ISLAMABAD (Hareem Jadoon) - More than 25 million children across Pakistan are currently out of school, with 20 million of them never having attended school, according to a recent report by the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE) obtained by Dunya News.fpaki
Alarmingly, the report also notes that 1,084 transgender children are among those not enrolled in schools.
The provincial breakdown shows a concerning picture. In Punjab, 9.6 million children are out of school, including 4.7 million boys and 4.8 million girls. Sindh has 7.8 million children missing out on education, with 3.7 million boys and 4 million girls not attending school. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 4.9 million children remain unenrolled, comprising 2 million boys and 2.9 million girls. Balochistan reports 2.9 million out-of-school children, including 1.4 million boys and 1.5 million girls.
Even in the federal capital, 89,000 children aged 6 to 16 years are not attending school, including 47,849 boys and 41,275 girls.
The PIE report warns that the number of out-of-school children is increasing by 20,000 annually, highlighting an urgent need for interventions to ensure every child’s right to education. Experts stress that immediate policy action is essential to bring these children into the formal education system and prevent them from being left behind.
This data underscores the persistent challenges in Pakistan’s education sector, including access, equity, and quality, and emphasizes the need for coordinated efforts by the government, civil society, and educational institutions to address this growing crisis.