Education in Pakistan

Education in Pakistan

Educational oversight
Rana Tanveer Hussain	Minister of Education
General details
Primary languages	English, Urdu
System type	State, federal and private
Literacy (2022[1])
Total	72
Male	81.22%
Female	54.71%
Enrollment
Total	32.33% of population[2]
Primary	67.57%[2]
Secondary	43.82%[2]
Post secondary	14.85%[2]

Education in Pakistan is overseen by the Federal Ministry of Education and the provincial governments, while the federal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and the financing of research and development. Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan obligates the state to provide free and compulsory quality education to children of the age group 5 to 16 years. "The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such a manner as may be determined by law".^[3] Considering the challenges confronting the youth in Pakistan, it's hardly astonishing that well-off and educated young individuals and professionals are opting to depart the country whenever they have the opportunity, exacerbating the brain drain phenomenon.^[4]

The education system in Pakistan^[5] is generally divided into six levels: preschool (for the age from 3 to 5 years), primary (years one to five), middle (years six to eight), secondary (years nine and ten, leading to the Secondary School Certificate or SSC), intermediate (years eleven and twelve, leading to a Higher Secondary School Certificate or HSSC), and university programs leading to undergraduate and graduate degrees.^[6] The Higher Education Commission established in 2002 is responsible for all universities and degree awarding institutes.^[7] It was established in 2002 with Atta-ur-Rahman as its Founding Chairman.^[8]

Pakistan still has a low literacy rate relative to other countries.^[9] As of 2022^[update] Pakistan's literacy rates range from 96% in Islamabad to 23% in the Torghar District.^[10] Literacy rates vary by gender and region. In tribal areas female literacy is 9.5%,^[11] while Azad Kashmir has a literacy rate of 74%.^[12] Pakistan's population of children not in school (22.8 million children) is the second largest in the world after Nigeria.^[13] According to the data, Pakistan faces a significant unemployment challenge, particularly among its educated youth, with over 31% of them being unemployed. Moreover, women account for 51% of the overall unemployed population, highlighting a gender disparity in employment opportunities.^[14] Pakistan produces about 445,000 university graduates and 25,000 to 30,000 computer science graduates per year As of 2021^[update].^[15]