Pakistan records gains in girls’ education across all provinces

APP

Islamabad: In a country where millions of girls were once kept out of classrooms, Pakistan is now witnessing a slow but steady shift: more girls are enrolling in schools, staying longer in education, and closing long-standing gender gaps in learning.

• Female school attendance rises to 57% nationwide in major education shift
• Balochistan shows sharpest rise in female school participation
• Rural girls’ education improves as attendance climbs to 59%
• Female literacy reaches 54%, signaling slow but steady progress

Official data reviewed by Wealth Pakistan shows that female school attendance has increased from 50% in 2018–19 to 57% in 2024–25, marking a significant improvement in access to education for girls aged 10 and above. The rise has also lifted the overall national school attendance rate from 61% to 67% during the same period.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/uk-pledges-up-to-130m-for-girls-education-in-pakistan/

Behind these numbers is a broader social change unfolding unevenly across provinces, rural communities, and income groups. Punjab recorded an increase in female attendance from 59% to 65%, while Sindh rose from 45% to 49%. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the rate climbed from 38% to 47%, and in Balochistan—historically the most disadvantaged province—it improved from 24% to 34%.

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Education experts say the gains, though gradual, reflect expanding school infrastructure, awareness campaigns, and community-level shifts in attitudes toward girls’ education. Yet they also note that millions of girls remain out of school, especially in remote and underserved regions.

The most visible progress has come from rural Pakistan, where female participation in schooling increased from 53% to 59%. For many villages, where schooling for girls was once considered optional or secondary, education is increasingly being seen as a pathway to economic security and social mobility.

Alongside rising attendance, educational attainment among women is also improving. The share of females completing at least primary education rose from 42% to 48%, suggesting that more girls are not only entering school but staying long enough to complete foundational levels of learning.

Literacy trends further reinforce this shift. Female literacy among those aged 10 and above reached 54% in 2024–25, with rural women showing some of the most notable gains in recent years.

The broader education landscape is also changing. The national out-of-school children rate dropped from 38% in 2023 to 28% in 2025, while overall literacy among people aged 10 and above increased from 61% to 63%.

Despite progress, challenges remain deeply rooted. Poverty, distance to schools, early marriages, and cultural barriers continue to prevent many girls from accessing education consistently. In some districts, especially in Balochistan and parts of rural Sindh, infrastructure gaps still limit access despite rising demand.

Still, the upward trend signals a gradual but important transformation. For many families, sending daughters to school is no longer seen as an exception but increasingly as an expectation—one that could reshape Pakistan’s social and economic future in the years ahead.