Web Desk: More than two years after Pakistan declared a national education emergency, over 25 million children remain out of school as chronic underfunding, weak governance and fragmented education systems continue to undermine efforts to expand access to education, according to a policy review released by the Civil Services Academy (CSA).
The report said Pakistan’s education crisis stems from decades of structural shortcomings rather than a lack of policy initiatives. While provincial governments have developed road maps under the National Education Action Plan (NEAP) 2026, implementation has lagged because of financial constraints, administrative fragmentation and uneven institutional capacity across the country.
The comparative policy review found that the country’s education challenge is rooted in long-standing issues, including persistent poverty, rapid population growth, inadequate public investment and weak governance.
Drawing on historical data from the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE), the report said successive governments have struggled to expand public education infrastructure quickly enough to keep pace with population growth. As a result, millions of children have remained outside the formal education system, while low-cost private schools have expanded to fill some of the gap.
The report concluded that Pakistan’s primary obstacle is no longer policy formulation but the effective implementation of existing education plans.
According to the report, between 25.1 million and 26 million children are currently out of school, placing Pakistan among the countries with the world’s second-largest burden of out-of-school children.
The findings highlight the gap between constitutional guarantees and reality. Article 25-A of Pakistan’s Constitution guarantees free and compulsory education for children, yet millions remain excluded from classrooms.
The report acknowledged that the federal government’s declaration of a National Education Emergency on May 8, 2024, generated political momentum. However, it said a uniform national strategy cannot address the diverse challenges facing individual provinces.
The review identified distinct obstacles across Pakistan’s regions.
Punjab faces the country’s largest concentration of out-of-school children. Sindh continues to struggle with declining education outcomes beyond the primary level and disruptions caused by climate-related disasters. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, insecurity, difficult terrain and shortages of female teachers remain major barriers to education.
Meanwhile, Balochistan continues to grapple with weak institutions, vast geographical distances and large numbers of non-functional schools. Although Islamabad Capital Territory, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir report relatively stronger enrollment rates, the report said significant internal disparities persist.
Punjab accounts for the largest share of Pakistan’s out-of-school children, with estimates ranging from 9.6 million to 10.4 million, according to the report.
Data from the Punjab School Education Department’s 2026 baseline assessment showed that approximately 6.4 million children have never enrolled in school, while another 3.16 million have dropped out before completing their education.
The findings suggest that Pakistan’s education challenge extends beyond enrolling children in schools and increasingly involves keeping them in the education system through completion, the report said.
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