Pakistan has world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children

Despite significant improvements in the education sector, almost 23 million children aged 5-16 years are out of school across Pakistan, making the nation world’s second-highest number of children not attending schools.

Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children, with almost 23 million children between the ages of 5 and 16 not attending school, representing 44% of the total population in this age group, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) analysis report published on February 9.

The report read that the provision of free and compulsory quality education for children aged between 5 and 16 years has become a constitutional obligation since 2010, as reflected in Article 25–A of the Constitution of Pakistan.

Boy starts selling chips out of school after being expelled for not paying fees

Even though Pakistan has recorded significant improvements in overall school participation, it still faces severe challenges in providing quality and adequate education to eligible children.

Almost 23 million children aged 5–16 years are out of school, representing 44% of this age group’s total population.

The percentage of out-of-school children aged 6–16 years is significantly higher in rural (16.7%) versus urban (5.6%) areas. More girls are out of school than boys at every level. In Sindh, 52% of the most impoverished children—of which 58% are girls—are out of school; in Balochistan, 78% of girls are out of school.

Enrollment ratio increases

Pakistan’s primary gross enrollment ratio increased from 59% in 1990 to 71% in 2000 and 94% in 2019 (UNDP 2020). In 2019, Pakistan’s gross primary education enrollment rate was 95.4% nationwide—102.3% for boys and 87.9% for girls. However, only 70% of the children entering primary school were estimated to reach Grade 5, with considerable provincial differences.

Gross and net enrollment rates at the primary, middle, and high school levels in Sindh and Balochistan consistently fall below those in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Low enrollment and student absenteeism in primary schools are consistent concerns in rural areas.

The secondary gross enrollment ratio rose from 22.0% in 1990 to 25.6% in 2005 and 43.8% in 2019 (World Bank 2021).

The primary and lower-secondary net enrollment rates lag far behind regional peers, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan, and remain considerably below the average for lower-middle-income countries

Limited and Uneven School Access

The public sector remains the main provider of education services across all levels. It accounts for the majority of all educational institutions countrywide. Except for the pre-primary level, total enrollment in public schools is almost double compared to private schools. The share of public schools in total enrollment rises at higher education levels.

Shortage of schools is reported as one of the leading causes of students’ unwillingness to attend school

Long Home-to-School Distances

A natural consequence of limited access to schools is long home to-school distances and commute times for students.

Long home to-school distances and poor transportation and communication facilities are among the important causes of dropout at the primary level in Pakistan. Poor children, especially girls who are not allowed to travel long distances alone, suffer the most as commuting costs and time increase

Geographical and Gender Disparities

Geographical and gender disparities in access to education, especially at the postprimary level, are worrisome. Pakistan’s primary net enrollment ratio (NER) was 67% in 2014 (56% and 61% for Balochistan and Sindh, respectively).

At the middle school level, the NER was significantly lower (i.e., 37% in 2014). The proportion of students enrolled in higher levels—from middle school to universities—is lower than 30% in most provinces.

Education indicators are generally much worse for girls than for boys. For instance, except in Islamabad, the GERs among females are much lower than among males, especially at post-primary levels.

At each level, more males are enrolled than females, and the ratio of male to female students increases with the level of education. Female students are increasingly more likely to drop out of school than males with higher levels of education.

Nonconducive Learning Environment at Schools

A nonconducive environment for learning at schools reduces both students’ and parents’ motivational levels, which results in low school enrollment and high dropout.

Non-availability of basic physical facilities, including drinking water, a boundary wall, electricity, and toilets for students and teachers, are the leading causes of high dropout rates

Insufficient Public Spending for the Education Sector

Despite persistent access and quality challenges in the education sector, public spending on education was only 2.9% of Pakistan’s gross domestic product in 2018, much lower than in other comparable countries.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

The ADB recommended the Pakistani government for expanding fiscal outlay for public schools, optimise local public education spending, develop alternative models of education service delivery, consolidate and cluster schools and expand select demand-side interventions.

It recommended that the government should prioritize the provision of education to all children as a policy agenda.

Girls’ education

In terms of girls’ education, the provision of all-girls schools will improve enrollment and retention rates in rural communities.

In coeducational institutions, the government should prioritize the provision of separate sanitation facilities for girls, the availability of well-trained female teachers, and the inclusion of women in school administration.

For low-income families, the government should expand the conditional cash transfer programs.