For many young Pakistanis with learning disabilities, the promise of a quality higher education far too often collides with a lack of resources on campus, forcing them to struggle between managing their academic careers and reckoning with the barriers placed before them.
Under the Constitution of Pakistan, the state shall “provide basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing. housing, education and medical relief, for all such citizens … as are permanently or temporarily unable to earn their livelihood on account of infirmity, sickness or unemployment.” In 2011, the country also ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), binding it to ensure inclusive education.
Additionally, several laws explicitly address disability. A 1981 federal ordinance, amended in 2012, promises rehabilitation and quotas. More recently, provincial governments have adopted their own laws—Sindh in 2018; Balochistan 2017; and Punjab 2022—to ensure equal rights for individuals with disabilities. Notably, Punjab’s new law explicitly forbids denying admission to any qualified student with a disability. It also requires universities to make “suitable modifications in the curriculum and examination system” for students with disabilities, including providing extra exam time, use of scribes, and exemptions from secondary language requirements.
The stark gap between policies and implementation, however, persists, especially in the country’s most populous province, Punjab. A study on Challenges to Learners with Disabilities in the Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan found that students with disabilities routinely faced “attitudinal problems” from classmates and even teachers. Additionally, it found that such students “lack access to classrooms, libraries, administrative offices.”
In provincial capital Lahore’s universities, disabled learners often need to rely on family or volunteer helpers to get basic study materials because libraries offer little support. Even where policies exist, enforcement is weak. Visually-impaired Khansa Maria, who secured the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in 2021, has noted that Pakistan’s Constitution and disability laws guarantee rights “without any discrimination.” Unfortunately, she says, “there was a lack of an implementation mechanism” in practice.
Policies tend to vary widely between universities. Some have begun taking steps, while most only offer minimal compliance. The University of the Punjab’s website, for example, advertises a Disability Support Services office for its 2% quota of disabled students. In practice, however, most public campuses offer only token accommodations. Classrooms often lack ramps or elevators; exam halls rarely adjust timings; and course materials rarely come in accessible formats (braille or audio) unless students arrange it themselves.
In a recent op-ed, former Government College University, Lahore Vice-Chancellor Dr. Asghar Zaidi described the shortfall: “most universities lag in adopting [assistive] technologies, leaving blind students dependent on human helpers … [and] when these helpers are unavailable, students must compromise the quality of their academic work.”
Yet, GCU remains one of the few varsities to lead the way toward progress. A recent initiative has overhauled its services for blind students, installing computers with assistive software and a Braille embosser, and training faculty in special education techniques. The university has launched new academic programs for special education and even organized job fairs for disabled graduates. The campus now includes a student society for disabled learners and blind cricket is included in intercollegiate sports. Replicating these steps nationwide can make inclusion a reality, enabling disabled students to reap the full benefits of a quality education.
The first step, however, must be matching gestures with strong enforcement. Advocates of inclusionary policies argue that Pakistan must urgently translate its legal advances into concrete implementation. This requires integrating the inclusive curriculum and exam rules now written in law; empowering each university’s disability committee to proactively offer the reasonable accommodations that HEC policy envisages; and funding accessible infrastructure upgrades and assistive services, not just setting quotas.
Disability-rights experts and student advocates back a multi-pronged fix. Acknowledging the lack of reliable figures to determine exact dropout rates of students with learning disabilities, they argue for filling this gap to guide policy. They also urge more community engagement, proposing partnerships between NGOs and parent groups and campus disability offices to spread best practices. For students, support networks could mentor disabled undergraduates, breaking isolation. Importantly, legal and educational leaders must shift mindsets, with training programs sensitizing faculty that accommodations such as extra time, note-takers, alternate formats are a means to ensure fairness, not unfair advantages.
Learning-disabled Pakistanis are not seeking charity or special treatment. They seek the same chance to learn and contribute as their peers. If Pakistan truly values equity, it must give those words substance. The laws and policies already call for inclusive higher education; the task now is to hold universities accountable and supply necessary resources. Ensuring that every qualified student can attend classes, complete exams on equal terms, and gain skills is not only a legal obligation, but a social imperative. Ensuring equal access to education for all would enable Pakistan to bridge the gap between promise and practice for students with learning disabilities, unlocking the full potential of millions of eager, able young learners.