Balochistan has an illiteracy rate of 44.5 per cent, the highest in Pakistan. In addition, girls make up a disproportionate number of the illiterate in the province. This is likely due to the lack of schools in the region, particularly girls’ schools. Now, with inflation reaching an all time high, fewer families will be able to afford to send their children to school.
Although more people are literate than before, with illiteracy in Balochistan being around 70 per cent in 1998, it is clear that the literacy rate is not rising fast enough. The government must build more schools and expand access to schools by making them free.
Zainab Aliahmed
Turbat