The 2023 census has laid bare Pakistan’s education debacle: 63 percent of youth and 23 percent of adolescents untouched by formal education. This mass deprivation is fueling social inequality and stunting national growth.
Media spotlights reveal out-of-school youth as policy orphans. Women bear the brunt—75 percent in the 15-29 bracket never attended school, dwarfing the 50 percent male figure. Beyond literacy, this spells exclusion from careers, health, and societal roles indefinitely.
Focusing on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, a Sustainable Development Policy Institute-UNFPA study probes the reintegration of these youth into education, work, healthcare, and public life, offering critical insights.
Financial strain causes 75 percent to drop out. Additional barriers: domestic loads, job compulsions, school scarcity, travel hazards, unsafe transport, and norms suppressing girls’ access. For them, premature weddings and harassment risks are prime obstacles.
Boys endure early hardships in low-wage drudgery; two-thirds feel the breadwinner squeeze from childhood. Girls dedicate 85 percent-plus of time to gratuitous home and care labor, sidelining learning and livelihoods. Average girlhood marriage hits at 18.
Employment vacuum affects 75 percent, women predominantly, with earners stuck in unstable, sub-25,000-rupee informal work. Vocational training? Over 90 percent untouched.
Healthcare access fails amid rampant undernutrition, chronic conditions, and mental strains, blocked by costs, logistics, and unawareness. Bold reforms are essential to reclaim these young lives and bolster Pakistan’s prospects.