In his message on World Teachers’ Day observed recently, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his government’s resolve to reform Pakistan’s education system focussed on maximising knowledge, innovation and employable skills as per the demands of the modern job market.
He also said that the education sector should be aligned with contemporary scientific and technological standards which is essential to prepare the country’s youth to compete globally. He added that Pakistan’s economic well-being depends on preparing a cadre of well-qualified and trained teachers capable of teaching youth for a rapidly evolving future.
No one can dispute the validity of these observations but the question is whether these ideas are reflected in the policy of the government. The answer is no. Last year, the prime minister had declared an “education emergency” and promised greater investments in education, as well as steps to bring Pakistan’s 26 million out-of-school children into classrooms. But no action was taken in this direction. Budgetary allocations for education continue to be abysmally low. During July 2024-March 2025, allocations for education fell by 29 percent. Education is the most neglected sector in Pakistan today.
Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children (OOSC) with an estimated 25 million children aged 5-16 not attending school, representing 44 per cent of the total population in this age group. In the 5-9 age group, 5 million children are not enrolled in schools and after primary-school age, the number of OOSC doubles, with 11.4 million children between the ages of 10-14 not receiving formal education.
There are glaring disparities as regards gender, socio-economic status, and geography. In Sindh, 52 percent of the poorest children (58 percent girls) are out of school, and in Balochistan, 78 percent of girls are not attending school. Socio-cultural barriers combined with economic factors are among reasons causing education deprivation for certain groups of children in Pakistan, particularly girls. These barriers are further exacerbated by a lack of parental awareness of early learning and lack of social protection schemes.
About 10.7 million boys and 8.6 million girls are enrolled at the primary level but this figure drops to 3.6 million boys and 2.8 million girls at the lower secondary level. Further, those who are enrolled in schools are not achieving the desired learning level. Over 75 percent of children in Pakistan are facing what the World Bank defines as a “learning poverty,” the inability of a child to read and understand a simple text by age ten. Over 82 percent of grade three children are unable to read a story in Urdu, with over 87 percent unable to do a two-digit division. A research study by the Pakistan Foundational Learning Hub identified such learning shortcomings as a crisis where children are denied an opportunity to gain foundational learning skills in the early years.
The problems that hamper progress include poor infrastructure, untrained and ghost teachers, ghost schools, children not learning in their mother tongue, and limited resources and budgetary allocations. With the quality of education in public schools going down, parents are not willing to send their children there. The public sector education system suffers from numerous shortcomings, including untrained and under-qualified teachers, staff shortages, inadequate infrastructure, absence of electricity connections, lack of toilets and even missing boundary walls, and outdated curriculum. This is the reason why private schools have come into business. As a result, even basic good education is available only to the well to do now.
To fill the gaps in the sector, UNICEF has come into action. In order to ensure the equitable expansion of quality education, it is supporting the government in a variety of ways. This has helped to significantly reduce the number of OOSC at pre-primary, primary and lower secondary levels. UNICEF’s education programme is focusing on Early Childhood Education (ECE) to improve school readiness; expansion of equitable and quality alternative learning pathways (ALP) at basic education levels; and nurturing of school-community linkages to increase on-time enrolment, reduce drop-outs, and ensure completion and transition for all students. UNICEF is also contributing to more equity-focused provincial sector planning and budgeting; strengthening data and assessment systems; and evidence-based policy advocacy.
But outside help has limited utility. It is the government of Pakistan that has to shoulder the responsibility of educating the people. Without making education the number one national priority, we cannot make progress in the sector. To this end, the budget for education should be aligned with international standards to ensure adequate resources and facilities. A prime need is to raise public spending on education and skill development from 2.7% of GDP to 5% and eventually to 7%. At the same time, more focus should be placed on improving the overall quality of education, with special emphasis on scientific and technical education to meet global standards.
A new system should be devised to offer technical and vocational training programs at the secondary school level to equip students with practical skills. The experience of the past decades underlines the need for a strong monitoring system to ensure that educational policies are implemented promptly and consistently to achieve the desired results.