ISLAMABAD, July 29, 2025 — Pakistan’s education sector is facing an alarming crisis as public spending hits its lowest levels in recent years. Despite an ongoing national “education emergency” declared by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, over 26 million children—more than one-third of the country’s school-age population—remain out of the classroom, placing Pakistan among the countries with the highest number of out-of-school children globally.
According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024-25, the country has seen a steep and consistent decline in its education budget, with allocations dropping from 2% of GDP in 2018 to just 0.8% in 2025. Between July 2024 and March 2025 alone, education spending contracted by 29%, a cut that sharply contradicts international benchmarks. The UNESCO-backed Incheon Declaration advises nations to allocate 4–6% of GDP and 15–20% of total public expenditure to education.
Though the Constitution guarantees free and compulsory education for children aged 5 to 16, around 38% of school-age children remain unenrolled. The situation is worse for girls, particularly in rural and conflict-affected regions. In Balochistan, for example, three out of four girls do not attend school due to factors ranging from infrastructure collapse to cultural barriers.
In 2024, Pakistan experienced unprecedented climate-related school closures, including extensive heatwaves that forced thousands of schools to shut down during peak summer months. This followed the devastating 2022 floods, which damaged or destroyed over 27,000 schools, displacing nearly 2.9 million students. Many of these students, especially girls, never returned to class.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Save the Children is working to rebuild a girls’ school ravaged by flood damage. Gull Bibi, the school’s headteacher, shared that over 70% of girls dropped out after the disaster due to the unavailability of safe and functional classrooms. “If the school is reconstructed and made resilient, I truly believe most girls will come back—and new ones will join too,” she said.
Save the Children has so far rehabilitated about 100 flood-hit schools and constructed climate-resilient buildings in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where millions of children still lack access to safe learning environments.
Khuram Gondal, Save the Children’s Country Director in Pakistan, expressed deep concern:
“A budget of less than 1% of GDP for education makes a mockery of the government’s promise to resolve the education emergency. Without meaningful investment, we’re watching a generation fall deeper into poverty, illiteracy, and child labor.”
Indeed, being out of school places children at greater risk of child labor and early marriage. Nearly 10% of children aged 10–14 are engaged in labor, and 19 million girls are estimated to have been married before turning 18—ranking Pakistan sixth globally for child marriage prevalence.
Despite government claims of a planned increase to 4% of GDP by 2029, education advocates warn that this promise must be matched with clear roadmaps, transparency, and accountability. International donors are also urged to step in.
Save the Children, operational in Pakistan since 1979, has supported over 1.1 million flood-affected people, including 600,000 children. The organization co-leads Pakistan’s Education in Emergencies Working Group and continues to push for emergency funding, inclusive policies, and long-term planning to shield children—especially girls and those in climate-impacted regions—from educational neglect.
“We can no longer delay. The children of Pakistan need bold action, not broken promises,” Gondal emphasized.
