28m children in Pakistan still out of school

[junoon]

https://www.dawn.com/news/1418208/2...stan-still-out-of-school-says-official-report

22.84m children in Pakistan still out of school, says official report

Kashif Abbasi Updated July 06, 2018


ISLAMABAD: The previous federal and provincial governments made tall claims about improving the education sector but official statistics released on Thursday presented a bleak picture showing 22.84 million children still out of school. There was even a slight increase in the number of out of school children compared to the figures released last year.

The figures were highlighted in a report - Pakistan Education Statistics 2016-17 - which was launched by the Academy of Educational Planning and Management (AEPAM), a subsidiary of the federal education ministry, on Thursday.

The annual report launched by caretaker minister for education Mohammad Yusuf Shaikh stated that out of the total 51.53 million children between the age of five and 16, as many as 22.84mn — 44pc — were out of school. According to the 2015-16 report, there were 22.63m out of school children.

In a relative term, Balochistan is home to the highest proportion of the out of school children followed by Fata. The report said 70pc of children in Balochistan, 57pc in Fata and 52pc in Sindh were out of school.

The percentage for Punjab is 40pc, KP 34pc, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan 47pc and Islamabad 12pc.

Currently, 5.06m children of primary school age are out of school. At the middle, high and higher secondary level, the number is: 6.51m, 4.97m and 6.29m, respectively.

More girls are out of school than boys. In primary to higher secondary level, 49pc of the population of girls were out of school compared to 40pc of the population of boys.

However, compared to the situation in 2012-13 to 2016-17, the overall number of out of school children saw a decrease of 3.11mn in spite of an increase of 1.22m in their population in the same period. In 2012-13, there were 25.9m out of school children while in 2013-14 the number decreased to 24.81m. In 2014-15, there were 24m and in 2015-16 the figure was 22.63m.

The report said 26pc primary schools were being operated by a single teacher whereas 18pc of the schools had single classroom and 32pc were being run without electricity, 22pc without toilets, 21pc without boundary walls and 22pc without drinking water.

According to the report, seven per cent of the total primary schools in the country were without buildings.

Discussing the survival rate of students to grade five, the report said there was no improvement as the rate was still 67pc which was also reported in 2012-13. In 2015-16, the survival rate was 66pc. The statistics also showed that effective transition rate (ETR) from middle to secondary level had slightly decreased from 92pc to 91pc between 2015-16 and 2016-17.

In a bid to attract the attention of policymakers and parliamentarians, the report also highlighted some positive developments which took place after 2012. It said there was an increase of 5.21pc in enrollment between 2012-123 and 2016-17 in class 1-12 while the gross enrollment rate (GRE) in pre-primary education increased from 74pc to 84pc from 2015-16 to 2017-18. The share of enrollment in the public sector for class 1-12 increased from 63pc to 64pc between 2015-16 and 2016-17.

Girls’ enrolment at the higher secondary level in the public sector increased by 77pc between 2012 and 2017. There was a significant improvement in physical facilities in public schools during the last four years but the official figures showed there was still a lot to be done in this regard.

Speaking at the report launching ceremony, the caretaker education minster appreciated the efforts of AEPAM for compiling the report, which carried authentic data and would be helpful for researchers and policymakers to take steps in the education sector. The minister said education was the most important sector and needed special attention.

Unesco Director for Pakistan Vibeke Jensen and AEPAM Director General Dawood Shah also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2018

 

[junoon]

22.84 million children not in school in a country of around 210 million is a huge number.
These children are the future of our country and unfortunately nothing will change for the better in our beloved Pakistan as long as good education remains solely the domain of the rich.

 

[Third_Umpire]

Truly shameful. Does this count the millions that are madrassahs in school? Coz technically they aren't in school either, so the number is likely higher.

 

[Buffet]

I had this discussion in PP few years ago, but here is the global map with Pakistan highlighted.

 

[Bewal Express]

A mind bogglingly bad figure which shows the failure of government and society.

 

[Buffet]

Just to put it in perspective, out of school % of primary school kids for all south Asian countries,

Pakistan - 24%
Nepal - 5%
BD - 5%
Ind - 2%
SL - 1%



This jumped out to me few years ago when I was digging some data for my work. I opened a thread on it. Anyone interested can see - http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...school-who-should-be-attending-Primary-school

 

[enkidu_]

bleak picture indeed, which reads like the situation under the colonial British, but these children basically are future slaves of PML-N/PPP, they have no reason to socio-economically uplift them as it would mean the end of their kingdom, hopefully PTI will address the issue, as it said.

I also wonder if they include those studying in madaris, considering that many aren't affiliated with a govt. sanctionned central body, so aren't counted as "students".

 

[Buffet]

I tried to dig some reasons for unusually large number for Pakistan.


Child labourers: the incidence of child labour varies from 3 per cent in Sri Lanka to 16 per cent in
Pakistan. In India and Bangladesh, an estimated 12 per cent and 9 per cent of children are engaged
in child labour. In all four countries, school attendance rates for child labourers are lower than for other
children of the same age. Generally, this disparity is much greater for children living in Pakistan and
for older children across the countries. As children age, they are much less likely to combine school
and work. More than 90 per cent of child labourers in Pakistan are out of school.

Pakistan does have the highest child labour rate, but this alone can't be the reason for unusually high rate for out of school kids. India's child labor figures are 12% and Pakistan's at 16%. Not a large enough difference to explain extremely high out of school kids population in Pakistan.

 

[Buffet]

I also wonder if they include those studying in madaris, considering that many aren't affiliated with a govt. sanctionned central body, so aren't counted as "students".

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Page 3 of UNICEF report for Pakistan:

Deeni madrasahs also provide education. The main emphasis of madrasah education is on Islamic teachings. However, a majority of the madrasahs also provide formal education. Three percent are public sector and 97 percent are private. Male enrolment is 62 percent and female enrolment is 38 percent (AEPAM, 2009). Deeni madrasahs are included in the formal education system and accounted for in school census data.

https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/OSC_UNICEF_Annual_Report.pdf

-------------------------------------------

 

[Buffet]

Does this count the millions that are madrassahs in school?

Yes, it seems to count.

 

[CricketDon]

Include the numbers of children in madrassahs and the numbers even higher.

 

[sjahmed23]

Apalling situation. This is a ticking time bomb, with no jobs where will all these kids / future adults go?

 

[sjahmed23]

Should Pakistan have mandatory armed service for 18-21 y/o's. 2-3 years in a army camp and training will have a life changing impact. Problem is how much will it cost.

 

[Buffet]

Should Pakistan have mandatory armed service for 18-21 y/o's. 2-3 years in a army camp and training will have a life changing impact. Problem is how much will it cost.

Normally you have those for smaller population. That's not a solution. Solution could be government doubling or tripling the education budget immediately. Put all additional money for primary education. Other south Asian countries are not much better off than Pakistan and have many similar conditions. Government should try to see what other countries in south Asia are doing and implement the same thing in Pakistan.

Out of school stats for entire world make me very sad. We are not giving any chance to those kids.

 

[Buffet]

Africa and South Asia are two zones where most effort is needed.
.

 

[troodon]

Africa and South Asia are two zones where most effort is needed.
.

View attachment 84685

2 of the most over populated with poorest nations in the world too.

Just shows how rotten the system is. Women are baby popping machines with no idea of how their kids are going to grow up.

 

[DRsohail]

[MENTION=1269]Bewal Express[/MENTION] hamain metro chahy,,,,,fruit of democracy.

 

[Bewal Express]

[MENTION=1269]Bewal Express[/MENTION] hamain metro chahy,,,,,fruit of democracy.

Not enough commissions to be made from education. Plus for the elite they are poor peoples children so it doesn’t really matter.

 

[GBK_Fan]

Just to put it in perspective, out of school % of primary school kids for all south Asian countries,

Pakistan - 24%
Nepal - 5%
BD - 5%
Ind - 2%
SL - 1%



This jumped out to me few years ago when I was digging some data for my work. I opened a thread on it. Anyone interested can see - http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...school-who-should-be-attending-Primary-school

Thanks for sharing the stats. Good to see the progress India has made in education. I believe one of the reasons was free primary attendance and the introduction of mid day meals for kids. Besides state governments with low education rates have been incentivising girl education with schemes like free cycles and monthly stipends. Hopefully we can do more to resolve child labourers but considering the poverty levels in the country probably that will be tackled when we get rid of extreme poverty

 

[Buffet]

2 of the most over populated with poorest nations in the world too.

Education is the biggest equalizer and it's really sad situation where least resourceful segment is not getting the chance for education. South Asia, except Pakistan, has improved. But Africa is in serious situation. There hasn't been much improvement in Africa in the last 25 years.

 

[Buffet]

Thanks for sharing the stats. Good to see the progress India has made in education. I believe one of the reasons was free primary attendance and the introduction of mid day meals for kids. Besides state governments with low education rates have been incentivising girl education with schemes like free cycles and monthly stipends. Hopefully we can do more to resolve child labourers but considering the poverty levels in the country probably that will be tackled when we get rid of extreme poverty

I recon similar measures are taken in other south Asian countries to ensure kids are in school. Why this can't be done in Pakistan? Pakistan is not too different than other South Asian countries. I would like to hear some insights from posters familiar with Pakistan education system.

 

[Buffet]

Not enough commissions to be made from education. Plus for the elite they are poor peoples children so it doesn’t really matter.

There is another angle, which may or may not be true in Pakistan. In most countries, rulers want to show quick results to get re-elected. Education may take much longer to show results. Having said that, this should be extremely high in priority due to having an out-sized long term impact.

 

[Markhor]

In a relative term, Balochistan is home to the highest proportion of the out of school children followed by Fata. The report said 70pc of children in Balochistan, 57pc in Fata and 52pc in Sindh were out of school.

Not coincidental that these are some of the most neglected provinces too in terms of human development.

 

[Itachi]

I always thought the govt schemes fail to reach it's target. But seeing the bigger picture, I somehow started to realize that they DO work but takes a lot of effort and patience. India has persisted with education for all and somehow it has made a big impact.

Pakistan should implement such measures. The work plan is already out there so risk will be minimal too.

 

[Bewal Express]

There is another angle, which may or may not be true in Pakistan. In most countries, rulers want to show quick results to get re-elected. Education may take much longer to show results. Having said that, this should be extremely high in priority due to having an out-sized long term impact.

There is some truth in what you say- but as a national politician you would think that this would be first on your list because it would benefit your country.

 

[Itachi]

There is some truth in what you say- but as a national politician you would think that this would be first on your list because it would benefit your country.

I don't think it depends upon the govt to be honest. We went from congress to bjp but the focus remained the same.

There are short term goals to win election and there are long term goals to ensure the development.

In every country it is true and Pakistan won't be any exception. The fault lies in execution perhaps. What I mean is, more in the case of operative branches rather than planning department.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

We are a nation of short term solutions. Farsightedness is in scarcity. Parents aren’t willing to have long term investment on their children. Instead, they want their children to work in their farms and small businesses. My family once tried to get a kid into a school but their parents kept delaying it. Why? Because they wanted him to keep working in their small business and maximise their relatively small profits. I blamed them for the lack of foresight but on the hindsight I blame the system. There are ppl with degrees without a job. Their degrees aren’t worth anything in the foreign countries and those who cannot go abroad finds out that they can only get jobs through their family connections in Pakistan. Poor folks don’t have high level connections. Worst of all, education is often frowned upon. It’s considered as backing out from one’s culture and tradition. So all in all, you get an education crisis that is hard to overcome even if the governments give it a fair shot. Of course feudalism, thana and patwari culture have also contributed in exacerbation of this whole damned mess.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Did Imran/the PTI say much about this during the election campaign?

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Did Imran/the PTI say much about this during the election campaign?

Sometimes the substance of your agenda is overshadowed by the rhetoric. I’m sure that education was in PTI’s agenda (it’s in every party’s agenda) but it is engulfed by the narrative of catching the looters and plunderers of the country (an issue that is equally important).

 

[B_Positive]

Pakistan's literacy rate is 54%. It is 16th most illiterate in the world.

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-lowest-literacy-rates-in-the-world.html

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

We are a nation of short term solutions. Farsightedness is in scarcity. Parents aren’t willing to have long term investment on their children. Instead, they want their children to work in their farms and small businesses. My family once tried to get a kid into a school but their parents kept delaying it. Why? Because they wanted him to keep working in their small business and maximise their relatively small profits. I blamed them for the lack of foresight but on the hindsight I blame the system. There are ppl with degrees without a job. Their degrees aren’t worth **** in the foreign countries and those who cannot go abroad finds out that they can only get jobs through their family connections in Pakistan. Poor folks don’t have high level connections. Worst of all, education is often frowned upon. It’s considered as backing out from one’s culture and tradition. So all in all, you get an education crisis that is hard to overcome even if the governments give it a fair shot. Of course feudalism, thana and patwari culture have also contributed in exacerbation of this whole damned mess.

I think there is a lot of truth in that. Madrasa education is quite handy for the govt at any given time as they don't have to fund it, and it raises generations of people whose identity to their country is tied to religion above anything else. That too a very basic understanding of religion which shuns innovative thinking and questioning. I don't know what extent the military actually holds sway in politics these days, but you would think that would suit their purposes as well in the short term.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

I think there is a lot of truth in that. Madrasa education is quite handy for the govt at any given time as they don't have to fund it, and it raises generations of people whose identity to their country is tied to religion above anything else. That too a very basic understanding of religion which shuns innovative thinking and questioning. I don't know what extent the military actually holds sway in politics these days, but you would think that would suit their purposes as well in the short term.

It will really be inconvenient for the military in the long run. By meddling in the education process the military will hinder the progress of innovation in their respective fields. Plus, I don’t think that military is a major player on this issue. It’s more to do with the overall heighten level of social insecurity.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

It will really be inconvenient for the military in the long run. By meddling in the education process the military will hinder the progress of innovation in their respective fields. Plus, I don’t think that military is a major player on this issue. It’s more to do with the overall heighten level of social insecurity.

It is a civil matter at the end of the day, and politicians ultimately have to be judged on how they deliver in these matters.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

It is a civil matter at the end of the day, and politicians ultimately have to be judged on how they deliver in these matters.

And that’s the one thing that the civil leadership can’t shift the blame on the “establishment”.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Launched in collaboration with Unicef, the programme aims to provide primary education to out-of-school children within 3 years, as opposed to the usual 6 <a href="https://t.co/aYpeOgNt1o">https://t.co/aYpeOgNt1o</a></p>— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) <a href="https://twitter.com/dawn_com/status/1053293105238159366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Buffet]

Pakistan's literacy rate is 54%.

To improve that, focus should be to reduce the number of out of school kids in primary. At least young generations will have equal chance to do well.

 

[daytrader]

ISLAMABAD: The count of children in Pakistan who are not enrolled in school has surged to 28 million, surpassing the highest percentage of out-of-school children globally, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The caretaker Federal Education Minister – Madad Ali Sindhi – expressed his concerns in a letter to the Punjab Education Minister, revealing that about 28 million children are out of school in the country, which was 18.7 million back in 2021.

According to the previous estimation, the number of Out-of-School Children was 22 million, meanwhile, in 2021 the cabinet was told that the number of Out-of-School Children was 18.7 million, while every four out of one child was out of school at that time which now increased drastically.

The data disclosed that Pakistan has the highest percentage of Out-of-School Children in the world.

The letter urged all provincial education ministers to share a concise working document that includes relevant statistics, administrative and financial obstacles, as well as strong recommendations for a lasting solution to the issue.

On the other hand, sources close to the development revealed that a total of 1.7 percent of the country’s GDP is spent on education, however, for improvement in the education sector the government needs to reserve at least 4 percent share.

ARY

 

[Saanji]

ISLAMABAD: The count of children in Pakistan who are not enrolled in school has surged to 28 million, surpassing the highest percentage of out-of-school children globally, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The caretaker Federal Education Minister – Madad Ali Sindhi – expressed his concerns in a letter to the Punjab Education Minister, revealing that about 28 million children are out of school in the country, which was 18.7 million back in 2021.

According to the previous estimation, the number of Out-of-School Children was 22 million, meanwhile, in 2021 the cabinet was told that the number of Out-of-School Children was 18.7 million, while every four out of one child was out of school at that time which now increased drastically.

The data disclosed that Pakistan has the highest percentage of Out-of-School Children in the world.

The letter urged all provincial education ministers to share a concise working document that includes relevant statistics, administrative and financial obstacles, as well as strong recommendations for a lasting solution to the issue.

On the other hand, sources close to the development revealed that a total of 1.7 percent of the country’s GDP is spent on education, however, for improvement in the education sector the government needs to reserve at least 4 percent share.

ARY

Education is the basic pre requisite for a growing country. Ignore it at your own peril. Kids will become men and women, the society of the future.

Societies do not rise and fall in a day, but education is a solid metric that dictates the future.

 

[Buffet]

ISLAMABAD: The count of children in Pakistan who are not enrolled in school has surged to 28 million, surpassing the highest percentage of out-of-school children globally, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The caretaker Federal Education Minister – Madad Ali Sindhi – expressed his concerns in a letter to the Punjab Education Minister, revealing that about 28 million children are out of school in the country, which was 18.7 million back in 2021.

According to the previous estimation, the number of Out-of-School Children was 22 million, meanwhile, in 2021 the cabinet was told that the number of Out-of-School Children was 18.7 million, while every four out of one child was out of school at that time which now increased drastically.

The data disclosed that Pakistan has the highest percentage of Out-of-School Children in the world.

The letter urged all provincial education ministers to share a concise working document that includes relevant statistics, administrative and financial obstacles, as well as strong recommendations for a lasting solution to the issue.

On the other hand, sources close to the development revealed that a total of 1.7 percent of the country’s GDP is spent on education, however, for improvement in the education sector the government needs to reserve at least 4 percent share.

ARY

22M to 28M, that's too big a jump. Where they are getting this data?

 

[Civil]

Shambolic, shameful stats no matter what the actual number is. This is horrific by our leaders, and we are already past the tipping point sadly. Add to this the brain drain and climate impacts, the future is very bleak ahead. If anyone is donating back home this is a cause they should focus on, lord knows our establishment wont.

When I retire I really want to go back and teach primary there, wish I could have done it sooner but now life responsibilities hold me. Might be too late by then

 

[FPresidential]

Shambolic, shameful stats no matter what the actual number is. This is horrific by our leaders, and we are already past the tipping point sadly. Add to this the brain drain and climate impacts, the future is very bleak ahead. If anyone is donating back home this is a cause they should focus on, lord knows our establishment wont.

When I retire I really want to go back and teach primary there, wish I could have done it sooner but now life responsibilities hold me. Might be too late by then

Already too late.

 

[FPresidential]

22M to 28M, that's too big a jump. Where they are getting this data?

Believable, I know people in Pakistan who are well educated, working two jobs but still unable to afford to pay kids tuition.

 

[Buffet]

Believable, I know people in Pakistan who are well educated, working two jobs but still unable to afford to pay kids tuition.

I get the point about education being costly, but what about government schools? Yes, they may not be at the same level as private, but still much better than no education.

I grew up poor, but education allowed me to become financial independent. Not giving kids a chance to do well due to lack of education is just depressing to see. My goal 10 years back was to sponsor at least 100 kid's education. Hopefully I can surpass it by a huge margin.

None of us control which part of world we are born or how rich or poor our parents are or many other things. Education is the biggest equalizer. That we can control as group and allow everyone an opportunity to do well.

 

[Buffet]

Believable, I know people in Pakistan who are well educated, working two jobs but still unable to afford to pay kids tuition.

I still find it hard to believe that 25% jump happened in few years. Either the base or current number seems to be off.

 

[Saanji]

I still find it hard to believe that 25% jump happened in few years. Either the base or current number seems to be off.

Covid have had a huge impact and I guess the political turmoil and unstable Afghanistan.
By any chance, are they counting refugees too. That could be the case for unusually high spike

 

[zahidayub213]

ISLAMABAD: The count of children in Pakistan who are not enrolled in school has surged to 28 million, surpassing the highest percentage of out-of-school children globally, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The caretaker Federal Education Minister – Madad Ali Sindhi – expressed his concerns in a letter to the Punjab Education Minister, revealing that about 28 million children are out of school in the country, which was 18.7 million back in 2021.

According to the previous estimation, the number of Out-of-School Children was 22 million, meanwhile, in 2021 the cabinet was told that the number of Out-of-School Children was 18.7 million, while every four out of one child was out of school at that time which now increased drastically.

The data disclosed that Pakistan has the highest percentage of Out-of-School Children in the world.

The letter urged all provincial education ministers to share a concise working document that includes relevant statistics, administrative and financial obstacles, as well as strong recommendations for a lasting solution to the issue.

On the other hand, sources close to the development revealed that a total of 1.7 percent of the country’s GDP is spent on home tutor in sialkot education, however, for improvement in the education sector the government needs to reserve at least 4 percent share.

ARY

I get the point about education being costly, but what about government schools? Yes, they may not be at the same level as private, but still much better than no education.

I grew up poor, but education allowed me to become financial independent. Not giving kids a chance to do well due to lack of education is just depressing to see. My goal 10 years back was to sponsor at least 100 kid's education. Hopefully I can surpass it by a huge margin.

None of us control which part of world we are born or how rich or poor our parents are or many other things. Education is the biggest equalizer.

The alarming surge in the number of out-of-school children in Pakistan, now totaling 28 million, is a grave concern that demands urgent attention from all stakeholders. This troubling statistic highlights not only the widening education gap but also underscores the profound socio-economic implications of failing to educate the younger generation. Education is not just a fundamental right; it is the bedrock upon which nations build their future. The fact that Pakistan has now the highest percentage of out-of-school children globally is a stark reminder of the challenges we face and the critical need for immediate and sustained action.

Government schools, despite their limitations, represent a vital lifeline for millions of children who otherwise would have no access to education. While they may not always match the standards of private institutions, they are far better than no education at all. The argument that education is costly is valid, but it overlooks the potential of government schools to bridge this gap. Enhancing the quality of education in public schools through better funding, teacher training, and infrastructure development can go a long way in addressing this crisis.

The caretaker Federal Education Minister, Madad Ali Sindhi, has rightly expressed concern and called for a collaborative effort from all provincial education ministers to develop a comprehensive strategy. This strategy must include accurate data, identify administrative and financial hurdles, and propose strong, actionable recommendations. However, merely identifying the problem and discussing it in government corridors is not enough. It requires a commitment to allocate the necessary resources. The current allocation of 1.7 percent of GDP to education is woefully inadequate.