Despite Punjab being considered the educational hub of Pakistan, millions of children in the territory are still out of school. Province and global
An illustrative image related to: Punjab's enrolment crisis continues to deepen, highlighting key aspects of the story. | Image source: The Express Tribune
Punjab's enrolment crisis continues to deepen
Despite Punjab being considered the educational hub of Pakistan, millions of children in the territory are still out of school. Province and global reports show that poverty, price-rise, scarcity of educators, lack of basic facilities, and financial difficulties faced by parents have become senior officer barriers to learning in the territory.
According to official learning metrics, thousands of province institutions are functioning across Punjab with millions of learners enrolled, yet nearly 9.6 to 9.7 million children remain out of school, the highest figure in Pakistan. Reports by UNICEF and the Pakistan Institute of Learning province that more than 25 million children nationwide are not attending school, with Punjab accounting for the largest share.
Former provincial learning secretary Imran Masood opined that poverty and price-rise in rural areas are forcing many parents to send their children to work instead of school. "Many families struggle to meet even daily food and household expenses, making educational costs impossible to bear. Girls are especially affected as they often leave school because of domestic responsibilities, early marriages, and social restrictions," observed Masood.
"There are mainly two categories of out-of-school children in Punjab. The first includes learners who study up to primary or middle level and then leave learning, while the second includes children who never enroll in school at all. Many parents lack awareness about the importance of learning and prefer their children to contribute financially to household income. In several rural areas, institutions are located far away and transport facilities are unavailable, making access to learning difficult. Some children become overage and are later refuted admission," observed Masood.
Reports further reveal that thousands of institutions in Punjab are operating with only one teacher managing the entire institution. Many institutions also lack basic facilities such as electricity, clean drinking water, furniture, toilets, and computer labs. In some cases, school buildings are in a dangerous condition and pose safety risks to children.
Parents say the quality of learning in province institutions remains poor, preventing learners from receiving proper learning opportunities. In urban areas, private school fees are too high for poor and middle-class families, while in rural regions many communities still lack nearby institutions.
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