The urgent need for enrollment strategies in Pakistan
As Pakistan faces a significant challenge in enrolling millions of out-of-school children, a recent study by the Pakistan Alliance for Maths and Science reveals that over 25% of these children are concentrated in just 45 tehsils across the country. With 25.3 million children aged 5 to 16 currently not attending school, the report highlights the alarming statistics that 79% of these children have never set foot in a classroom. The findings underscore the urgent need for targeted government intervention at the tehsil level to combat non-enrollment and improve the future literacy rates of the nation.
As Pakistan grapples with the challenge of enrolling millions of out-of-school children, a study by the Pakistan Alliance for Maths and Science has found that over 25% of these children are concentrated in just 45 tehsils nationwide. The study urges government intervention at the tehsil level to address the issue of non-enrollment.
Currently, there are 25.3 million children aged 5 to 16 not attending school in Pakistan; 79% have never set foot in a classroom, while 21% drop out at various stages. The highest percentages of children who have never been to school are in the 5 to 9 age group, posing a significant threat to the country’s future literacy rates.
Titled “The Missing Third of Pakistan,” the report, based on the 2023 census, conducts a detailed tehsil-level analysis and identifies the ten tehsils with the highest and lowest rates of out-of-school children.
Education Secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani stated that the federal government has already begun addressing this issue. “The findings of this report will be presented to the Education Task Force to set new targets. Both the federal government and the provinces are aligned in resolving this challenge,” he noted.
Given that just 45 tehsils account for a quarter of the out-of-school population, the study emphasizes the need for policymakers to focus on provincial capitals that have yet to effectively tackle this problem. Among the bottom ten tehsils with the highest proportions of out-of-school children, Kot Mandal in Sibi stands out, with an alarming 91.62% of its children not enrolled in school.
Tol Khulla in South Waziristan has a staggering 90.8% of children out of school. Similarly, Sanni tehsil in Kacchi has 89.1%, Battaria in Kolai Palas Kohistan has 88.4%, Gichk in Panjgur has 88.3%, and Talao in Duki has 87.9%. Kharo Chan in Sujawal district, Sindh, follows closely with 87.8% of children not enrolled in school.
Kandla tehsil in Upper Kohistan, Keti Bunder in Thatta, and Chattar tehsil in Nasirabad district, Balochistan, each report 87% of their children out of school. The report highlights 45 lagging tehsils that account for 26% of all out-of-school children in the country—approximately one-fourth of the total.
In Muzaffargarh tehsil, there are 610,831 out-of-school children, representing 42.25%. Lahore City tehsil has 1,049,80 children (21.68%), followed by Rahim Yar Khan with 538,667 (41.81%). Dera Ghazi Khan tehsil has 462,285 out-of-school children (46.79%), while Sadiqabad tehsil has 430,131 (48.55%). Peshawar tehsil ranks tenth, with most of the other tehsils in this category located in Punjab.
Conversely, Rawalpindi, Jehlum, Abbottabad, and Upper Chitral are among the top performers, boasting the lowest rates of out-of-school children. In Rawalpindi, Kahuta (7.66%), Kotli Sattian (8.52%), Murree (9.13%), and Kallar Syedan (9.76%) all have percentages under 10%. Mastut in Upper Chitral stands out with only 1.46% of its children not enrolled. Dina and Sohawa in Jhelum, Lora and Lower Tanawal in Abbottabad, along with Abbottabad tehsil itself, also rank among the top-performing areas with the fewest out-of-school children.
In Tol Khulla, South Waziristan, an alarming 90.8% of children are not enrolled in school. Other areas with similarly high rates include Sanni tehsil in Kacchi at 89.1%, Battaria in Kolai Palas Kohistan at 88.4%, Gichk in Panjgur at 88.3%, and Talao in Duki at 87.9%. Close behind is Kharo Chan in Sujawal district, Sindh, where 87.8% of children are out of school.
Additionally, Kandla tehsil in Upper Kohistan, Keti Bunder in Thatta, and Chattar tehsil in Nasirabad district, Balochistan, each report 87% of their children not attending school. The report identifies 45 lagging tehsils that collectively account for 26% of all out-of-school children in the country, which is approximately one-fourth of the total.
In Muzaffargarh tehsil, there are 610,831 out-of-school children, representing 42.25% of the population. Lahore City tehsil has 1,049,80 children (21.68%), followed by Rahim Yar Khan with 538,667 (41.81%). Dera Ghazi Khan tehsil has 462,285 out-of-school children (46.79%), while Sadiqabad tehsil reports 430,131 (48.55%). Notably, Peshawar tehsil ranks tenth, with most of the other high-ranking tehsils located in Punjab.
The findings of the report call for immediate action from policymakers to address the educational disparities evident in the identified tehsils. With Kot Mandal in Sibi reporting an astonishing 91.62% of children out of school, it is clear that focused efforts are necessary to reverse this trend. Education Secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani has indicated that the federal government is already taking steps to tackle this issue, but sustained commitment and strategic planning are essential to ensure that every child in Pakistan has access to education. By prioritizing the most affected areas, the government can make significant strides toward achieving universal education and fostering a literate and informed society.