Girls’ Education in rural areas of Pakistan: Issues and policy recommendations

Education is a fundamental human right and necessity. Without girls’ education a society can does not achieve long-term social and economic progress. A study was conducted to identify the determinants of the enrollment status of girls in rural areas of Pakistan, at household level. Following were the findings of this study:

• The economic condition of the household, as assessed by household expenditures, assets, and savings, has a positive and significant impact on the girls’ school enrollment.
• Parents prefer boys’ education over girls’ education, in addition, the gender of teacher is also important to them, both of which have a negative impact on girls’ school enrolment.
• The number of siblings reportedly also has a significant effect on determining a girl’s schooling. With fewer siblings under the age of 16, more girls are likely to enroll in schools in rural areas.
• The education of the father and girls’ age also has a positive and significant relation with girls’ school enrollment.

The study goes on to make following suggestions for policy makers to promote education for girls by countering problems as those mentioned above:

• To promote girls’ enrolment in rural areas, the government should examine steps to eliminate poverty. Girls’ enrolment in rural regions is frequently delayed. As a result, the government should provide preschool facilities so that girls can enroll at a young age.
• Each province’s ministry of education should provide a platform in rural regions to educate and inform parents about the value of girls’ education so that the education of both boys and girls can be equally favored.
• In rural areas, exclusively female teachers should be hired for girls’ schools, so that the concerns of parents regarding teachers’ gender may no longer be a hurdle.
• As previously mentioned, that higher number of siblings causes negative impact on girls’ education hence to achieve the desired outcomes for the population in rural areas, the services of Pakistan’s population welfare agency should play a critical part.

With these policy recommendations, better outcome is expected. Growth in females’ education in Pakistan, can allow us to expect long term sustainable economic and social change.

Research paper cited

Rasheed, Z., Hussain, B., Shahzad, Q., & Khan, F. (2021, April 30). Role of Socio-economic Constraints in Female Education in Pakistan: A Binary Outcome Approach. http://ijdri.com/me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/50.pdf

Author: Javeria Khalid