Who, then, are these schools for? Certainly not for the average Pakistani. Not even for the above-average Pakistani. They seem to be for Pakistanis who no longer want to be like other Pakistanis and are willing to pay any price (earning that money in any manner) to make sure that their children turn out to be as distinct, as different and as distinguishable from the rest of the country as possible.

Educational apartheid and so-called 'elite' schools have long been a jarring feature of our educational landscape. However, this new breed of 'posh' schools with their air-conditioned class-rooms, 'drawing-room-grade' furniture, unashamed reverence for all things material, disdain for all things Pakistani (language being on the top of the list), and the blatant indoctrination of the social supremacy of a certain class are a phenomenon in themselves whose ultimate impact on our society can only be the even more rapid disintegration of an already fragmented social ethos.

Maybe I am being unfair to these enterprises by categorizing them as education institutions instead of as the business enterprises that they actually are. In some ways they are better categorized with health spas, massage parlors and beauty spas. Their purpose is to make, what a fried of mine calls, the 'beautiful class' more beautiful. As a business venture they make full sense... if I were a venture capitalist I would certainly venture to put my capital in such an enterprise. But I am not a venture capitalist and education, even when it is managed by the private sector, is not just another business venture.

Education, even in the most capitalist societies of the world, is a societal trust. Even when it is sourced out to the private sector it is kept under strict and vigilant societal and governmental supervision. Probably no where else in the world is as much of the primary education under private control with as little oversight and supervision as in Pakistan. This only compounds the existing injustice of the 'official' system of educational apartheid in the country and results in the fosilisation of multiple classes, the solidification of urban feudals, and the indoctrination of a belief that success, achievement and prosperity are not a result of talent, merit or hard work but a factor of the wealth that your parents enjoy (by whatever means) and the schooling that they can 'buy' for you.

While the injustice imbedded in these new layers of educational apartheid are troubling enough (although no longer fashionable to talk about) the developmental ramifications of the situation is equally horrific. The injustice does not only lie in the fact that a small set of people is being more favored than others, but that they are being favored at the cost of the others. From a national perspective this means that out of the available talent in the country (which one must assume is evenly distributed amongst all classes) we are condemning the vast majority to a situation where their talent can never reach the full fruition of potential simply so that the less-than-talented brats of the favoured classes can prolong their monopoly over power and prestige.

A few weeks ago one had happily noted a small item in the press about a forthcoming policy on private schools. No elaboration has yet surfaced and the provisions contained in the new educational policy remain insufficient, unrealistic, and cosmetic. A commission needs to be set up to look into how private schools fit into the overall educational policy and to ensure that proper societal oversight and supervision in maintained of their curricula and activities so that their overall purpose becomes more than simply creating a new supra-class of rulers and international go-getters. Those who are appointed on such a Commission should themselves be first vetted to see what their on links are to these private schools and where their own children and grandchildren are studying. That exercise, however, may itself weed out just about anyone who is in any way associated with making decisions of education policy in Pakistan.

Theoretically, there is nothing wrong with having--or even encouraging--private schools at the primary and secondary level. However, such schools must conform to defined national educational goals. Equally, there is nothing wrong if a school is run as a profit-making venture. However, while other businesses are closely monitored and regulated and there are laws on how they can or cannot make profits, schools are not. Schools should be no different and, in fact, a case can be made on why they need to be regulated even more. Education, just like defence is too important a sector to be left solely to the private sector. What is common to the two is that the future integrity of the country depends on them. Education should be a force for strengthening the country, not of fragmentizing it through policies of apartheid.