This paper examines the policy initiatives, taken since the 1970s, that have shaped the
development of education in Pakistan, and other primary issues related to it. The paper
reviews governmental policy documents alongside an analysis of the available relevant
data on corresponding issues. This examination illuminates competing interests and
factors that have made the goal of quality universal public education in Pakistan elusive.
Specifically, this study reveals that the quest for universal education has been stymied by
interconnected, often self-perpetuating factors, such as:- unprecedented population
growth alongside increasing gender disparities, inadequate funding coupled with systemic
corruption, diminished democratic aims in education and the increasing influence of
religious zealotry. The paper concludes by suggesting that education in Pakistan must
become a matter of common interest.