As the world marked the International Day of Education on January 24, Pakistan has little cause for celebration. The country’s public spending on education currently stands at 1.91% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the lowest in the South Asian region.
This figure is alarmingly below the global average of 3.8% and falls far short of the UNESCO-recommended benchmark of 4%. Distressingly, Pakistan’s spending on education has been on a downward trend in recent years, declining from 2.2% of GDP in 2019 to 2.1% in 2020 and further to 1.7% in 2021.
Education is a fundamental human right, and the eradication of illiteracy along with the provision of free education up to the secondary level are among the core commitments enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan.
Yet, according to a 2022 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), approximately 22.8 million children aged 5 to 16 years in Pakistan are not attending school.
This staggering figure represents the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children, accounting for roughly 44% of the total school-age population. Alarmingly, an updated report by the Pak Alliance for Math and Science (PAMS) from August 2024 places this figure even higher, at 25.3 million.
The chronic underfunding of education has far-reaching consequences for Pakistan’s literacy rate, school infrastructure, and the overall quality of education. Unsurprisingly, the country’s education system ranks among the lowest globally.
Despite declaring an education emergency in May 2024, the combined budget allocations of the federal and provincial governments for the fiscal year 2024-25 stand at a mere Rs 103.781 billion. This paltry allocation reflects the government’s lack of genuine commitment to education, despite its repeated claims to the contrary.
These troubling statistics underscore the urgent need for increased investment and systemic reforms to tackle the high number of out-of-school children and improve educational outcomes. Global Education Monitoring (GEM) has called for immediate and targeted reforms to address this crisis.
Pakistan ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in November 1990, renewing its pledge to provide inclusive and equitable education for all children. However, the successive governments’ apathy toward the abysmal state of education remains evident.
This issue demands immediate and sustained attention, not only to secure the country’s developmental future but also to uphold the fundamental right to education for all.
Engr Hussain Ahmad Siddiqui (Islamabad)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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