Islamabad, February 7: Education remains a low priority for the government of Pakistan. A recent report reveals that approximately 28% of children of school age, nearly 20 million, are still out of school. This situation highlights deep structural failures in the education system that cannot be resolved by mere political slogans.
An editorial published in the Pakistani newspaper Business Recorder states that the latest figures from the Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) raise serious questions about the country’s education and human development trajectory. Despite the government’s repeated declarations of an ‘education emergency,’ the harsh reality is that nearly one-third of children are still unable to attend school.
Although the number of out-of-school children has decreased from 25.3 million in 2019 to around 20 million now, this progress over six years has been extremely slow and uneven. The editorial indicates that current policies have failed to address the challenges on the ground.
The report also highlights ongoing inequalities. Girls in rural areas, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan, remain the most deprived of education. In Pakistan, one in four boys is out of school, while nearly one in three girls lacks access to education.
This gender disparity reflects deep-rooted social norms, widespread poverty, and a weak government education system. Economic pressures force many boys to work at a young age, while girls’ education is often halted due to family restrictions, the perception that education is futile, or financial hardships.
The editorial further notes that about 20% of children have never enrolled in school, indicating that the system is failing even at the initial stages of enrollment. Punjab has the lowest rate of out-of-school children at 21%, but there has been no improvement since 2019. This stagnation reflects declining policy effectiveness and a lack of innovation in reaching children in challenging circumstances.
Conditions in other provinces are even worse, making it clear that education remains a low priority in many parts of Pakistan.
HIES data also illustrate why improvements in education have stalled due to broader socio-economic conditions. High inflation and weak economic growth have strained families’ resilience. Nearly one-quarter of households face moderate to severe food insecurity, with Balochistan and Sindh being the most affected regions.
According to the editorial, food insecurity has significantly increased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while it has nearly doubled in Balochistan over the past six years. In such circumstances, where families struggle to secure two meals a day, education is becoming a luxury rather than a constitutional right.
