How Pakistan’s Middle-Class Chooses Children’s Schools

Nosheen Akbar

Rawalpindi: For Pakistan’s middle-class families, choosing a school has become far more than a routine decision about where their children will study. It is increasingly a calculation about affordability, quality and the kind of future parents hope to secure for the next generation.

Every admission form, monthly fee and additional school expense represents another financial decision. Parents want their children to develop confidence, communication skills, digital awareness and the ability to compete in higher education and the job market, but providing these opportunities can require sacrifices elsewhere in the family budget.

Behind the search for a suitable school lies a difficult question: how much can a family reasonably spend today to improve a child’s prospects tomorrow?

Private schools have become a preferred choice for many families because they are often associated with better facilities, modern teaching methods, technology-based learning and wider extracurricular opportunities. Yet as education costs continue to rise, parents are increasingly questioning whether higher fees always translate into better learning.

Parents Bushra Hamid, Iram Nazir and Kausar Parveen told APP that socioeconomic differences were becoming increasingly reflected in children’s educational experiences.

They said students in well-resourced institutions could benefit from better-equipped classrooms, technology, extracurricular activities and greater opportunities to build confidence and communication skills. Children attending comparatively inexpensive schools, however, could face limitations in infrastructure, teaching resources and individual attention.

For parents, the definition of quality education is also changing.

Academic results remain important, but many families now expect schools to prepare children for challenges beyond examinations. Communication, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork and digital literacy are increasingly viewed as essential skills for the future.

This shift has changed the way parents assess a school.

A modern building, computer laboratory or impressive campus may attract families, but parents increasingly want to know whether teachers are adequately trained, whether students receive individual attention and whether classrooms encourage children to ask questions and think independently.

For families choosing lower-fee schools, however, compromises can be unavoidable.

Parents say some institutions continue to depend heavily on traditional teaching methods, lengthy syllabi and examination-centred approaches. Such practices, they argue, can leave limited room for practical learning, creativity and independent thought.

For middle-class households, the challenge is to find a school where affordability does not come at the expense of opportunity.

And tuition is only one part of the equation.

Books, uniforms, transport, stationery, examination charges, annual functions and extracurricular activities can add substantially to the overall cost of schooling. For families with several children, these expenses can become a recurring financial burden.

This has prompted some parents to question the growing commercialization of private education.

They argue that frequent increases in school fees should be accompanied by clear improvements in teaching quality, facilities and student services. Otherwise, they fear, families are simply being asked to pay more without receiving proportionately greater educational benefits.

School owners, however, point to another side of the equation.

Rawalpindi-based private school owner Kaleemullah Rao told APP that educational institutions were themselves facing rising operational costs, including building rents, commercial utility bills, taxes, teachers’ salaries, maintenance, security and administrative expenses.

He said parents understandably wanted affordable education, but schools also needed adequate resources to employ qualified teachers and maintain acceptable educational standards.

“When institutions are expected to provide modern facilities and qualified teachers while keeping fees low, financial pressures can affect their ability to maintain standards,” he said.

Rao suggested that support for educational institutions, including relief in essential operating costs where possible, could help schools control expenses and reduce the need for repeated fee increases.

But the debate over education cannot be settled through fee structures and facilities alone.

The most important element of any school remains the teacher standing in front of the classroom.

Local school teacher Fazeela Mazhar said low salaries and limited professional development opportunities were among the major challenges facing the teaching profession.

She said some young graduates entered teaching because of limited employment options rather than viewing it as a long-term career, making it difficult for schools to develop stable teams of experienced and motivated teachers.

Mazhar stressed that teachers needed continuous training in modern teaching techniques, classroom management, child psychology and curriculum development. Academic qualifications alone, she said, were not enough to address the changing educational needs of children.

Heavy workloads, financial pressures and limited opportunities for career advancement could also contribute to teacher turnover.

“This creates a cycle in which schools struggle to retain experienced teachers, teachers face financial pressure and students ultimately bear the consequences,” she said.

The teacher shortage and retention issue also draws attention to an often-overlooked aspect of school quality: the amount of attention each child receives.

A school can have advanced technology and impressive infrastructure, but an adequately trained and motivated teacher who understands a child’s individual needs can have a much greater impact on learning.

Curriculum differences have also become part of the wider education debate.

Education stakeholders believe schools should have room for supplementary subjects and activities while ensuring that students across different education systems achieve a common foundation in essential areas of learning.

Language presents another challenge.

Many children use one language at home and encounter another in school. Parents and teachers say the focus should ultimately be on whether students can understand, write, communicate and analyse effectively rather than on language of instruction alone.

The pressure on children also extends beyond academic lessons.

Long syllabi, heavy school bags, extensive homework and frequent examinations can leave students with little time for sports, recreation, creativity and family life.

Parents and teachers increasingly recognise that academic achievement alone does not necessarily indicate a healthy or balanced educational experience.

A child who performs well in examinations but has little opportunity to play, explore, communicate or develop creative interests may still be missing important elements of childhood and personal development.

Educational practitioner Shehroz Khan said affordability and quality needed to be addressed together, with greater emphasis on consistency, monitoring and access to institutions capable of providing meaningful learning opportunities.

He said a strong education system required cooperation among the government, educational institutions, teachers and parents, with each stakeholder contributing to better learning outcomes.

Government schools, he said, require continued attention to infrastructure, teacher training, modern teaching methods, sports facilities and child-friendly classrooms. Private institutions, meanwhile, need reasonable fee structures, qualified teachers, adequate facilities and measurable educational outcomes.

In Punjab, regulatory and inspection mechanisms are already part of efforts to monitor educational institutions. Recent provincial measures aimed at strengthening oversight, including the engagement of retired personnel for monitoring purposes, also indicate continued efforts to improve educational standards.

However, effective oversight depends on regular inspections, transparent documentation and timely corrective action. Monitoring alone cannot improve classrooms unless identified shortcomings are addressed.

For parents, these policy debates ultimately return to a deeply personal decision.

When they stand at a school admission desk, they are not merely choosing an institution. They are deciding what opportunities their children will have, what compromises the family can make and how much of its income can be devoted to education.

For Pakistan’s middle class, schooling has consequently become both a symbol of hope and a test of financial resilience.

The larger challenge is to build an education system in which a family’s income does not determine the quality of opportunities available to its children.

Quality education should not be measured solely by expensive campuses, branded uniforms or examination scores. It should equip children with the ability to think critically, communicate confidently, solve problems, work with others, use technology effectively and maintain healthy physical and emotional lives.

Ultimately, the success of an education system should be judged not by how much families can spend, but by how much potential it can help every child realise.

If quality education becomes accessible mainly to families capable of absorbing continuously rising costs, the system risks reinforcing the socioeconomic inequalities it should help reduce.

For middle-class parents across Pakistan, the aspiration remains straightforward: their children should be able to pursue ambitious dreams without those dreams becoming a financial burden their families cannot sustain.