Preamble

According to Article 37 of the Pakistani Constitution, education is a fundamental right of every person in Pakistan; however, there are still gender disparities in the educational system. According to the United Nations Development Program’s 2011 Human Development Report, roughly twice as many males as girls in Pakistan acquire a secondary education, and education expenditures account for only 2.7 percent of the country’s GDP (Human Development Report, 2011). 

Introduction

“If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation”

Pakistani culture is characterized by patriarchal authority and antiquated norms, both of which have a considerable impact on the country’s female population. Due to gender inequality, women in Pakistan have found it extremely difficult to obtain an education. In terms of educational quality, Pakistan is one of the lowest-performing countries in South Asia. It was named “the second worst country in the world in terms of gender equality” in 2017. Even though females are legally permitted to attend school, there are numerous barriers in their way. According to a UNDP 2010 report, Pakistan rated 120 out of 146 countries in terms of Gender-related Development Index (GDI), and 92 out of 94 countries in terms of Gender Empowerment Measurement (Human Development Report, 2010).

Statistics for Women’s Education in Pakistan

According to the report, “Shall I Feed My Daughter or Educate Her?”, more than a third of Pakistani females do not attend primary school, while only 21% of boys do. By the ninth grade, only 13% of girls are still in school (Human Rights Watch, 2018). According to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party agenda, 22.5 million children are out of school as of 2018. However, in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, the gender divide is stark. According to HRW, 81 percent of girls did not complete elementary education in 2014, compared to 52 percent of boys (Human Rights Watch, 2018). According to UNICEF, boys have a 20% greater literacy rate than girls (Pakistan Annual Report, 2020). Furthermore, 21 percent of Pakistani girls are married before they reach the age of 18 (Girls Not Brides, 2019).

Socio-economic hurdles in girl’s education 

Patriarchal ideals are strongly established in Pakistani society, and their various forms may be seen in several parts of the country. Gender division of labor forces women to focus on unpaid care work at home as mothers and wives, whereas men work paid jobs and are the breadwinners. This has resulted in a low level of investment in girls’ education by both their families and the government. This lack of investment in women’s human capital, combined with unfavorable societal biases and cultural practices, constraints on women’s mobility, and women’s internalization of patriarchy, forms the foundation for gender discrimination and disparities.in most spheres of life. 

In Pakistan, school destruction and killings have affected women’s education. Malala Yousafzai, a 16-year-old education campaigner, was shot in the head and neck by Taliban rebels on 9 October 2012 after she wrote about the destruction of schools and the closure of all-girls schools in her Swat District hometown of Mingora. According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, 710 schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 401 schools in Swat have been demolished or damaged by militants since September 2012. This damage was caused by Taliban resistance to girls’ education. 

Rural vs. urban divide 

Figures from Pakistan’s Ministry of Education from 2005-2006 reveal several fascinating facts regarding education in Pakistan, including the fact that the gender gap in education is substantially lower in urban areas than in rural areas. According to the estimates, the literacy rate in urban regions was 58.3 percent, whereas it was 28.3 percent in rural areas, with only 12 percent among rural women (Pakistan Education Statistics, 2006). The proportion of women who attend school in urban and rural settings is vastly different. Women’s education is expanding every day in urban areas. Parents of females in metropolitan regions are far more receptive of their daughters enrolling in school and even encouraging them to pursue a job; they are also much more aware of their daughters’ rights. Women in rural areas, unlike in urban ones, are discouraged from going to school. Most of them were raised in conservative homes with little to no schooling. 

The way forward

According to statistics, Pakistani education is marked by significant gender disparities. In order to obtain an education, girls and women must overcome socio-cultural barriers. Through the Millennium Development Goals, the international community has reached an agreement to eliminate gender imbalance in education. Gender equality advocates say that it is not only compassionate and ethical to give everyone with equal access to education without regard to gender, but it is also necessary for a society’s development and progress for both men and women to be educated. They also cite empirical research that shows that gender disparities in education have a substantial impact on rural poverty in Pakistan, and that female literacy is critical for poverty reduction.

Conclusion

Every effort counts when 130 million girls throughout the world miss school due to poverty, a lack of resources, or being surrounded by violence and conflict. When children receive an education, their lives improve, and they are given the tools they need to escape poverty. Gender discrimination at all levels is a fundamental impediment to accomplishing national and international educational goals. Female education should be a priority for the government, as it is a vital component in the creation of a more just society with strong and confident women. Education disparity in Pakistan should become a thing of the past with persistent effort. Everyone deserves the right to an equal and proper education no matter their gender. 

Bibliography

(2018). “Shall I Feed My Daughter, or Educate Her?” – Barriers to Girls’ Education in Pakistan. New York: Human Rights Watch. Retrieved from https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/pakistan1118_web2.pdf

(2010). Human Development Report 2010: The Real Wealth of Nations – Pathways to Human Development. New York: UNDP. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-report-2010

(2011). Human Development Report 2011: Sustainability and Equity – A Better Future for All. New York: UNDP. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-report-2011

(2020). Pakistan Annual Report. UNICEF. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/media/3631/file/Annual%20Report%202020.pdf

(2006). Pakistan Education Statistics 2005-2006. Ministry of Education. Retrieved from http://library.aepam.edu.pk/Books/Pakistan%20Education%20Statistics%202005-06.pdf

(2019). The side of Pakistan you don’t see. Girls Not Brides. Retrieved from https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/articles/the-side-of-pakistan-you-dont-see/