Tariq Mahmood Awan
Pakistan faces a daunting educational challenge: more than 26 million children are currently out of school, according to estimates from sources like UNICEF, the national census, and various NGOs. While the numbers might vary slightly, the underlying crisis remains clear and persistent—millions of children who should be in classrooms are instead left behind, deprived of their basic right to education. This staggering figure reflects not just a policy failure but a multifaceted societal crisis that hinders Pakistan’s progress and deepens inequality across the board.
The out-of-school children (OOSC) problem is not uniform across Pakistan; it varies widely across provinces, rural and urban areas, and genders. In provinces like Balochistan and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the numbers are particularly alarming. Girls suffer the most due to patriarchal norms and security concerns, often being the first to be withdrawn or never enrolled at all. Cultural taboos, a conservative mindset, and fears surrounding girls’ safety continue to discourage families from sending daughters to school, especially when there is a lack of female teachers or secure facilities.
The education system’s deep class divisions further exacerbate this crisis. Public schools, mainly accessed by the poor and lower-middle classes, lack resources, quality teachers, and a relevant syllabus. Meanwhile, the elite and upper-middle classes rely on well-funded private institutions, effectively shielding their children from this crisis. This divide reflects an educational apartheid—where access, quality, and outcomes differ dramatically based on socioeconomic status.
Several root causes feed into the OOSC dilemma. Poverty remains the most significant barrier. With 39.4% of the population living below the poverty line, many families cannot afford school fees, uniforms, transport, or even basic stationery. These children are often seen as economic assets—contributing to household income through labor, street vending, or domestic work. As a result, child labor thrives, with around 3.3 million children engaged in some form of labor across the country. This is the fundamental reason of OOSC as families beleive that it is better to learn skills and earn rather than learning unskilled education and remain unemployed. An education system which can not ensure jobs, skills, businesses and other economic opportunities will remain unattrative to the lower middle and poor classes.
Additionally, the unavailability of essential school infrastructure—electricity, toilets, boundary walls, and drinking water—dissuades parents from enrolling their children, particularly girls. Parents are also discouraged by poorly trained and sometimes abusive teachers. Corporal punishment and an overly burdensome curriculum turn schools into stressful, unwelcoming spaces. Children who skip school due to illness or other reasons often fear returning because of the harsh treatment they expect.
Another overlooked cause is displacement due to migration, conflict and natural disasters. The 2005 earthquake, 2010 and 2022 floods, and internal displacement due to conflict have all contributed to school dropouts. Many displaced children never return to formal schooling, further adding to the OOSC statistics.
Moreover, Pakistan’s neglect of early childhood education (ECE) means that many children never get a head start in learning. Without structured ECE, children are left to roam streets, grow disinterested in education, or fall into harmful patterns from a young age.
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Transforming the Education System: What Needs to Change?
Addressing this complex crisis demands more than just building schools or enrolling children. It requires structural reform, multi-stakeholder coordination, and a deep rethinking of how education is delivered.
1. Curriculum Reform and Skill Integration:
The current curriculum in public schools is outdated, rigid, and detached from the realities of lower-income children. Introducing vocational and skill-based education tailored for out-of-school children—especially those already engaged in informal labor—can help bridge this gap. Syllabus content should incorporate technical skills, entrepreneurship, local knowledge, and cultural sensitivity to make learning meaningful and engaging.
2. Decentralized Educational Planning:
Devolving educational authority to the union council (UC) level could help tailor education policies to local needs. Localized planning allows better resource allocation, community involvement, and monitoring. It also opens up avenues for accountability and innovation in addressing enrollment gaps at a granular level.
3. Female Education and Security:
To bring more girls into the education system, multiple steps are needed. First, schools must be located closer to homes, especially in rural areas, to reduce safety concerns. Second, hiring more female teachers and setting up gender-sensitive infrastructure like separate toilets will encourage more parents to enroll daughters. Third, awareness campaigns through local media, religious leaders, and social influencers can challenge cultural taboos surrounding girls’ education.
4. Public-Private Partnership:
Private schools, NGOs, and religious schools (madrasas) can play a pivotal role in solving the OOSC issue. A regulated, collaborative framework between public and private sectors can allow resource sharing, standardized teacher training, and alignment in educational goals. However, transparency must be ensured to prevent exploitation or politicization of education.
5. Social Protection Measures for Families:
To incentivize education for the poor, conditional cash transfers and stipends should be offered to families who send their children to school. Programs like Benazir Taleemi Wazaif should be expanded, with special provisions for girls, orphans, and internally displaced children. Free meals, school supplies, and transport can also act as strong incentives in marginalized communities.
6. Child-Friendly School Environments:
Schools must evolve from rigid institutions to welcoming environments. Banning corporal punishment, reducing curriculum overload, and promoting extracurricular activities can make learning enjoyable. Teachers should receive regular training in child psychology, conflict resolution, and community engagement to foster trust between schools and families.
7. Emergency Response and Infrastructure Resilience:
Natural disasters will continue to impact education, especially with climate change. Establishing mobile schools, rapid rebuilding protocols, and emergency education funds is crucial to reduce downtime in education during crises. Temporary learning centers should be prepared in advance for displaced communities.
8. Focus on Early Childhood Education (ECE):
Institutionalizing ECE from ages three to five is crucial for reducing long-term dropout rates. Early integration into school systems ensures that children do not become too accustomed to street life. ECE centers also serve as childcare support for working mothers, thus allowing a broader family contribution to the economy while ensuring children stay engaged with learning.
Pakistan’s education crisis is not just a governmental failure—it is a societal one. Expecting only the state to fix the system is neither practical nor effective. The private sector, civil society, community elders, and religious leaders all need to actively participate. Reforming the education system requires both top-down policy direction and bottom-up community ownership.
While children currently out of school may be learning some survival skills on the streets, these cannot replace the structured, empowering learning environment that schools offer. If properly educated and trained, these children could become the country’s biggest asset. But for now, they remain a symbol of systemic neglect.
Hence, resolving the out-of-school children crisis demands a holistic and inclusive approach that combines social reform, educational transformation, and structural integrity. The vision should be clear: a Pakistan where every child, regardless of gender, income, or geography, has access to quality, relevant, and empowering education. Only then can the nation truly move forward.
Republic Policy Think Tank is working to address the challenge of the out of school childern. It is specifically runnning a project titled, ” Skills Matter More Than Degrees” to address the issue.
