Let girls learn

Education is essential to national progress, yet Pakistan allocates a paltry 1.9 per cent of its GDP to this cornerstone of human development, well below the Unesco benchmark of 4-6 per cent.

This chronic underinvestment denies millions of children, particularly girls in rural areas, the opportunity to shape their own futures and, by extension, the nation’s. With only 24 per cent of women participating in the workforce, the country is missing out on billions in productivity. A nation that sidelines its majority population in education is effectively crippling its own development.

As a leading education advocate and chief executive for Malala Fund Pakistan, I implore the government to translate its 2024 commitment to addressing our ‘Education Emergency’ into urgent, tangible action by expanding budgets at the federal and provincial levels, with a laser focus on girls in rural areas and marginalised communities. This is an economic imperative. The Malala Fund has been working to advance girls’ education in Pakistan for over a decade, and we know firsthand that it is the most potent antidote to poverty, inequality and instability. With preparations for the 2025-2026 national budget underway, failure to act risks economic stagnation and social fracture in a region already grappling with geopolitical tensions.

Pakistan’s education system teeters on the brink of collapse, undermined by decades of underfunding that has left schools in disrepair, teachers untrained and learning materials scarce. The toll is starkest in rural areas where barriers such as cultural norms, economic hardship and safety fears prevent girls from going to school.

Amina, a 14-year-old from a remote village in Balochistan, aspires to become a doctor but the absence of female teachers and the perilous journey to her school make her dreams difficult to achieve. Fatima, a 12-year-old from rural Punjab, is trapped in domestic labour because her family cannot afford the bus fare to her nearest school. Without strategic government investments in local infrastructure, safe transport and female educators, such stories multiply, entrenching poverty and gender inequality.

The education crisis is especially acute for underserved girls who face compounding discrimination – those who are ethnic minorities, living with disabilities and residing in isolated rural areas. Despite commitments to education, Article 25-A of Pakistan’s constitution omits specific protections for adolescent girls, leaving a critical policy gap in addressing their unique vulnerabilities. Unless targeted reforms reduce these disparities, millions will remain excluded from education’s transformative power.

The gender gap in education remains a glaring indictment of Pakistan’s priorities. More than six million adolescent girls are out of school, their absence most striking in rural Sindh and Balochistan, where early marriages, inadequate sanitation and financial insecurity drive alarming dropout rates at the secondary level. A 2023 Unicef report underscores the disparity: only seven girls are enrolled in rural schools for every 10 boys. A World Bank study estimates that closing the gender gap in education could add 1.5 per cent to Pakistan’s annual GDP growth.

If half the country’s population remains undereducated and underutilised, Pakistan will continue to struggle with economic stagnation, workforce shortages and diminished global competitiveness. Education is not just a social good – it is an economic lever, a bulwark against instability and a prerequisite for Pakistan’s integration into the global economy.

The federal government must lead with ambition, building on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s 2024 ‘Education Emergency’ declaration. This pledge to elevate the education budget from 1.7 per cent to 4.0 per cent of GDP over five years – with a Rs25 billion allocation for initiatives like teacher recruitment, nutritional programmes and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) curricula – holds promise. It also includes enrolment campaigns, such as midday meal schemes, to boost attendance. Yet a credible report suggests implementation lags, with taskforce delays and stalled progress raising doubts about political will. To realise this vision, Islamabad must increase funding, forge public-private partnerships, enhance school infrastructure, and launch awareness campaigns to dismantle cultural barriers to girls’ education.

The 18th Amendment devolved education to the provinces, ostensibly empowering them to tailor solutions to local needs. Yet most provincial governments have shirked this responsibility, failing to prioritise funding or accountability. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s stipend programme for girls, for instance, briefly swelled enrolment, but its impact has faltered due to erratic budgets. Provinces must now allocate substantial, ring-fenced funds for education, ensuring they build schools, recruit and train female teachers, and introduce incentives to retain girls in classrooms. Without such commitment, devolution risks becoming a hollow gesture. The moment to act is now. Let us unite government, civil society and citizens to ensure every girl in Pakistan completes her education and carves her own destiny. When girls succeed, Pakistan succeeds.

The writer is an educationist and the chief executive for Pakistan at the Malala Fund. She can be reached at @nishatriaz on X and LinkedIn.