According to the latest Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (Federal Bureau of Statistics 2009) Survey 2008-09, the overall literacy rate in Pakistan is 57% (69% for male and 45% for female). Moreover, public spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is below 2%, the lowest in South Asia. Moreover, the literacy rate in urban areas (74%) remains much higher than in rural areas (48%). There is a significant disparity in the literacy rate of both genders, with females having a low literacy rate of 45% while males have a literacy rate of 69%. Such dismal state of basic education in Pakistan is caused by numerous factors including obsolete and biased curriculum, inefficient teachers, low budgetary allocations by all tiers of governments, mismanagement and corruption within the system. The inefficient service delivery is also fuelled by the lack of proper feedback mechanism within the public education accountability system. In this regard, efforts have been undertaken to include the voices of the parents into the system while making them the part of the School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs). However, the demand side governance is widely required due to its acceptance and effectiveness at the service delivery levels.
In the modern era, Social Accountability (SA) has become a cornerstone for the governments endeavouring to promote good governance around the world. Being an approach that emulates a participatory system of governance, ‘social accountability’ emphasizes upon having all stakeholders on board before taking decisions of common interest. It accepts people’s right to hold service providers, both public and private, accountable of their actions and to force the government and political bodies to make corrective actions in case complaints regarding service provision or illegal and unjust use of power and authority prevail (World Bank n.d.).
The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) conducted the Citizen Report Card (CRC)[1] in Hansa Colony and Alipur Farash - two of the slums of Islamabad Capital Territory. A thorough comprehensive CRC questionnaire based on the feedback of students along with their parents and teachers from the public schools was gathered. The paper is based upon the findings of Citizen Report Card implemented by the SDPI in the slums of the federal capital. Availability of public schools, physical and financial accessibility, quality of infrastructure and basic services, problem incidence and resolution corruption will be discussed across the slums. It also briefly dwells upon the authorities’ inadequate capacity to effectively plan and administer education sector delivery at all levels of governance and the lack of awareness in underdeveloped communities regarding importance of education.

References:

Federal Bureau of Statistics, Pakistan Social & Living Standards Measurement Survey, Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) 2008-2009, Federal Bureau of Statistics, Pakistan, available at <http://www.statpak.gov.pk/fbs/content/pakistan-social-and-living-standards-measurement-survey-pslm-2008-09-national-provincial> viewed November 2011.

World Bank  n.d., Social Accountability Sourcebook, World Bank, available at < http://www.worldbank.org/socialaccountability_sourcebook/backgroundDocs/printversions.html >  viewed November 2011.