ISLAMABAD: At a time when more than 26 million children remain out of school for various reasons, the spending on the education sector has reduced from 1.7 per cent of GDP to 1.5 per cent, with 88pc of this amount being used to meet recurring expenses, such as teachers’ salaries and pensions.

According to the ‘Public Financing in Education Report 2022-23’ report prepared by the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE), a subsidiary of the education ministry, the amount allocated to the education sector is far lower than the international benchmark of 4pc under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This report provided an analysis of education financing over the last four years, from 2019 to 2022, and highlighted critical findings that signal urgent areas for reforms.

The report also underscored imbalances in the budget allocation, with a dominant share of 88pc going to recurring expenses such as salaries, leaving only 12pc for the much-needed infrastructure development.

Spending reduced from 1.7pc of GDP to 1.5pc in 2019-2022; only 12pc spent on infrastructure development

The report was discussed in a meeting chaired by Education Secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, PIE Director General Dr Shahid Soroya, representatives of the World Bank and others. The ministry decided to take steps to improve funding for the education sector after approving the findings of the report.

The participants agreed there was an urgent need to address underfunding of primary and secondary education, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the overall lack of focus on non-formal education aimed at reducing the out-of-school children population, which currently stands at 26.2 million.

The report called for a strategic increase in public education funding to at least 4pc of GDP, emphasising that a balanced approach between recurring and development expenditures was essential to modernising the education sector.

The education secretary expressed his commitment to aligning Pakistan’s education financing with international standards and appreciated efforts of the PIE and other stakeholders in identifying key areas for reforms, said a press release issued after the meeting.

This report served as a roadmap for improving the efficiency of budget utilisation, ensuring accountability, and fostering capacity-building efforts to optimise provincial education systems. In light of this report, the education ministry planned to take concrete steps to implement these recommendations.

It is relevant to note that most educational institutions across Pakistan lacked essential facilities, such as toilets, water, and boundary walls.

The Pakistan Education Statistics (PES) 2021-22, which was released in January, disclosed horrifying facts.

It revealed that the education sector was grappling with a lack of funds, poor pupil-teacher ratio, and missing basic facilities.

It said only 15pc schools in Balochistan, 21pc in AJK, 38pc in Sindh, and 44pc in Gilgit-Baltistan had electricity, while only 33pc schools in Balochistan, 42pc in AJK, and 57pc in Sindh had access to toilets. 24pc of primary schools across Pakistan did not have toilet facilities for students, it said, adding that 10pc middle and 3pc high schools did not have this basic facility either.

According to the report, Punjab, the Islamabad Capital Territory, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fared comparatively better in terms of education facilities. It may be noted that at present, Islamabad is investing funds to uplift at least 200 schools.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2024