Balochistan: More Than 22 Million Children Without Access to Education in Pakistan
Photo courtesy of Beluchistan @Flickr
In Pakistan’s Balochistan region, seventy percent of children aged 5 to 16 are out of school –the highest rate of uneducated children in Pakistan. In addition to the limited access to education, the infrastructure and facilities of most of the region’s schools are deplorable and do not permit children to learn in appropriate conditions. Given these circumstances, experts highlight the urgent need to improve the access and quality of education across the country.
Below is an article published by Business Standard:
The school dropout scenario in Pakistan continues to present an abysmal picture, with 22.6 million kids not having access to education and as many as 44 percent children aged between 5 and 16 still being out of school.
The Pakistan Education Statistic 2015-16, which has been launched by the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) - a subsidiary of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, revealed this alarming picture on Wednesday.
In its report, which has referred to by the Dawn, the PES study revealed that only 30 percent children are enrolled from class 1 till 10.
Pakistan's largest province -- Balochistan -- has the highest proportion of out-of-school children (70 percent) followed by the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) (58 percent).
As regards to school infrastructure, the study said 40 percent of public sector primary schools were operating without electricity, 28 percent did not have toilets, 25 percent were without boundary walls and 29 percent had no access to drinking water. Seven percent schools did not have any building and 43 percent had unsatisfactory buildings.
Experts said that there is a need for the government to treat the matter as an emergency and devote its attention to improving the spread of education across the country.
