Pak education crisis: Over 25 million children out of school, rural areas worst hit

Lahore (Pakistan), September 6 : Pakistan is currently facing a significant education crisis with a staggering 25.3 million children aged 5 to 16 out of school, representing 36 per cent of the country's school-age population. Moreover, rural areas are particularly the worst affected, with the highest deficit in enrollment.
Based on the data from the 2023 Population Census, the report, "The Missing Third of Pakistan," published by the Pak Alliance for Maths and Science (PAMS) shed light on the startling reality of out-of-school children (OOSC) in Pakistan, the first comprehensive analysis of OOSC at the tehsil level, reported The Express Tribune.
The report reveals a significant issue within Pakistan's education system, noting that a majority of Pakistani children, 74 per cent, live in rural areas.
Efforts to boost enrollment in these regions face major hurdles, such as restricted access to schools, poverty, and social barriers. The data also show that the rural-urban divide in education is widening, with around 18.8 million out-of-school children residing in rural areas.
The report further states that children between the ages of 5 and 9 are especially at risk, with 51 per cent of them never having attended school. Alarmingly, 50 per cent of children have either dropped out or are no longer attending school.
These early setbacks are expected to have long-lasting impacts on the literacy rates of Pakistan since fundamental educational skills are typically acquired during this period.
The delay in enrollment is also a major issue, especially in rural communities, where economic conditions and limited resources prevent many children from entering the classroom. Gender disparity further exacerbates the crisis. The report indicates that 53 per cent of the children not attending school are girls, with the problem being particularly severe in rural areas where female literacy rates are already low.
The report also highlighted that, particularly in some tehsils of Pakistan, 80 per cent of girls aged 5 to 16 have never attended school, underscoring deep-rooted gender inequality in accessing education.
Urban areas, often seen as better equipped for education, are also affected. Cities such as Karachi and Lahore, despite being provincial capitals with more educational resources, still have significant numbers of out-of-school children. Karachi, in particular, has nearly 1.8 million children who are not enrolled in school, further emphasising the severity of the crisis.
Notably, Pakistan has the second-highest number of out-of-school children in the world. Pakistan's prime minister declared a state of emergency over the issue at the beginning of May. However, no concrete action has yet been taken.