Over 26 million children out of school in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Education in Pakistan is inundated with challenges — with more than 26 million children currently out of school. According to the details presented by the Ministry of Education, over 10 million children, from ages 5-9, do not go to school; more than 4.9 million boys and over 5.8 million girls are deprived of education. The Education Ministry also revealed that more than 4.9 million children aged 10-12 are deprived of middle school education; over 2.1 million are boys and more than 2.8 million are girls. Additionally, it was reported that over 4.5 million students (~2.3 million male and ~2.2 million female) are deprived of high school education. The Ministry further informed that over 5.9 million students (~2.9 million male and ~2.9 million female) are deprived of higher secondary education. [embedpost slug="hec-exposes-145-illegal-educational-institutions-in-pakistan/"] Last year, in a significant step to ensure the quality and legitimacy of higher education in Pakistan, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had released an extensive roster of illegal and counterfeit educational institutions operating within the nation.