PESHAWAR, May 6 (Alliance News): A new report from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Education Department has revealed that 37% of children in the province—equating to 4.92 million boys and girls—are currently out of school, with certain districts showing alarmingly high dropout rates.
The worst-affected district is Kolai-Palas Kohistan, where 80,333 children are not enrolled in any educational institution. The neighbouring districts of Lower and Upper Kohistan fare no better, with 79% of children out of school.
On the opposite end, Upper Chitral reported the lowest rate of out-of-school children in KP, with only 10% of its school-age population not attending classes.
The provincial capital, Peshawar, paints a grim picture with over half a million out-of-school children, including 319,000 girls, highlighting a glaring gender disparity in access to education.
KP Education Minister Faisal Tarakai acknowledged the scale of the crisis, stating that over 4.8 million children remain outside the formal education system. He, however, expressed hope, noting that 1.3 million children were enrolled last year, and the government now aims to enrol another one million in 2025.
Tarakai said the government is actively working to expand educational access and address regional disparities in enrolment.
This provincial report mirrors the broader national education crisis. The Pakistan Education Statistics Report 2021–22 by the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE) indicated that 26.2 million children across the country are out of school, constituting 39% of the national school-age population.
While this marks an improvement from 44% in 2016–17, the absolute number has increased due to population growth.
Balochistan remains the most affected province with 65% of its children out of school, while Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) shows the lowest rate. KP’s updated figure of 37% exceeds its previous national average of 30%, underscoring the urgency of targeted interventions.
The report also highlights that 10.77 million children are out of school at the primary level alone. Economic hardship remains a key barrier, with children from the poorest households most affected.
Notably, 60% of children at the higher secondary level and 44% at the high school level remain unenrolled nationwide.
