Education for all

The literacy rate of the country is 58 percent, according to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2016-2017. It is true that the country’s literacy rate has shown gradual improvement over the years, however, the quality of education and the colossal number of out-of -school children remains a huge concern. Over 22.8 million children across Pakistan are out-of-school and 2.5 million of these children belong to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. What is all the more alarming is the fact that over 1 million out-of-school children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are girls. We can’t possibly improve Pakistan’s education indicators without addressing the mindset that prevents our girls from acquiring education. The seriousness of the government – or lack of it – in terms of facilitating girls’ access to education can be gauged from the fact that at the primary, secondary and high school level, the schools for girls are far less than those for boys.

As per the school statistics available on the website of Elementary and Secondary Education Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there are only 8,553 primary schools for girls (compared to 14,469 for boys); 1,113 middle schools for girls (compared to 1,529 for boys) and a shameful 722 high schools for girls in the entire province compared to 1,386 schools for boys. The KP government must establish schools for girls across the province from the politicians this election year. Our children have the right to quality education and it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that this right is duly provided.

Amna Karim

Islamabad