had changed, but in that classroom, time stood still. This is the story of Pakistan’s educational paradox one where technology races ahead, but education remains stuck in the past.

A System Frozen in Time

Pakistan’s education system has long been called outdated   but this is no longer just a criticism, it’s a crisis. Global education models have rapidly evolved, driven by digital transformation, new learning sciences, and urgent needs of the job market. But Pakistan lags behind in what we teach and how we teach it.

Education can be broken into two parts:

• The content itself — the curriculum.
• The teaching methodology — the way learning is delivered.

Unfortunately, Pakistan is behind in both.

A UNESCO report in 2022 revealed that over 60% of the curriculum content in South Asian countries like Pakistan is obsolete. The curriculum ignores pressing topics such as climate change, artificial intelligence, mental health, and digital literacy — issues that are shaping the future.

Two Worlds, One Country

In some private schools in Pakistan’s cities, the story is different. Smart boards hang on classroom walls. Students use tablets to complete assignments. International curricula like IGCSE and IB have replaced outdated textbooks. Coding and robotics clubs are encouraged, and assessment is often AI-supported. But in public schools where more than 70% of Pakistani children study technology is a stranger. According to Pakistan Education Statistics 2023, only 14% of government schools have a computer lab, and even fewer are connected to the internet. The result? A growing digital divide between students who are being prepared for the future and those being left behind.

The world is no longer looking for factory workers and clerks. Today’s economy is about innovation, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and digital fluency. The World Economic Forum has repeatedly stressed that the top skills of the future include creativity, problem solving, and digital literacy. Yet, in most Pakistani classrooms, students are still being trained to memorize and regurgitate.  Countries like Singapore and Finland have introduced coding from Grade 1. But here, only 4% of public-school students have any access to ICT-based learning (Alif Ailaan, 2023). And who is teaching them? Mostly, teachers who themselves are struggling to keep up with the digital world. According to 2023 data from the Education Department, only 12% of government school teachers have received formal ICT training. The rest are digital migrants   trying to teach digital natives without the right tools, training, or confidence.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Then came COVID-19 and with it, the great education disruption. As schools closed, the government launched TeleSchool, delivering lessons via TV and radio. It reached over 8 million students. A powerful step, but with one major flaw: it was one-way. There was no interaction, no real engagement. But the world learned fast. Across Europe and the Middle East, refugee camps are now using tablets, preloaded lessons, and digital classrooms to educate displaced children. Technology has enabled schooling without buildings, blackboards, or borders.

Global Success Stories

Around the world, countries are using technology to level the educational playing field:

• Rwanda distributed over 1 million laptops to children under its “One Laptop Per Child” program.
• India’s DIKSHA and SWAYAM platforms offer free online courses in multiple languages, accessible even in remote villages.
• MIT and Harvard have put their world-class courses online — for free — via edX, open to any learner, anywhere. The future is clear open access, digital-first, skill-based learning. But it requires more than just devices.

Introducing technology into education is not just about giving tablets to students. It requires a complete ecosystem of support. Two pillars are essential:

1. Effective Management Coordination between government ministries, local school boards, and digital service providers.
2. Sustainable Support — Regular teacher training, IT maintenance, software updates, and affordable internet access.

Pakistan’s National Education Policy 2017 recognized the need for digital integration, but as of 2023, only 30% of its targets were met (MoFEPT). The gap between policy and practice is costing us dearly.  Here’s the irony: while mobile banking has reached over 40 million previously unbanked Pakistanis, 22.8 million children remain out of school (UNICEF 2023). Why has digital finance succeeded? Because it was accessible, practical, and prioritized. Now, we must treat education the same way.  With smartphones in every home, apps like Taleemabad, Sabaq.pk, and Knowledge Platform are already making waves. But to scale up, these efforts need government backing, private investment, and community participation. Education is no longer confined to classrooms, chalkboards, and annual exams. It is blended, personalized, lifelong and digital. A child in Tharparkar should be able to access the same quality of education as one in Lahore. And with the right strategy, they can. Pakistan doesn’t lack talent. It lacks a system that connects that talent to opportunity. If we are serious about building a knowledge economy, we must stop treating education reform as a luxury. It is the foundation of everything: health, progress, peace, and prosperity.  Let this be the moment we chose to bridge the divide not with just words or reports, but with action, technology, and the will to prepare our children for the world they already live in.

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Published under International Cooperation with "Sindh Courier"