Punjab tops list of out-of-school children

Pakistan Institute of Education has released a report on the number of out-of-school children for the year 2023-2024 across Pakistan with Punjab sits on the top of the list, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.

According to the report, Punjab province led the list as the number of out-of-school children in the province between the ages of five and 16 is 9.6 million.

The number of out-of-school girls is 4.83 million while the number of boys is 4.77 million.

The number of out-of-school children in Sindh is 7.82 million.

The number of out-of-school children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is 4.92 million.

The number of out-of-school children in Balochistan is 2.94 million while 0.09 million children are out of school in Islamabad.

The Pakistan Institute of Education has stated in its latest report that millions of children across the country are still out of school.

The institute has released its education report for the academic year 2023–24.

According to the report, 13.41 million girls and 11.96 million boys are out of school nationwide. In total, 25.37 million children are deprived of education. Overall, more than 25.37 million children across the country remain out of school.

In Punjab, 36 percent of children aged 5 to 16 are out of school, with 9.60 million children deprived of education in terms of numbers. 

In Sindh, 42 percent of children aged 5 to 16 are out of school, and 7.82 million girls are not receiving education. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 29 percent of children are out of school, while 4.92 million girls are not attending school.

The situation is most alarming in Balochistan, where 58 percent of children are out of school. In the federal capital, Islamabad, 15 percent of children are also reported to be out of school.

The report describes the education crisis in the country as severe and emphasizes the urgent need for immediate and effective measures to ensure that millions of children are not deprived of their fundamental right to education.

In his reaction, Federal Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui maintained that the statistics have worsened after the 18th Amendment was used to amass powers around rulers rather dissolving authority to the lowest level. “This should be reviewed again,” he added.

Reporter: Bilal Niazi