Report launch: Over 6.5m children not enrolled in schools

Findings reveal 38.9% girls, 30.2% boys out of school.

ISLAMABAD:

Over 6.5 million children are not enrolled in primary schools while another 2.7 million are out of school at the lower secondary level.

The figures were released in a report launched on out-of-school-children by the government, Unicef and Unesco.

The report highlights the need for disaggregated data that would help policy-makers and educational experts address the challenges and bottlenecks faced in the education system.

The study confirms the widespread perception that a higher number of girls, at 38.9 per cent are out of school as compared to boys, at 30.2 per cent. The report also highlights that 49.2 per cent of children from low-income background are out of school as opposed to 17.5 per cent who are from the richest quintile.

The dropout rate is highest in grade five, at 42.8 per cent, indicating that many children are not able to transition to lower secondary education and therefore do not complete their basic education.

“The lack of reliable data and its underutilisation is a serious constraint in framing policies and plans for focused and targeted interventions,” said Education Additional Secretary Khalid Hanif.

“Based on the commitment expressed by the government, public and private sector, now is the perfect time to address issues of quality and access to education,” said Unicef Pakistan representative Dan Rohrmann.

“Out-of-school children face deep-rooted inequalities due to gender, poverty and child labour as well as the lack of facilities in schools and inadequate learning materials. This report will help us better understand these root causes.” If the issue of out of school children is not addressed urgently, the current generation will add to the existing pool of illiterate youth which will exacerbate the   poverty cycle, Rohrmann added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2013.