Education is basic necessity in any country for progress and prosperity. In most democracies it is deemed a basic right. The negligence and apathy shown by the government and the society in providing this basic right will have disastrous consequences in the very near future.

Please also provide year by year analysis as well to see if any government has been different?

Ironic that with these statistics, Punjab & Sindh government are still able to defend themselves and ask for more turns, yet more ironic is the fact that people keep giving them chances. Wakeup Pakistan!!

Its not just the apathy of the government. It also shows a lack of opportunities for educated individuals who find that even with education they are no better off and figure there is no point. Nearly 4/5 of the economy of Pakistan is controlled by the government which is highly inefficient. Where would opportunities for these people come from

@Ajamal Why do u keep blaming the government ....always? What have u done is what matters

Some people on this thread are not wanting to blame the government for this and are asking each other what they have done Out of the 4 provinces, only KPK has implemented Tameer E School program, where the common man can help by donation. I have seen the website and the details and donate myself, but the results are very poor. The common Pakistani who is in FB, twitter or Dawn loves to click likes, but doesn't do much in reaity to help the situation

It is shameful that the Sri Lanka's population has a literacy rate of 92%, and Iran has 85 % , much much higher than Pakistan.

Individual efforts required,if we want to change PAKISTAN.

Its is really emergency. we as nation going downward day by day. it is now time to come for our right not only in our mind & heart but aggressively in print, electronic media, through parliamentarian specially from urban origin. Lets do it now, if not now it will never............... Spread education save Pakistan

I have serious doubts. 43% children in AJK are out of school?? I simply can't believe that!

@Farooq It has been abandoned now. Sad but true.

I would gladly take loans from international institutions for building up quality schools rather than Metro Buses. Like IK says, our educational system needs to be uniform and needs immediate help.

Excellent presentation . very well done. keep it up for those who have done.

It is also the responsibility of Individual, first we need send our children to school and tell the neighbour to do the same and he will tell his neighbour and the chain should continue. General education is very important for the country's future.

How I (we) can help?

How unfortunate. Those who can (mostly boys) are unwilling to go to school, and those who want to (girls) are not allowed. Education up to high school should be mandatory. It is a basic human right.

AJK has 43% out of school children, while Indian Held Kashmir has a literacy rate of 70% + , moreover J&K has a poverty population of only 4% while AJK has 29% population BPL. And then you ask for IHK, splendid!

It is alarming and where would these children when they grow would end up. It is sad.

The research as done by Alif Ailan is amazing, revealing and at the same time provides a lot of food for thought. The first lines in this report caught my eyes and they are "The Constitution of Pakistan states that every child has the right to free and compulsory education". Great Pakistan, Great constitution and i dare say very mediocre approach of our people (or perhaps Governments as well). Please read it again, and you will find "Education" and "Not schooling". We all have been made to believe that schooling is the only recognized way to educate the students. This is Education that is required. The data in it self suggest that "Schools are unable to retain the students" , "poor people are more likely to drop out" "Boys are not willing to go to school" "Girls are not allowed to go to school". These are social norms, these are daily problems that a poor person faces, they hardly get a days meal and we want them to leave every thing and go to school. How cruel of us. What we are doing is that we are treating the disease and not the symptom. What we are doing is that we want kids to learn what we want them to teach, not what they want to learn or what their parents want them to make and teach. We do not take into account our social, economic and political structure and just shout for schooling. May i suggest an option here...........When we know that education is necessary and not schooling, why do not we take education to the place where out of school kids live, why do not we turn the system to accommodate out of school children by changing the timings of the schools, why cannot we create an education opportunity for them at the pace at which they want. Just another statistics of Punjab government revealed last year that it needed 78000 class rooms and each class rooms cost around 5 to 7 hundred thousand. Just calculate the cost and see if that will be possible for them to make such number of class rooms in next many years given the priorities they have. Why do not they spend even quarter of that amount to build minds of the people (that will sustain for ever) instead of buildings (that can be deserted)

And they are supposed to be our future leaders! May God bless Pakistan!

Shameful, but not a surprise at all. What can you say about our culture., where families are more likely to spend on Cable service than on books for their children? Almost everyone, from the rickshawallah to street vendor, and a janitor has discovered Mobile phone, but can hardly read or write? It is the reflection of a nation where you find more jewelry, clothing and shoe stores than book stores in every neighborhood. How can a child even develop an interest to read a book, and even learn to read, when the nation has more cable channels than libraries? It is a function of cause and effect. And let's not forget, Pakistan spends more on Defense, than education, healthcare, and social developments combined. The country is beset with so much corruption and misplaced priorities, that this outcome was inevitable.

@Muhammad Jamil Khan yes sir you are right but we are living in lethargy. Our minds are being kept busy in jalsa, political activities and other instabilities in Pakistan. I highly respect your opinion but what how sad that no one pays attention. People are just fed up with everything. And above all,its the government authority to provide free education. They control everything not the people of Pakistan. All we can do is to stand united to make it a prosperous nation

@Sandra it is government responsibility . They rule this country . All we can do is to realize and serve this nation but who will provide opportunities to our millions of youth?who will provide the basic education?the world is progressing in development and technology !

@Muhammad Jamil Khan Excellent suggestions. Lets help provide education to all of Pakistani children and STOP producing illeterate adults. To compete in today's economy, Pakistan needs well educated and skilled work force. Contact your poltical leaders asking WHAT PLANS do they have to solve this educational crises?

It seems like Indian kashmir is well ahead than Pakistan punjab.

Pakistani Government and people are more interested in Kashmir, Gujarat, Palestine etc. etc. And have no time to look at its own turf. While countries are progressing forward, Pakistan is taking 100s of steps backward. Pathetic.

@rajat u r bang on......

@Zee How can I ( we) help. By learning English first.

Alarming......62% children in FATA and 66 % in Baluchistan are out of school. What we expect...where they would go....and the outcome is all around us... but do we care?

Education is not only a basic human right under the constitution, it is also incumbent on all Muslims to acquire knowledge. There is a need to start a nation wide movement to educate every Pakistani to ensure a better and prosper future for the country. Only an educated society would be able to compete successfully in the knowledge based economy of 21st Century. We must prepare our nation well.

@g.raja It is not near future it is already a disaster. The society's apathy to sectarianism and extremism is the result of Illiteracy and unawareness and it has already started taking a disastrous toll. Learn from Bangladesh or Malaysia. If a girl is educated, when she grows up she will educate her children for sure.

i dont get it why middle class dont send there children to school. They certainly can afford it. And there are some rich too who dont send there children to school. Are they crazy or what.

Good Report

@tayyaba cent percent agree, individual is vital.

@rajat Some mistake seems to have been made. While AJK may have a lower literacy rate than IHK it has by far the lowest number of Out of School Children as far as I know!

For some people in Pakistan it is blessing in disguise, I doubt, this will continue until we know, disclose and condemn the real secret behind the illiterate nation.

Its alarming for those who think it. But unfortunately our government has't priority on basic education, that is why the nation is facing. There is a need of social justice..........

It is alarming for those who think it. The nation needs social justice