صراط عشق صراط عشق
As per Article 25A of the Constitution, it is the duty of the state to offer free education to children aged 5 to 16. However, the state has not effectively met this obligation. Pakistan holds the unfortunate position of having the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children, estimated at 22.8 million aged 5-16, which is 44 percent of this age group. Recent reports indicate this number has risen to 28 million. Even in Islamabad, the Federal Capital, there are a staggering 83,000 out-of-school children.
A report by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) titled “Primary School Literacy: A Case Study of the Educate a Child Initiative”, released in March 2022, highlights that approximately 1 in 4 children (23.45 percent) in Pakistan have never had the opportunity to attend school, while around seven percent enrol but drop out each year.
The primary concern is identifying the factors preventing children from enrolling in or continuing their education. Poverty stands out as a significant factor, with 39.4% of Pakistan’s population living below the poverty line, equating to about 95 million people. Poverty-stricken parents struggle to afford their children’s education, leading to non-enrolment or dropout. Additionally, many parents rely on their children to contribute to the family income, leading to child labor, with approximately 3.3 million children engaged in such labor in Pakistan.
Insufficient school facilities also contribute to the problem. A report on educational infrastructure in Sindh province revealed that out of 49,103 government schools, more than 31,000 lack electricity, 19,469 lack washrooms, 26,260 lack drinking water, and over 21,000 lack proper walls, discouraging students from attending.
The patriarchal nature of society, combined with parental ignorance, often prevents girls from accessing education. Rural parents typically prioritize their sons’ education over their daughters’, contributing to a higher number of out-of-school girls. Cultural norms and concerns about honor also play a role, as families may feel ashamed sending their daughters to school, especially if safety concerns exist due to distance, lack of transport, or insufficient female teachers.
Natural disasters and migrant influxes exacerbate dropout rates. Events like the 2005 earthquake and subsequent floods destroyed numerous schools, disrupting students’ education. Additionally, transient communities and internal displacement due to conflict further strain educational resources.
Neglect of early childhood education, corporal punishment in schools, and inappropriate teacher attitudes towards absenteeism also contribute to the problem. Children who miss school often face punishment, discouraging their return and perpetuating a cycle of non-attendance and dropout.
Overall, addressing these multifaceted issues is crucial to reducing the number of out-of-school children in Pakistan and ensuring every child has access to education.
Schools should be sufficiently provided with basic facilities, like electricity, drinking water, washrooms and four walls. In case of damage caused to educational infrastructure by natural calamities, there should be a rapid disaster management response from the provincial or local government where the calamity occurs in order to timely recover the loss. And new facilities should be developed on priority basis to impart education to the children of IDPs wherever they live.
Introducing early childhood education programmes can provide childcare facilities for working mothers while ensuring early integration into the school system, limiting exposure to the streets, begging, and related activities. Taking measures to eradicate corporal punishment from educational institutions, reducing the burden of school work on children as they have to study eight subjects in a particular class which gives them less time to indulge themselves in fun activities, and training teachers on how to constructively persuade parents to ensure the attendance of their children in school will also help a lot in saving children from becoming OOSC.
