Education Fact Sheet: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Development Begins at School
Existing educational infrastructure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is facing wear and tear of the years neglect further aggravated by conflicts, natural disasters and ever rising number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) - big contributing factors of low enrolment and persistently high drop-out rate. Of the approximately 7.1 million children between the ages 5-16 in KP, around 2.5 million children are out of school, owing to the grossly ill-equipped public schooling system to meet the needs of a growing population.
4.17 Million total number of students enrolled (1)
2.5 million out of school children (2)
68% girls are out of school (3)
32% boys are out of school (4)
Disctricts where
Humqadam is working
(1) - Education Sector Plan 2012, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(2), (3), (4) - 25 Million Broken Promises: The crisis of Pakistan out-of-school children; Alif Ailaan District Education Rankings 2013
Education has become a pronounced talking point in the global development discourse of the 21st century. Cognizant of the fact, KP is ushering a new era of renewed interest in the long neglected education sector, realizing that the tone of future growth and development are set by provision of quality, accessible, inclusive, and safe education.
As we embark on the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), pressure is mounting on all the stakeholders in education sector to show results. Fresh evidence shows that improvement of physical infrastructure and provision of basic facilities is a key factor in winning the confidence of parents in the public schooling system.
Schools Breakdown
(Source: The State of Education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Alif Ailaan, 2014)
Schools Distribution
73%
Government Primary Schools
27%
Private Schools
(Source: Education Sector Plan 2012, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Moving Forward
202
Higher Secondary Schools
Lot 1-(73), Lot 2-(129)
1025
Regular Schools
Lot-1(325), Lot-2(700)
(Source: Baseline Assessment of Government Schools in Selected Districts of Punjab, School Construction and Rehabilitation Programme, 2015)
In KP low female literacy is a problem perpetuated by cultural as well as logistical factors. The province has dismal one third female illiteracy.
38% female Literacy
73% female illiteracy
Below figures indicate the urban-rural divide and alarmingly low rates that hit a rock bottom in Lakki Marwat (10.8%) and Kohistan (3.1%).
50% urban areas
15% rural areas
(Source: The State of Education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Alif Ailaan, 2014)
The Challenge
School enrolment patterns evidently show a gender disparity in the province, where 68% of the out of school children population are girls and only around 30% are boys, whereas, the dropout ratio is much higher for girls at 43% as compared to boys at 29%. Of every 100 girls enrolled in primary schools in KP only 28 make it to secondary schools.
KP has the second-highest number of defunct schools in Pakistan, where 1663 schools are non-functional. 77% of the total children go to government schools, 22% private and the remaining 1% go to Madrassa.
Two decades of neglect coupled with natural and socio-economic factors, the schools of KP have been in disrepair:
- The 2005 earthquake took a heavy toll on schools. Over 2,700 schools were destroyed. The process of rehabilitation of schools remains a long drawn out undertaking. It is estimated that around 1, 50,000 students still study in the open.
- Militancy ravaged throughout KP razing 237 schools completely and 367 school partiality in Malakand division alone. Outside Malakand, a total of 90 schools were affected.
- The recent floods of 2010 hit 25 districts. A whopping 1694 schools were damaged resultantly.
- The public and private schools exacerbate the divide and lack of standardization. Following the national trend, private schools are getting popular within KP accounting for 27% of the sector. Their eminence is due to relatively poor quality of education in the government schools, inadequate space and facilities, and corporal punishment- all of which scare away parents and children alike.
22% school buildings are dilapidated
48%
lack electricity
35%
lack water facility
25%
lack toilet facility
27%
lack boundary wall
Source: KP Infographics 2014, Annual Status of Education Report, 2014
Time to Build Better Schools
Humqadam-SCRP is set to capture the education opportunity to transform the schools into safe and secure places of learning by matching high standards of construction with social engineering. An assessment process covering baseline and technical surveys of 1234 schools revealed that the existing facilities were squeezed and many children forced to leave. Humqadam's work in progress is now sharply focused on building additional classrooms and missing facilities.
Humqadam-SCRP is set to capture the education opportunity to transform the schools into safe and secure places of learning by matching high standards of construction with social engineering. An assessment process covering baseline and technical surveys of 1234 schools revealed that the existing facilities were squeezed and many children forced to leave. Humqadam's work in progress is now sharply focused on building additional classrooms and missing facilities.
Step 1
Identify out of school children
Step 2
Talk to Parents
Step 3
Get them in schools
Step 4
Make them stay in schools
Education as an opportunity: conditions and impact
As the world commits itself to the SDGs, hopes are high for putting education at the center of development agenda. Parent Teacher Councils (PTCs), the Elementary and Secondary Education Department (E&SED) and CCSIs have created a grand alliance to deliver inclusive and equitable education for all. Archaic and centralized strategies are being replaced by local, decentralized strategies to deliver potent solutions to best address the issues highlighted by students, teachers and the community.
Ownership and community involvement are crucial for the success of Programme. It has been proved that one sided government-centric planning meted out deleterious effects than beneficial ones. Therefore, a new tier of CCSI has been added to strengthen the community participation and ensure transparency and accountability.