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PESHAWAR, Mar 18 (APP):Civil society organizations and education advocates have urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to prioritize girls’ secondary education in the upcoming fiscal budget 2025-2026.
In a press release issued here on Tuesday, the call is made for an increased allocation of resources in the development budget to address the alarming number of out-of-school girls and ensure effective implementation of Article 25(A) of the Constitution, which mandates free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of five and sixteen.
According to the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) survey, a staggering 2.9 million girls in KP remain out of school, making up 53% of the total female population in the 5-16 age group.
The situation is even more dire in the newly merged tribal districts, where 74.4% of girls do not attend school. In contrast, 1.7 million boys are out of school in the province.
The province currently has around 35,000 government schools, catering to 5.5 million students.
However, the Education Department estimates that 15,000 additional schools are required to accommodate out-of-school children.
Given the current rate of construction—300 schools per year—it would take 50 years to meet this demand, an unacceptable timeline for ensuring educational rights.
Qamar Naseem, Program Manager at Blue Veins and Malala Fund’s Education Champion from the Pakistan Education Champions Network, stated: “The existing education system is failing millions of girls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Without urgent investment and a strategic plan for resource allocation, we will continue to see high dropout rates and gender disparities.
The government must take decisive action by increasing the development budget and ensuring transparent and efficient spending.”
Ms. Bushra Afridi, an active member of the Prime Minister’s National Youth Council, also highlighted the need for targeted resource allocation:
“The lack of schools and inadequate financial commitment to girls’ secondary education is a violation of their fundamental rights. We must ensure that allocated funds are spent efficiently and that every rupee goes toward building a future where girls have equal access to quality education.”
Civil society organizations, education champions, and youth advocates stand united in their call for urgent action.
They demand an increase in the development budget for education, ensuring adequate funds for school construction, teacher training, and learning resources for girls.
There is also a need for an accelerated school construction plan that reduces the current estimated timeline from 50 years to within a decade.
Strengthened parliamentary oversight is essential to ensure that funds are utilized effectively, along with multi-sectoral coordination between the Education, Finance, Planning, and Social Welfare departments to implement solutions for improving girls’ secondary education access. Gender-sensitive policies that address barriers preventing girls from attending school, particularly in marginalized communities, must also be implemented.
Ensuring that every girl in KP receives a secondary education is not just a policy imperative—it is a moral obligation and a critical step toward sustainable development. Civil society urges the government to take immediate action to address these challenges and fulfill its constitutional commitment to education.