Introduction

The education system in Pakistan is generally divided into six levels: preschool (for the age from 3 to
5 years), primary (grades one through five), middle (grades six through eight), high (grades nine and
ten, leading to the Secondary School Certificate or SSC), intermediate (grades eleven and twelve,
leading to a Higher Secondary School Certificate or HSSC), and university programs leading
to undergraduate and graduate degrees.5
The literacy rate ranges from 85% in Islamabad to 23% in the Torghar District. Literacy rates vary
regionally, particularly by sex. In tribal areas female literacy is 9.5%., while Azad Jammu &
Kashmir has a literacy rate of 74%. Moreover, English is fast spreading in Pakistan, with more than
92 million Pakistanis (49% of the population) having a command over the English language. On top
of that, Pakistan produces about 445,000 university graduates and 80,000 computer science
graduates per year. Despite these statistics, Pakistan still has one of the lowest literacy rates in the
world and the second largest out of school population (22.8 million children) after Nigeria.

Stages of formal education

Primary education
Only 68% of Pakistani children finish primary school education. The standard national system of
education is mainly inspired from the English educational system. Pre-school education is designed
for 3–5 years old and usually consists of three stages: Play Group, Nursery and Kindergarten (also
called 'KG' or 'Prep'). After pre-school education, students go through junior school from grades 1 to
5. This is followed by middle school from grades 6 to 8. At middle school, single-sex education is
usually preferred by the community, but co-education is also common in urban cities. The
curriculum is usually subject to the institution. The eight commonly examined disciplines are:

 Arts
 Computer Studies and ICT
 General Science
 Modern languages with literature i.e. Urdu and English
 Mathematics
 Religious Education i.e. Islamic Studies
 Social Studies (including Civics, Geography, History, Economics, Sociology and sometimes
elements of law, politics and PHSE)
Most schools also offer drama studies, music and physical education but these are usually not
examined or marked. Home economics is sometimes taught to female students, whereas topics
related to astronomy, environmental management and psychology are frequently included in
textbooks of general science. Sometimes archaeology and anthropology are extensively taught in
textbooks of social studies. SRE is not taught at most schools in Pakistan although this trend is being
rebuked by some urban schools. Provincial and regional languages such
as Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto and others may be taught in their respective provinces, particularly in
language-medium schools. Some institutes give instruction in foreign languages such
as German, Turkish, Arabic, Persian, French and Chinese. The language of instruction depends on
the nature of the institution itself, whether it is an English-medium school or an Urdu-medium
school.
As of 2009, Pakistan faces a net primary school attendance rate for both sexes of 66 percent: a
figure below estimated world average of 90 percent.
Pakistan's poor performance in the education sector is mainly caused by the low level of public
investment. As of 2007, public expenditure on education was 2.2 percent of GNPs, a marginal
increase from 2 percent before 1984-85. In addition, the allocation of government funds is skewed
towards higher education, allowing the upper income class to reap the majority of the benefits of
public subsidy on education. Lower education institutions such as primary schools suffer under such
conditions as the lower income classes are unable to enjoy subsidies and quality education. As a
result, Pakistan has one of the lowest rates of literacy in the world and the lowest among countries
of comparative resources and socio-economic situations.

Secondary education

Secondary education in Pakistan begins from grade 9 and lasts for four years. After end of each of
the school years, students are required to pass a national examination administered by a regional
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (or BISE).
Upon completion of grade 9, students are expected to take a standardised test in each of the first
parts of their academic subjects. They again give these tests of the second parts of the same courses
at the end of grade 10. Upon successful completion of these examinations, they are awarded
a Secondary School Certificate (or SSC). This is locally termed a 'matriculation certificate' or 'matric'
for short. The curriculum usually includes a combination of eight courses including electives (such as
Biology, Chemistry, Computer and Physics) as well as compulsory subjects (such as Mathematics,
English, Urdu, Islamic studies and Pakistan Studies).
Students then enter an intermediate college and complete grades 11 and 12. Upon completion of
each of the two grades, they again take standardised tests in their academic subjects. Upon
successful completion of these examinations, students are awarded the Higher Secondary School
Certificate (or HSSC). This level of education is also called the FSc/FA/ICS or 'intermediate'. There are
many streams students can choose for their 11 and 12 grades, such as pre-medical, pre-engineering,
humanities (or social sciences), computer science and commerce. Each stream consists of three
electives and as well as three compulsory subjects of English, Urdu, Islamiat (grade 11 only) and
Pakistan Studies (grade 12 only).
Alternative qualifications in Pakistan are available but are maintained by other examination
boards instead of BISE. Most common alternative is the General Certificate of Education (or GCE),
where SSC and HSSC are replaced by Ordinary Level (or O Level) and Advanced Level (or A Level)
respectively. Other qualifications include IGCSE which replaces SSC. GCE and GCSE O Level, IGCSE
and GCE AS/A Level are managed by British examination boards of CIE of the Cambridge
Assessment and/or Edexcel International of the Pearson PLC. Generally, 8-10 courses are selected by
students at GCE O Levels and 3-5 at GCE A Levels.
Advanced Placement (or AP) is an alternative option but much less common than GCE or IGCSE. This
replaces the secondary school education as 'High School Education' instead. AP exams are
monitored by a North American examination board, College Board, and can only be given under
supervision of centers which are registered with the College Board, unlike GCE O/AS/A Level and
IGCSE which can be given privately.
Another type of education in Pakistan is called "Technical Education" and combines technical and
vocational education. The vocational curriculum starts at grade 5 and ends with grade 10. Three
boards, the Punjab Board of Technical Education (PBTE), KPK Board of Technical Education (KPKBTE)
and Sindh Board of Technical Education (SBTE) offering Matric Tech. course called Technical School
Certificate (TSC) (equivalent to 10th grade) and Diploma of Associate Engineering (DAE) in
engineering disciplines like Civil, Chemical, Architecture, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics,
Computer etc. DAE is a three years program of instructions which is equivalent to 12th grade.
Diploma holders are called associate engineers. They can either join their respective field or take
admission in [Link]. and BE in their related discipline after DAE.
Furthermore, the A level qualification, inherited by the British education system is widely gained in
the private schools of Pakistan. Three to four subjects are selected, based on the interest of the
student. It is usually divided into a combination of similar subjects within the same category, like
Business, Arts and Sciences. This is a two-year program. A level institutions are different from high
school. You must secure admission in such an institution, upon the completion of high school, i.e.
the British system equivalent being O levels. O levels and A levels are usually not taught within the
same school.
Tertiary education
According to UNESCO's 2009 Global Education Digest, 6% of Pakistanis (9% of men and 3.5% of
women) were university graduates as of 2007. Pakistan plans to increase this figure to 10% by 2015
and subsequently to 15% by 2020. There is also a great deal of variety between age cohorts. Less
than 6% of those in the age cohort 55-64 have a degree, compared to 8% in the 45-54 age cohort,
11% in the 35-44 age cohort and 16% in the age cohort 25-34.
After earning their HSSC, students may study in a professional institute for Bachelor's
degree courses such as engineering (BE/BS/BSc
Engineering), medicine (MBBS), dentistry (BDS), veterinary
medicine (DVM), law (LLB), architecture (BArch), pharmacy (Pharm.D) and nursing (BSc Nursing).
These courses require four or five years of study. The accreditation councils which accredit the
above professional degrees and register these professionals are: Pakistan Engineering
Council (PEC), Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), Pakistan Veterinary Medical
Council (PVMC), Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), Pakistan Council for Architects and Town
Planners (PCATP), Pharmacy Council of Pakistan (PCP) and Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC). Students
can also attend a university for Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of
Commerce (BCom) or Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree courses.
There are two types of Bachelor courses in Pakistan: Pass or Honors. Pass degree requires two years
of study and students normally read three optional subjects (such as Chemistry or Economics) in
addition to almost equal number of compulsory subjects (such as English, islamiyat and Pakistan
Studies). Honours degree requires four years of study, and students normally specialize in a chosen
field of study, such as Biochemistry (BSc Hons. Biochemistry).
Pass Bachelors is now slowly being phased out for Honours throughout the country.

Quaternary education
Most of Master's degree programs require two years education. Master of Philosophy (MPhil) is
available in most of the subjects and can be undertaken after doing Masters. Doctor of
Philosophy (PhD) education is available in selected areas and is usually pursued after earning a
MPhil degree. Students pursuing MPhil or PhD degrees must choose a specific field and a university
that is doing research work in that field. MPhil and PhD education in Pakistan requires a minimum of
two years of study.
Nonformal and informal education
Out of the formal system, the public sectors runs numerous schools and training centres, most being
vocational-oriented. Among those institutions can be found vocational schools, technical training
centres and agriculture and vocational training centres. An apprenticeship system is also framed by
the state of Pakistan. Informal education is also important in Pakistan and regroups mostly school-
leavers and low-skilled individuals, who are trained under the supervision of a senior craftsman. Few
institutes are run by corporates to train university students eligible for jobs and provide experience
during education fulfilling a gap between university and industry for example: Appxone Private
Limited is training Engineers with professional development on major subjects of Electronics and
Computer science and other fields.

Madrassas
Madrassas are Islamic seminaries. Most Madrasas teach mostly Islamic subjects such
as Tafseer (Interpretation of the Quran), Hadith (sayings of Muhammad), Fiqh (Islamic Law), Arabic
language and include some non-Islamic subjects, such as logic, philosophy, mathematics, to enable
students to understand the religious ones. The number of madrassas are popular among Pakistan's
poorest families in part because they feed and house their students. Estimates of the number of
madrasas vary between 12,000 and 40,000. In some areas of Pakistan they outnumber the public
schools.

Gender disparity
In Pakistan, gender discrimination in education occurs among the poorest households but is non-
existent among rich households. Only 18% of Pakistani women have received 10 years or more of
schooling. Among other criticisms the Pakistani education system faces is the gender disparity in
enrollment levels. However, in recent years some progress has been made in trying to fix this
problem. In 1990-91, the female to male ratio (F/M ratio) of enrollment was 0.47 for primary level
of education. It reached to 0.74 in 1999-2000, showing the F/M ratio has improved by 57.44% within
the decade. For the middle level of education it was 0.42 in the start of decade and increased to
0.68 by the end of decade, so it has improved almost 62%. In both cases the gender disparity is
decreased but relatively more rapidly at middle level.
The gender disparity in enrollment at secondary level of education was 0.4 in 1990-91 and 0.67 in
1999-2000, showing that the disparity decreased by 67.5% in the decade. At the college level, it was
0.50 in 1990-91 and reached 0.81 in 1999-2000, showing that the disparity decreased by 64%. The
gender disparity has decreased comparatively rapidly at secondary school.
There is great difference in the rates of enrollment of boys, as compared to girls in Pakistan.
According to UNESCO figures, primary school enrollment for girls stand at 60 per cent as compared
to 84 percent for boys. The secondary school enrollment rate stands at a lower rate of 32 percent
for females and 46 per cent males. Regular school attendance for female students is estimated at 41
per cent while that for male students is 50 per cent.
A particularly interesting aspect of this gender disparity is representation of Pakistani women in
STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine). In 2013, the issue of women
doctors in Pakistan was highlighted in local and international media.  According to Pakistan Medical
and Dental Council, in many medical colleges in Pakistan, as many as 80% of students are women,
but majority of these women do not go on to actually practice medicine, creating a shortage of
doctors in rural areas and several specialties (especially surgical fields). In 2014, Pakistan Medical
and Dental Council introduced a gender-based admission policy, restricting women to 50% of
available seats (based on the gender ratios in general population). This quota was challenged and
subsequently deemed unconstitutional (and discriminatory) by Lahore High Court. Research
indicates several problems faced by women doctors in Pakistan in their career and education,
including lack of implementation of women-friendly policies (like maternity leave, breast-feeding
provisions and child-care facilities), and systemic sexism prevalent in medical education and
training. Pakistan's patriarchal culture, where women's work outside the home is generally
considered less important than her family and household obligations, also make it difficult for
women to balance a demanding career. Despite the importance of the issue, no new policies (except
now-defunct-quota) have been proposed or implemented to ensure women's retention in
workforce.

Qualitative dimension
In Pakistan, the quality of education has a declining trend. Shortage of teachers and poorly equipped
laboratories have resulted in the out-dated curriculum that has little relevance to present-day
needs. The education is based just on cramming and the students lack professional skills as well as
communication skills when they are graduated from an institute. Moreover the universities here are
too expensive, due to which the Pakistani students can't afford a university to get higher education.
Moreover, the universities here don't provide skills that have a demand in market 

Education expenditure as percentage of GDP

The expenditure on education is around 2% of Pakistan's GDP. However, in 2009 the government
approved the new national education policy, which stipulates that education expenditure will be
increased to 7% of GDP, an idea that was first suggested by the Punjab government.
The author of an article, the history of education spending in Pakistan since 1972, argues that this
policy target raises a fundamental question: What extraordinary things are going to happen that
would enable Pakistan to achieve within six years what it has been unable to lay a hand on in the
past six decades? The policy document is blank on this question and does not discuss the
assumptions that form the basis of this target. Calculations of the author show that during the past
37 years, the highest public expenditure on education was 2.80 percent of GDP in 1987-88. Public
expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was actually reduced in 16 years and maintained
in 5 years between 1972–73 and 2008-09. Thus, out of total 37 years since 1972, public expenditure
on education as a percentage of GDP either decreased or remained stagnant for 21 years. The
author argues if linear trend were maintained since 1972, Pakistan could have touched 4 percent of
GDP well before 2015. However, it is unlikely to happen because the levels of spending have had
remained significantly unpredictable and unsteady in the past. Given this disappointing trajectory,
increasing public expenditure on education to 7 percent of GDP would be nothing less than a
miracle but it is not going to be of godly nature. Instead, it is going to be the one of political nature
because it has to be "invented" by those who are at the helm of affairs. The author suggests that
little success can be made unless Pakistan adopts an "unconventional" approach to education. That
is to say, education sector should be treated as a special sector by immunizing budgetary allocations
for it from fiscal stresses and political and economic instabilities. Allocations for education should
not be affected by squeezed fiscal space or surge in military expenditure or debts. At the same time,
there is a need to debate others options about how Pakistan can "invent" the miracle of raising
education expenditure to 7 percent of GDP by 2015.
Religion and education
Education in Pakistan is heavily influenced by religion. For instance, one study of Pakistani science
teachers showed that many rejected evolution based on religious grounds. However, most of the
Pakistani teachers who responded to the study (14 out of 18) either accepted or considered the
possibility of the evolution of living organisms, although nearly all Pakistani science teachers
rejected human evolution because they believed that ‘human beings did not evolve from monkeys.’
This is a major misconception and incorrect interpretation of the science of evolution, but according
to the study it is a common one among many Pakistani teachers. Although many of the teachers
rejected the evolution of humans, " all agreed that there is ‘no contradiction between science and
Islam’ in general".
According to the Pakistan’s National Council for Justice and Peace (NCJP) report 2001 on literacy of
religious minorities in Pakistan– the average literacy rate among Christians in Punjab is 34 percent,
Hindu (upper caste) is 34 percent, Hindu (scheduled castes) is 19 percent ,others (including Parsis,
Sikhs,Buddhists and nomads) is 17 percent compared to the national average of 46.56
[Link] the Ahmadis have literacy rate slightly higher than the national average.

Literacy rate

Chart Title
Total Male Female
80%
73%
70%
62%
60% 55%
52%
50%
44%
40% 35%
30% 32%
30% 26% 26%
21% 22%
20% 18% 17% 16%
14%
12%
10% 7%

0%
1951 1961 1972 1981 1998 2018
The definition of literacy has been undergoing changes, with the result that the literacy figure has
vacillated irregularly during the last censuses and surveys. A summary is as follows:
Year of
Definition of Age
census or Total Male Female Urban Rural
being "literate" group
survey

1951
17.9% 21.4% 13.9% One who can read a clear All
(West N/A N/A
print in any language Ages
Pakistan)

1961 One who is able to read with Age 5

(West 16.9% 26.1% 6.7% 34.8% 10.6% understanding a simple letter and
Pakistan) in any language above

One who is able to read and Age 10

1972 21.7% 30.2% 11.6% 41.5% 14.3% write in some language with and
understanding Above

Age 10
One who can read newspaper
1981 26.2% 35.1% 16.0% 47.1% 17.3% and
and write a simple letter
Above

One who can read a

Age 10
43.92 newspaper
1998 54.81% 32.02% 63.08% 33.64% and
% and write a simple letter, in
Above
any language

“Ability to read and

understand simple text in any
language from a newspaper or
magazine, write a simple letter Age 10
2018 62.3% 72.5% 51.8% 76.6% 53.3% and
and perform basic
mathematical calculation (ie, Above
counting and
addition/subtraction).”
Literacy rate by Province

Literacy rate

Province 201
197
1981 1998 8
2

Punjab 20.7% 27.4% 46.56% 64.7%

Sindh 30.2% 31.5% 45.29% 62.2%

Khyber
15.5% 16.7% 35.41% 55.3%
Pakhtunkhwa

Balochistan 10.1% 10.3% 26.6% 55.5%

The Economic Survey of Pakistan 2019 report says that literacy rate has increased in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa from 54.1% to 55.3%, in Punjab from 61.9% to 64.7% and in Balochistan from 54.3%
to 55.5%.In Sindh, the literacy rate has decreased from 63.0% to 62.2%.

Literacy rate of Federally Administered Areas

Literacy Rate
Region
1981 1998 Latest

Islamabad (ICT) 47.8% 72.40% 85% (2015)

Azad Jammu & Kashmir 25.7% 55% 74% (2017)

(AJK)

Gilgit-Baltistan 3% (female) 37.85% N/A

Mean Years of Schooling in Pakistan by administrative unit

 199 200 201 201
Unit 1995 2005 2012 2018
0 0 0 5

Azad Jammu &

3.78 4.59  5.42  7.47  7.22  7.15  6.92  6.51 
Kashmir

Balochistan 1.77 2.15  2.53  3.49  3.25  3.14  3.17  3.10 

FATA 1.42 1.73  2.04  2.81  2.71  2.69  2.60  2.45 

Gilgit-Baltistan 2.01 2.44  2.88  3.97  3.84  3.80  4.59  5.17 

Islamabad (ICT) 4.16 5.05  5.96  8.21  9.67  10.70  9.62  8.34 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1.83 2.22  2.62  3.62  3.80  3.97  3.95  3.82 

Punjab 1.96 2.38  2.81  3.88  4.44  4.85  5.23  5.41 

Sindh 2.43 2.95  3.48  4.79  5.19  5.51  5.35  5.05 

Pakistan 2.28 2.77  3.27  4.51  4.68  4.85  5.09  5.16 

Flaws in the Education System of Pakistan:
In Pakistani Education System, there are a lot of flaws and issues that must be addressed as soon as
possible.

We are listing the issues and flaws in the Education System of Pakistan and will be sharing the
solutions as well.

1. Theoretical (Not Practical) Education:

I am listing this issue on the top because this is the biggest and actual problem due to which
Pakistani Education System is unable to educate the students with practical skills rather they only
read books to pass exams.

Due to this issue, even degree holders don’t have any skill to utilize and earn a happy life. They only
depend on the jobs which also need practical skills in this modern age.

A very serious part is that a so-called Educated Degree holders are begging for Jobs while on the
other side, a local Engineer called “Mistry” who has no degree and is considered as an illiterate earn
millions per year and also provide jobs.

At some points, these degree holders are provided internships by these non-degree holders.

It is a big slap on the Educational System of Pakistan.

2. Outdated (20 years old Syllabus):

Yes, you read RIGHT!!! We are teaching 20+ years old syllabus to our students which is just a joke
with the education.

How can we improve the Education system in Pakistan with the old age syllabus? We can’t compete
with the modern world of Education with this quality.

We need to come with a fresh and latest knowledge which can be compared to the foreign updated
syllabus to overcome the challenges of quality education in Pakistan.

We teach students the history of the computer (same for other subjects as well) at BS level (I think it
can be listed in top jokes of the world).
3. No Teaching Quality:

In this modern world, Teaching is considered the most special and important field. It is the backbone
of the Education system of every country. Teachers are given a special type of Training to teach
students in a better and friendly way.

Unfortunately, In Pakistan, No quality teachers are provided to students. In fact, those who become
unsuccessful in their field and they don’t know what to do with their degree now? they join
teaching.

What can a teacher teach if he/she doesn’t know the output of his subject? (Isn’t a shame?)

In the government sector, teachers are mostly employed by politicians in favoritism/bribery. While
in the private sector, they find inexperienced and the cheapest teachers.

There should be proper training programs for teachers to learn how to teach and engage students.

4. No Unity (Different Curriculum/Syllabus):

In Pakistan, there are different curriculum followed by the different educational system. First of all,
it is very unfortunate that in one country there are several educational systems that exist just based
on financial differences.

We have a National Educational System which includes matriculation and intermediate while the
other is the British Educational System which includes O level and A level.

Because of these educational differences, disparities created in the minds of students at a very
young age.

Further, in the National Educational System, we have Urdu Medium and English Medium which
divides the students, then we have govt. and private sectors which also follows different syllabus
and textbooks.

The same case with all the provinces as well. One province has one syllabus while others have
another.

This is a very big issue in the educational system of Pakistan. Govt. of Pakistan needs to address this
issue with a policy to unite all of them and make them sure to follow one best and updated syllabus.
5. Limited Fields Offered:

In Pakistan, there are few subjects which are considered as a field and these fields are imposed on
students like Medical and Engineering.

If one wants to be respected in Pakistani society, he/she must be a Medical Doctor or an Engineer.

No!!! This is wrong. All minds are not the same and they are not supposed to do the same thing.
Everyone has different creativity and that creativity can only be utilized if he/she chose his interest.

My Personal Experience:

I WAS FAILED IN MATRIC EXAM AS I WAS IMPOSED TO STUDY BIOLOGY (MEDICAL SUBJECT) WHICH

WAS NOT MY INTEREST. I TOPPED THE WHOLE COLLEGE AT [Link] LEVEL BECAUSE I CHOSE IT

(COMPUTER SCIENCE) WHICH WAS MY INTEREST. ALWAYS GO FOR INTEREST.

6. No Career Counselling (difficult to Choose Field):

Most of the students, they have no idea at the primary level that what field he/she should choose to
specialize in. It is very unfortunate that there is no counseling provided in Pakistani schools and even
colleges.

ALSO READ  Is Formal Education in Pakistan Really Worth It in 2020?

I have seen BS students regretting their decision of coming to their fields.

I like the European system in this regard where one year before field selection is for counseling.
They are provided with an environment to explore dozens of fields and then chose the best-suited
field at the end of the year. In this way, they find their actual interest and field.

7. Education Become a Profitable Business:

Education is considered as a profitable business in Pakistan. Day by day, new institutes are opening
not to provide quality education but to benefit from the lack of schools by govt. and earn a huge
amount by charging very high fees.
The perceptions of the students and their parents are not much different as well. They are taught to
study and pass exams to get a degree and then offered a job to earn money.

They have no vision to contribute to society or country through education. It becomes a business.
Parents invest in children to get Return of Invest later.

8. No Check and Balance:

The worst part of the education system in Pakistan is that there is less or no check and balance on
both govt. and private sectors.

Several Govt. schools and colleges even have no subject teachers or if they might have as well they
don’t come to teach and there is no one to ask why?

There are hundreds and thousands of ghost schools across the country that never opened in years
but thousands of employees are getting their salaries every month without any output.

Govt. has already policies and laws regarding these issues but need to implement those laws in real
means to overcome the loss of the whole nation.

9. Rattalization (Cramming):

Students are taught to do “Ratta” of the questions and answer without any concept and just paste
that Ratta in the paper to pass the exam.

It is because students don’t understand the English language and they are taught everything in
English. The funniest part is that Teachers who teach English as a subject can’t speak English
themselves.

10. No or Less Security:

Yes, unfortunately, we are facing terrorism as well. The terrorists mainly target schools and other
educational institutes which created fear in society.

Due to which parents don’t allow their children to go to schools. Govt. need to provide strict
security to the educational institutes and assure the parents that their child is in safe hands.

Drawbacks of the Education System in Pakistan (Disadvantages):

We discussed the flaws in the Educational System of Pakistan, now we are listing the drawbacks of
Education System in Pakistan that caused by those flaws and issues.

1. Child out of School:

It is estimated that presently more than 55 million age 10 Pakistanis are unable to read and write
and there are 7 million children of age 5 to 9 years are out of schools.

The more worst part is that in rural areas, more than 52% of girls are not enrolled in school. This is
not enough, you know 67% of women as well are illiterate.

These statistics are growing every year which affect every out country from every aspect either it is
political instability or less economic growth.

Reasons:

 Poverty
 Not enough schools in rural places as compared to their population.
 No awareness.
 No output from already degree holders.
 Low-Quality Education.
 Non-Responsible Politicians.
 Wadera, Choudhry, Nawabs don’t allow.
 Sexual Harassment.
 No Security.

2. Child Labor:

Because of the worst education system in Pakistan, parents don’t enroll their children in school,
instead, they make them earn money at a very young age in hotels/local shops etc,.

Reasons why Parents don’t Enroll Child in School:

 Poverty (They want their child to earn two times food for them).
 No Quality Education (Child learn nothing in years)
 Graduates are unemployed.
 Graduates could be an inspiration and motivation for others but they themselves are
unemployed.
  Why would parents want their child to waste years for just getting graduated and then do
nothing?

3. No Respect for Degrees:

Best was the time when there was big respect for degree holders. Now very few of them achieve
that respect otherwise the most non-respectful people of the society these days are unemployed
degree holders.

Because they don’t know the local and basic skills and also learn nothing in graduation which makes
him dependent on the job. If a job isn’t provided he/she becomes a burden on the society.

4. No Higher Education:

At first, parents don’t enroll their children at school. If a child has good luck and gets enrolled,
he/she only continue to study up to matric or maximum [Link] level and don’t go for graduation.

Sometimes this decision is from parents side but mostly from students themselves as well because
they also get to know the reality that nothing can be learned in real so better to leave.

5. No Major Invention/Exploration:

Due to the flaws in the education system of Pakistan, and low quality of education students are
unable to explore something new and invent something for the betterment of the society because
they followed only camming(Ratta) and there was no real concept taught to them.

Even those students who are given assignments to write an essay on Pakistan Education System.
They copy from the net and submit and don’t think over it.

How to Improve Education System in Pakistan:

Now #ItsTime to roll the table and improve the education system in Pakistan with urgent and big
steps. To answer this question, we have researched a lot and asked different teachers, students and
other personalities in the society.

We also attend some panel discussions on the topic and collect point of view of different
educationists and all those who are struggling to improve the education system in Pakistan.

Suggestions for Improving Education System in Pakistan:

1. Free Education: As stated in article 25-A, every citizen of Pakistan should be given free
education.
2. Scholarships: Govt. should provide scholarships for higher education.
3. Focus on the Parents: Why do I say this? because often and especially when it comes to
girls, parents are the biggest obstacle to achieving an education. So, what do we do? we
mobilize parents.
4. Practical Education: There should be an educational emergency to prioritize Practical
studies over theory. Right from the school level, practical works should be made
compulsory.
5. Career Counseling: It should be compulsory in every school in govt. as well as the private
sector.
6.  Remove Ratta System: Govt. should come up with a new system to remove cramming
(Ratta) system.
7. Teachers Qualification: There must be a standard qualification to be able to teach in
schools as in majority private schools FA pass teachers are hired.
8. Teachers Training: Teachers should be given proper training before allowing them to
teach.
9. Standard Syllabus: One syllabus should be made for country-wide schools to avoid
disparities.
10. Proper Planning: Government and Private both should sit together and draft a master
plan for the right education and then the government should follow this plan sincerely.
11. Unity: Governments must develop partnerships with communities, NGOs, and the private
sector to delegate responsibility effectively in order to achieve universal primary
education.
12. Political Influence: There should no political influence in the syllabus as nowadays, every
govt. just put their leader’s praise and history in books.
13. Student Political Parties: There should be a complete ban on Student Political Bodies in
Universities and colleges.
14. Faculty: There should be strict monitoring of faculty being hired in government and
private educational institutes.
15. Technical Training Centers: Make the vocational and technical training centers more
efficient so that skilled youth could be produced.
16. Policy Planners: Special Policy planning units should be established in provinces.
17. Special Grants: If needed special grants should be provided to the provinces where the
literacy rate is low.
18. Freelancing: Students must be taught the modern age digital skills and how to utilize
them through freelancing on the internet. Pakistan is on 4th number in freelancing in the
 whole world. If Pakistani students can reach this level without any proper guidance,
Imagine, If they will be given a proper training to do online freelancing and other
businesses, they can be on 1st very soon and the economy will be boosted. Govt. must
think over it.

ALSO READ  Is Formal Education in Pakistan Really Worth It in 2020?

Your suggestions are most welcomed in the comment section below.

Panel Discussion on Improvement of Education System in Pakistan:

PROVIDE TRANSPORT FOR CHILDREN AND TEACHERS: LACK OF SAFE TRANSPORTATION IS A

MAJOR FACTOR IN TEACHER ABSENTEEISM AND FATIGUE. IT ALSO AFFECTS CHILDREN’S

ATTENDANCE. SCHOOL VAN TRANSPORT IS A VALUABLE PERK FOR OUR TEACHERS.

AMJAD NOORANI, EDUCATION ACTIVIST (PAKISTAN), THE CITIZENS FOUNDATION, SAN FRANCISCO,

USA @AMJADTCFUSA@TCFPAK

MOBILISE PARENTS: FOR GIRLS, PARENTS ARE THE BIGGEST IMPEDIMENT TO THEIR EDUCATION.

MORE THAN HALF OF GIRLS WHO ARE OUT OF SCHOOL LACK EITHER PARENTAL CONSENT OR

ABILITY TO PAY SCHOOLS FEES. WE NEED TO ADVOCATE MORE FOR PARENTS TO GET INVOLVED
 WITH COMMUNITY SCHOOLS – WHETHER THEY ARE ON THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, OR

HELPING WITH THE BUILDING, FINANCING OR SECURITY AT THEIR CHILD’S SCHOOL.

ROOHI ABDULLAH, LEAD AND INITIATOR, GIRL RISING PAKISTAN, WASHINGTON DC, USA

@GIRLRISINGPAK

TAKE SANITATION SERIOUSLY: AT OUR SCHOOLS, WE HAVE CLEANING STAFF TO MAINTAIN

TOILETS DURING SCHOOL HOURS. THEY ALSO HELP WITH HYGIENE OF YOUNG KIDS BEFORE THEY

GO TO CLASS AS MANY CHILDREN ARE FROM HOMES THAT DO NOT HAVE RUNNING WATER.

TOILETS, SANITATION AND PRIVACY ARE NOT A TRIVIAL REQUIREMENT.

AMJAD NOORANI

IDENTIFY WHY CHILDREN ARE NOT IN SCHOOL: THE BIGGEST FACTOR IS ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS

AND THE FACT THAT KIDS OFTEN NEED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN WORK AND SCHOOL. IN AN IDEAL

WORLD, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THE LINK BETWEEN SCHOOLS AND FUTURE

EARNINGS. WE NEED TO GET BETTER AT PROMOTING THE VALUE OF EDUCATION TO PARENTS AND

CHILDREN.

MADEEHA ANSARI, WRITER AND INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT, LONDON, UK @MADEEHA_ANSARI

GET THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO OFFER MORE SCHOLARSHIPS: THE GOVERNMENT COULD PROVIDE

PRIVATE SCHOOLS WITH ATTRACTIVE PACKAGES SUCH AS CHEAPER UTILITY BILLS IN RETURN FOR
 THEM MAKING AT LEAST 10% OF THEIR PLACES AVAILABLE FOR FREE TO POOR STUDENTS. THIS

COULD BE ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE IN AREAS GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS HAVE FAILED TO REACH.

ZOBAIDA JALAL, FORMER MINISTER OF EDUCATION, BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN @ZOBAIDAJALAL

HOLD POLITICIANS TO ACCOUNT: CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE

GOOD INTENTIONS BUT NO ONE’S POLITICAL STAKES ARE INVESTED IN DELIVERING THAT “BETTER”

SET OF OUTCOMES, SO THEY LEAVE IT TO DONORS AND NGOS. UNTIL WE CAN GET PAKISTANI

LEADERS TO VIEW A DYSFUNCTIONAL EDUCATION REGIME AS A POLITICAL LIABILITY, WE WILL KEEP

GRASPING AT NON-SOLUTIONS.

MOSHARRAF ZAIDI, CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR, ALIF AILAAN, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

@MOSHARRAFZAIDI

SCRAP TEACHING IN ENGLISH: WE FOCUS ON ENGLISH TOO MUCH WHICH IS WHY WE’VE ENDED

UP WITH SO MUCH ROTE LEARNING. MANY TEACHERS ARE TRYING TO TEACH IN A LANGUAGE

THEY’RE NOT EVEN FULLY COMPETENT IN. MEANWHILE, CHILDREN WHO ARE CONFIDENT IN THEIR

OWN LANGUAGE ARE CONDEMNED AS DUMB IF THEY CAN’T PICK UP ENGLISH.

ZUBEIDA MUSTAFA, COLUMNIST FOR DAWN, KARACHI, PAKISTAN@ZUBEIDAMUSTAFA

@DAWN_COM

OFFER STIPENDS TO GIRLS: IT’S A SLIGHTLY CONTROVERSIAL METHOD BUT IN KHYBER

PAKHTUNKHWA WE FOUND THAT PROVIDING STIPENDS TO GIRLS AT RISK INCREASED GIRLS’

ATTENDANCE. OF COURSE SETTING THE AMOUNT FOR A STIPEND IS VERY TRICKY TO MAKE SURE IT

IS NOT TOO EXPENSIVE TO DO AT SCALE, BUT WE’VE DELIVERED 400,000 SO FAR.

ADAM HALL

LISTEN TO TEACHERS: WHAT DO THEY NEED TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE? WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE

FOR THEM TO INCREASE MOTIVATION AND SPEND MORE TIME IN THE CLASSROOM? THIS

FEEDBACK IS NOT ADEQUATELY COLLECTED OR USED AT THE MOMENT.

ADAM HALL, PROJECT MANAGER (EDUCATION), ADAM SMITH INTERNATIONAL, LONDON, UK

SET UNIVERSAL MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR SCHOOLS: WHAT MAKES A PRIMARY OR A

SECONDARY SCHOOL? CURRENTLY, YOU SEE A SCHOOL UNDER A TREE WITH TWO TEACHERS IN ONE

PLACE BUT A PRIMARY SCHOOL WITH A HUGE BUILDING AND MANY TEACHERS IN ANOTHER PLACE

– THE SAME IS THE CASE FOR CURRICULUM, TEACHERS’ QUALIFICATIONS AND EXAMINATIONS.

GOVERNMENT, COMMUNITY AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS SHOULD HAVE TO ADHERE TO THE SAME

BASIC PRINCIPLES.

DR MIR AFZAL TAJIK, DIRECTOR, AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY’S INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT, KARACHI, PAKISTAN

COLLECT A WIDER VARIETY OF DATA: MOST GOVERNMENT DATA IS FOCUSED ON SCHOOL

BUILDING CONTRACTS AND TEACHERS’ SALARIES, RATHER THAN ON WHAT THE CHILDREN ARE
LEARNING. HOW ABOUT RUNNING COMMUNITY FOCUS GROUPS ROUTINELY AND HAVING MORE

NIMBLE PROGRAMMES THAT ALLOW FOR MID-COURSE CORRECTION?

NOORULAIN MASOOD, CEO, TEACH FOR PAKISTAN, KARACHI, PAKISTAN@NOOR_MASOOD

INCENTIVISE TEACHERS TO LEARN AS THEY EARN: TEACHERS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED WITH

SALARY INCENTIVES TO TAKE COLLEGE QUALIFICATIONS AND GET A BACHELORS DEGREE.

ADDITIONALLY, ANNUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS AND IN-SERVICE TRAINING

SHOULD BE PROVIDED. HIGHER COMPETENCY SHOULD BE REWARDED.

AMJAD NOORANI

ADAPT TEACHING TECHNIQUES FOR VOLATILE SITUATIONS: WHERE SCHOOLS ARE FREQUENTLY

CLOSED DUE TO VIOLENCE, ONE POSSIBILITY IS HOME SCHOOLING. FOR EXAMPLE, IN EBOLA-

AFFECTED SIERRA LEONE WE MOVED TO DELIVERING EDUCATIONAL RADIO PROGRAMMES.

TRICIA YOUNG, DIRECTOR, CHILD TO CHILD, LONDON, UK@CHILDTOCHILD

MAKE PROVISIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: I THINK WE ALWAYS NEGLECT THE

CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR EDUCATION IN OUR SOCIETY. AS MINISTER FOR SPECIAL

EDUCATION, I CAME OUT WITH A NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND

THE MOST VITAL ELEMENT WAS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVEN’T SEEN IT

WIDELY IMPLEMENTED YET.

 ZOBAIDA JALAL

Achievements that Improved Education System in Pakistan to some Extent (2013-2020):

Sindh School Monitoring System by Sindh Govt.:

 This first digital system in the education sector in Pakistan allows transparent and
effective monitoring of staff, students, and school infrastructure.
 The Sindh School Monitoring System spreads across 15 districts and to the remotest parts
of the province. Plans are underway to expand it to the entire province.
 More than 210,000 teaching and non-teaching staff have been profiled using biometric
information, covering more than 26,200 schools.

THE SINDH SCHOOL MONITORING SYSTEM BRINGS TOGETHER TECHNOLOGY AND A ROBUST

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM TO ADDRESS LONG-STANDING GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN EDUCATION.

FAZLULLAH PECHUHO, FORMER SECRETARY EDUCATION AND LITERACY DEPARTMENT, SINDH

 
Sindh-School-Monitoring-System

Education Reforms by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government:

Uniform Education System:

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary & Secondary Education Department (ESED) is revising
textbooks.

So far up to class five have been revised. New books are structured in manner, which will help
students in concepts instead of root learning.

ALSO READ  Is Formal Education in Pakistan Really Worth It in 2020?

Schools:

The Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (ESED) has successfully established about
450 new schools in KP.

All are fully resourced and functioning according to the data available at ESED. About 229 schools
have been sanctioned while 221 are in process.

Budget:

The overall increase in Education budget has been 113.84% over the last 5 years.

Enrolment:

The enrolment of students in govt. schools increased with 4.17 million students in 2014-15, 4.219
million in 2015-16 and 4.274 million in 2016-17.

Reforms in education system improved parents confidence, more than 34,000 students migrated
from private to government schools in 2016, while this year a record of 151,000 students have been
migrated.

Some of the Key Achievements of ESED:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the only province that has allocated budget for its Education Sector Plan in-
line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nation on education.

More than 13600 schools were provided with clean drinking water. In total the Department Spent
Rs. 21 Billion on the missing facilities.

During the last three years, ESED has constructed more than 10,000 classrooms, more than 17,350
Group Latrines, more than 14,400 boundary walls, in addition to the completion of more than 10550
Schools electrification projects.

ESED in last three years hired about 40,000 more teachers.

Students drop-out significantly decreased.

To encourage girl’s education KP Govt. have built 1413 new girls’ community schools.
In these schools, 70,000 students are enrolled.

Among the students, total 500 million rupees were distributed by more than 30,000 education
vouchers.

The ESED has allocated Rs. 4 billion to provide furniture to schools.

Additionally, ESED built 1350 IT Labs in schools.

The establishment of an Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) has helped in the reduction of
teacher’s absenteeism by up to 10%.

The ESED has introduced compulsory Quranic Education in Schools from Class One to the
intermediate class.

The first Government Girls Cadet College has been established in Mardan with an allocation of 3
Billion Rupees.

ESED established 5000 play areas and more than 140 sports grounds in schools.

The establishment of the Independent Monitoring Unit in 2013 has helped in overcoming Teachers
absenteeism by up to 15%.

The Biometric system has been installed in 76 offices and 480 schools.

More than 1900 best-performing teachers received prizes of 100,000 and 50,000 cash in 2016 while
more than 900 teachers received in 2015.

To encourage healthy habits among the students, 5000 sports kits were provided to students and
more than 7500 play areas and 198 sports grounds have been completed.

More than 5500 schools have been converted to solar electricity.

ESED distributed more than 5.1 million drawing books in students all over KP.
The ESED has started prizes to the top position holders of Government Schools. Under this scheme,
the government will give Rs One Million, Rs. 500,000, Rs. 300,000 prizes to those students of
government schools who will get the 1st, 2nd and 3rd position in their board exam respectively.

One such example is available from 2016 when a Physically-challenged Faisal Malik, clinched the top
position in the intermediate examinations in Abbottabad district in KP.

Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017 has shown that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has moved up the
index and now leads the provision of infrastructure at the primary level across all the provinces in
Pakistan.

However, at the middle school level, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is in the second spot after Punjab.
Similarly, on the education score and beyond primary readiness score index Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
lags behind the Punjab, Islamabad Capital Territory and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Education Reforms by Punjab Government:

The Punjab Education Sector Reform Programme (PESRP) and School Education Reforms Roadmap
provided a holistic strategy for achieving systemic sectoral improvements over the last five years.

These reforms put a special emphasis on higher enrolment and retention, improved learning
outcomes and quality of education, and a better managed, monitored and administered education
sector.

Some of the flagship efforts under the program include:

 Improving the provision and quality of teaching

 Developing improved monitoring systems
 A robust public-private partnership program through Punjab Education Foundation (PEF)
 Restructuring of governance systems through District Education Authorities (DEA)
 and the development of interventions that strengthen incentives and accountability for
service delivery performance.

The last five years witnessed a substantial level of political and financial investment backed by
unprecedented technical innovation in tackling the education crisis in Punjab, but the gains of the
reforms enacted are still fragile.

 
 Dr-
Mariam-Chughtai-about-Education-System-of-Pakistan

Enrolment, retention, learning outcomes, public financial management, school infrastructure,

discrepancies in the data regime and centralization of all these efforts continue to pose substantial
challenges to the provincial authorities.

‘‘PUNJAB GOVERNMENT HAS STARTED CHIEF MINISTER’S STOCKTAKE INITIATIVE AND WORKED

TOWARDS PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS THAT HAVE HELPED NOT ONLY WITH ACCOUNTABILITY

BUT ALSO POLICY-MAKING ENSURING EFFECTIVE AND TIMELY SOLUTIONS.’’

MINISTER SCHOOL EDUCATION RANA MASHOOD

Education Reforms by Balochistan Govt.:

The Government of Balochistan has invested time and resources in a number of structural and
governance reforms since 2013.

These reforms have largely been to address the challenges of providing improved infrastructure,
devolving key responsibilities, and plugging the shortage of teachers through merit-based
recruitment.

The Balochistan Education Sector Plan (2013-2020) provided a holistic strategy and roadmap for
guiding the reforms process over the following five years. It put special emphasis on improving
quality, equity and governance.

Under BESP, the Balochistan government implemented reform initiatives like:

 Real-time monitoring
 Standardized testing of learning levels
  Restructuring of governance systems through District Education Authorities (DEA)
 and improved education financing.

Education System in Pakistan Latest Update 2020:

As of January 2020, Pakistan vows to raise literacy rate from 58% to 70% in four years by providing
school access to the approximately 22.8 million students, improving the education system among all
ages with modern technology.

Ministry of education of Pakistan and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood said:

“Government is also focusing on enhancing higher education quality as well as ensuring its job
market relevance. Due to low quality and lack of industry linkages, students are not getting jobs
even on completion of their Ph.D. degrees, utilizing the technology would help to address the
shortage of teachers.”

Pakistan Government’s focus is on the problems of Pakistan to be solved, at last, they said: “The
country’s future lies in providing marketable skills to youth and enabling them to earn a respectable
livelihood”.

Important PDF Files:

Education System in Pakistan Issues and Problems PDF (Download Here)

Essay on Education System in Pakistan With Outlines PDF (Download Here)
How to Improve Education System in Pakistan PDF (Download Here)

Conclusion:
The reforms required in the education system of Pakistan cannot be done by the government alone,
as a citizen of Pakistan, we are also responsible to help the govt. in improving the Education system
in Pakistan. Only then, we will be able to pull out our beloved country from illiteracy.

Similarly, vocational and technical training should be paid attention to make skilled youth as an asset
of Pakistan.

It was all about the Education System in Pakistan. You can comment your thoughts/suggestions in
the comment section.