In the sun-drenched valleys and remote mountain hamlets of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the voices of millions of children echo in silence — not in classrooms, but on fields, in markets, and at home. Despite a decade of soaring education budgets under Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rule, more than 4.7 million children in the province remain out of school.

The contrast between policy and outcome is stark. Since 2013, the PTI has ruled KP for 11 of the past 12 years, with a brief intermission in 2023. From the outset, the party proclaimed education reform as a cornerstone of its governance. And on paper, the commitment is undeniable: the education budget rose from Rs. 84.63 billion in 2013–14 to Rs. 362.68 billion in 2024–25—a staggering 328pc increase.

The province now allocates nearly one-fifth of its total budget to education, aligning with UNESCO’s global standards. Investments have included everything from building missing school infrastructure to providing free textbooks, to bolstering higher education with Rs. 35.82 billion earmarked in the current fiscal year. Yet, the outcomes tell another story.

According to government data, over 4.7 million children between the ages of 5 and 16 are not enrolled in school. Among them, 2.9 million are girls, pointing to a deep-rooted gender divide. In districts such as Palas Kolai (77pc), Upper Kohistan (70pc), and Torghar (61pc), out-of-school rates rival the most underserved regions in the world.

The overall literacy rate hovers around 54pc, with a sharp gender gap: 69pc of men are literate compared to just 39pc of women. In many rural tehsils, female literacy drops below 20pc. Some areas report figures as low as 15pc, underscoring the systemic exclusion of girls from the educational landscape.

“This isn’t just a gap in education—it’s a generational crisis,” said a senior education expert in Peshawar, requesting anonymity. “We have the infrastructure and the funding, but what’s missing is strategic, targeted action — especially for the most marginalised communities.”

The numbers highlight that while the PTI government excelled in increasing allocations and announcing reforms, it struggled to translate financial input into real-world access and retention. For example, primary school enrollment stands at 3.12 million, yet the Net Enrollment Rate (NER) at the primary level was only 56pc in 2019–20. The NER in government schools is even lower — just 35pc.

Teachers number over 142,000 in government schools, but they, too, are disproportionately concentrated in urban areas and boys’ institutions. Only 36pc of teachers are female, and 39pc of public schools are designated for girls — further reducing access in a society where gender sensitivity and cultural norms already act as barriers.

The situation is even more complex in the newly merged tribal districts, where decades of conflict, displacement, and underdevelopment have left education systems in disarray.

Despite these realities, PTI’s political leadership has regularly lauded its educational “revolution”.

During its first tenure under Chief Minister Pervez Khattak (2013–2018) and again under Mahmood Khan (2018–2023), the party prioritised visible reforms: teacher attendance systems, online monitoring tools, and performance-based evaluations. Yet these initiatives, while important, failed to address deeper structural issues such as social norms preventing girls from attending school, lack of transportation in remote areas, and underfunded early childhood education.

With Ali Amin Gandapur now at the helm since March 2024, questions are mounting: Can this new leadership close the gap between policy promises and educational realities?

Observers say it will take more than budgets. “You can’t solve this crisis by throwing money at it,” said an education consultant based in Swat. “You need community engagement, gender-sensitive policies, and local solutions. Otherwise, the budget will keep growing while enrollment stays stuck.”

Parents, too, are losing patience. “I want my daughter to be a doctor,” said Faiza Bibi, a mother of five in Lower Dir. “But there’s no girls’ school nearby — and no female teacher. How can she dream?”

As KP continues its journey into the second decade of PTI rule, the stakes could not be higher. The province has laid the financial groundwork. Now, it must deliver on the promise that every child — regardless of gender or geography — has a right to quality education.

For the 4.7 million children still waiting, the clock is ticking.