Separatist insurgencies in Balochistan have existed for decades and are escalating with time. Although the conflict between the state and the Balochi people is multidimensional, one of its root causes lies in the province's education system.
Pakistan's policies for Balochistan make education part of the conflict in 2 main ways :
a) It ignores the needs and demands of the Balochi people.
b) It is a tool used to control them.
a)The province needs an equitable approach to address its unique needs. Such as the scattered population, hard-to-access terrain, and weak infrastructure. Instead, the state uses a very "top-down" approach, not considering local realities.
Consequently, Balochistan has problems like a very high drop-out rate, single-teacher/overcrowded schools, untrained teachers, insufficient books, and gender disparities in schooling opportunities. There are approximately 3500 ghost schools ( schools present in government records but not in reality) (Daily Dawn News, 2009).
The connection with the ongoing conflict lies in the resentment created by these problems. Because in terms of allocating state resources for education, Balochistan has been the state's lowest priority compared to other provinces. In 2008-09, the literacy rate for Punjab was 59%, Sindh 59%, KPK 50% and only 45% for Balochistan.
The education gap sets off a vicious cycle of disparities between the Baloch and the rest of the Pakistani people. It translates into a huge skill gap. Hence an income and employment gap. Income inequalities lead to inequalities in nutrition, health, socio-economic status, influence, power, and even political positions, an important source of conflict.
"A typical Baloch is twice as poor as his counterpart in any of the other three provinces" (Institute of Public Policy, 2011, referenced in Ahmed, 2013: 104).
b)Pakistan was made for people who share the same religion-Islam. But it constitutes communities who have identities other than being Muslims. Since independence, the state has been trying to create this new national identity for the numerous ethnicities living together, using education as a tool to create obedient, loyal Muslim Pakistanis. It is a controlling system that aims to bury the rich history, culture, language, and identity of Baloch, Pashtun, Sindhi, and even Punjabi people. All for the legitimacy of the spurious surface-level Pakistani identity.
'The best way of keeping people enslaved is to keep them illiterate".
The Baloch have always been vocal against letting go of their heritage. When other provinces are obedient to the state, it gladly educates them. But because it is unsure of 'Baloch loyalties, ' it systematically omits them for education.
The state is afraid of providing students with a democratic education to avoid any rational thinking.
New Balochi generations are kept ignorant of their heritage to stunt any will for liberty.
Besides an underdeveloped education sector, other methods are also used to achieve this objective.
The school curriculum and textbooks, especially the compulsory subject Pakistan studies, barely mention aspects of Balochi culture. But when mentioned, the youth are taught their Balochi ancestors to be very 'backward, uneducated and nomad-like.' Balochi is spoken in their homes, but the students are not taught the language in schools. Instead, Urdu is forced on them as the national language, excluding Balochi poets, authors, songwriters, etc.
For example, the book fair at Atta Shad Degree College in Turbat, Balochistan, was raided by the State security, and all books about Blochi history and others by progressive authors ( Bertrand Russell, Jawaharlal Nehru) were confiscated. Along with threats to shut down all-girl schools and English language centers.
To conclude, the alienation of the Baloch culture created by the education system in its young population makes them indifferent to their heritage. This makes it easier for the state to extract resources with minimal resistance, as everything belongs to this one big Pakistani nation. Even if it transfers the resources extracted from Balochistan to be used in all places other than the province itself, it's all justified under the single national identity.
Let me know what you guys think.
This is deeply distressing. Your point that Pakistan's policies for Balochistan ends up making education part of the conflict in a way that it is a tool used to control them, reminded me of the reading "Power and Empowerment" and the concept of how power is used in diferent ways and that control is also a form of power. What you have mentioned paves the way towards disparity and exclusion. Forcing another language on them is also separating them from their culture, it also reminds me of colonization and the imposition of someone elses language on the minority group, this strips them off their identity and self concept.
Your analysis of the relationship between the education system in Balochistan and the ongoing conflict with the state provides a nuanced exploration of the multidimensional challenges faced by the province. The inadequacies of a top-down approach, resource allocation disparities, and the deliberate use of education as a tool of control contribute to a cycle of socio-economic disparities and cultural suppression. The alienation of Baloch youth from their heritage facilitates resource extraction with minimal resistance, justified under a singular national identity. But I want to know more about How a more inclusive and region-specific educational approach address the root causes of the conflict in Balochistan? Additionally, what role can international actors play in advocating for educational reforms that respect and celebrate the diverse cultural identities within Pakistan?
This was a very interesting, and very sad read. To see how low the education rates in our country are, and how drastically lower they are in Balochistan, is truly telling about where the priorities of our states have been for years, ever since Independence. However, in such a deprived atmosphere, it would also be interesting to see what kind of alternative methods of education have evolved where the state has failed. For example, how have the people of Balochistan tried to keep their cultures and stories alive? What kind of education do children receive, if any? It is also ironic how the state has doubts about the loyalties of the Balochi people and thus do not invest in their education secotr, when it is infact that very thing that has aided in making that loyalty shaky.
This was a very interesting read. It is extremely pertinent to realize that the resentment that the Balochis have towards the Pakistani state is not rooted in nothing but that there are quite some reasons behind it. Balochistan, being the largest province of the country has always received the lesser share of resources and development and that is reflected in their education sector as well. For the most part, education is used by the state as you mentioned as a tool to construct a unified Pakistani identity. However, in the case of other provinces such as Punjab where they actually get some attention and benefits from the state, people there are able to relate to this Pakistani identity to some extent. Yet, the Balochis do not receive any semblance of attention or interest from the state. Rather, their resources such as gas in Sui are extracted and taken away from their land, They are in complete loss. This negligence from the state then prioritizes the Balochi identity in their case. So then even when the educational curriculum tends to downplay their Balochi sentiments in favour of their Pakistani sentiments, that leads to widespread rage as the state's attitude towards them has led them to consider it as their enemy and unify under the umbrella of being Balochi.
Rania, this is a crucial topic, and thank you for writing on this. The portrayal of the struggles faced by the Balochi people in Balochistan due to the educational disparities is deeply distressing. Reading about how the state's education policies both neglect the Balochi community's needs and aim to control them is profoundly disheartening.
The deliberate erasure of Balochi culture, language, and heritage within the education system reflects a more significant issue of identity suppression and control. It's alarming to see how the youth are systematically kept away from their roots, fostering a sense of indifference towards their own culture.
Moreover, I have personally met students from Balochistan and even heard their expriences, it is so disappointing that the state treats them like second citizens.