Pakistan, April 17 -- In a modest household somewhere in Lahore, a young graduate wakes up not to opportunity, but to uncertainty. His degree, framed proudly on the wall, once symbolised hope-not just for him, but for his entire family. Years of tuition fees, sleepless nights, and parental sacrifices were invested in that piece of paper. Today, it hangs as a quiet reminder of a promise that was never fulfilled. He scrolls endlessly through job portals, refreshes his email inbox, and rehearses answers for interviews that rarely come. This is not an isolated story. This is Pakistan's new normal.

For decades, education in Pakistan has been marketed as the ultimate equaliser-the one legitimate pathway to upward mobility. Parents were told to...