If you can read and write pashto then you should know that it is very easy langauge, more easy than even urdu. 99% of pashtuns of "new generation" cant read and write in pashto because you correctly pointed out the fact that most of students go to english medium private schools who are for business purposes. If you make pashto a compulsory subject like english than every private school would teach it, it is not a big deal.
I have studied in governament school, and teachers there made us understand maths and concepts of science through pashto. I have myself taught physics in a school for summer and i was communicating with students in local pashto, not english or urdu. You can express yourself better in your mother tongue. Quality of education is down because students dont understand english and tends to cramme things. Very few people can write an application in english properly.
But i agree with you, many pashtuns would oppose such idea. They are brainwashed and they think that pashto is sign of backwardness and has no value compared to urdu and english.
Luffy i can read and write and can teach Pashto as well as Punjabi, Hindko, Saraiki , Pothohari
so i can explain that why introducing mother tongue as compulsory subject is not a good idea at the moment (this is for all regional languages not just pashto.
1. In my personal opinion this another attempt to divide people into two classes just like Govt Students and Private school students or in a common man's language Taat walay school aur benchon walay ameeron k schools. Because
A. in many villages in KP the the study courses are in Pashto languages at primary level and when these students pass on to higher schools they are nothing but confused between the languages.
B. Those who study in mother tongue do not get jobs as compared to those who study professional degree in English above all they can not get jobs at other countries.
C. Private schools will never teach it as compulsory. They like taat wala and bench wala theory do not want to this division to go since its going to affect their business.
D. NO Pashto is not an easy language to be read and write specially. its script is altogether different than other local languages.
E. As you said and as i mentioned at offices/schools and other instiutions people do converse and explain concepts in regional language but if you want to survive in this competetive era with those qualified from reputed international and national English institutes you must be well versed in written, spoken and reading English Language.
2. NO i dont agree that Pukhtuns consider it sign of backwardness, the only need they felt was of competing with other communities in terms of education and conversation as well as getting jobs for their kids and the best is English and national language.
3. Quality of education is down because we have two kinds of educational systems Govt run schools and Private run schools.
the sylibus should be uniformed if we want the literacy rate to get higher.