Pakistan is educating too many young people for a future that does not exist. We continue to send millions through schools, colleges, and universities with the promise that degrees will secure dignity, stability, and work. Yet for far too many, that promise breaks at the door of the labour market. In today’s Pakistan, the real crisis is not only lack of access to education. It is the growing irrelevance of education to livelihood.

The country’s demographic reality makes this impossible to ignore. The 2023 census counted Pakistan’s population at 241.49 million. The Pakistan Economic Survey notes that 67 per cent of the population is under 30 and 79 per cent is under 40. This youthful population is often called a demographic dividend, but a large youth population is not a dividend by itself. It becomes one only when young people are equipped with skills that can be turned into productivity, income, and economic confidence.

That is where the present model is failing. For years, success in education has been measured through enrolment, board examination results, and degrees. The social message has been simple: study hard, collect qualifications, and opportunity will follow. But the numbers tell a more sobering story. The latest Labour Force Survey shows unemployment at 7.0 per cent for those aged 15 and above. Among youth aged 15 to 24, unemployment rises to 12.5 per cent. Even among degree holders, unemployment remains high at 10.8 per cent, while for those with Master’s, MPhil or PhD qualifications, it is 11.7 per cent. These figures expose a structural mismatch between what institutions teach and what the economy can absorb.

This is why Pakistan must move beyond the stale divide between academic education and vocational learning. The real question is not whether students should study........

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