By Mehrab Shah Afridi
ISLAMABAD: A new report has laid bare the weaknesses in the government’s education emergency policy, revealing that more than 25 million children in Pakistan remain out of school.
The Institute of Social and Policy Sciences (ISPES) said total spending on education in the country has reached 500 billion rupees, yet a growing share is being shouldered by ordinary families rather than the state. For the first time in the nation’s history, household expenditure on education has surpassed the government’s own education budget.
According to the fifteenth edition of the ISPES report, parents are now carrying 56 percent of the financial burden of schooling, while the government covers only 44 percent. The study details that families spend 1310 billion rupees on private school fees, 613 billion rupees on coaching and tuition, and 878 billion rupees on other personal educational costs.
Public investment, by comparison, has fallen to 220 billion rupees, while citizens collectively spend 280 billion rupees out of pocket. Speaking at a policy dialogue, ISPES Executive Director Dr Salman Humayun said the trend highlights a serious equity crisis in the country. World Bank Senior Education Specialist Azza Farooq added that the growing reliance on private schools reflects families’ decisions to turn away from public education.
The report paints a stark picture of Pakistan’s education landscape, where millions of children risk being left behind unless public schools are adequately funded and educational equity is prioritized.
