ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s expenditures on education-related activities in the fiscal year 2023 increased by 13.6 percent and reached Rs 1,251.06 billion from Rs 1,101.7 billion, according to Pakistan Economic Survey 2023-24.
The survey said that cumulative education expenditures by federal and provincial governments in FY23 were estimated at 1.5pc of the GDP.
It said that during the past fiscal year primary, lower, and higher secondary education completion rates stood at 67 percent, 47 percent, and 23 percent, respectively.
It noted parity Indices at Literacy, Youth Literacy, Primary and Secondary are 0.71, 0.82, 0.88 and 0.89, respectively).
The survey said various initiatives have been taken by federal and provincial governments to elevate education standards.
It said new schools were established while existing schools were upgraded with improved learning environments by providing basic educational facilities, digitization of educational institutions, enhancing the resilience of educational institutions to cater for unforeseen situations, capacity building of teachers, and improving hiring of teachers.
During 2021-22, 8.1 thousand higher secondary schools with 170.2 thousand teachers were functional at the national level. The overall enrolment of students in higher secondary education witnessed a decrease of 8.7 percent in 2021-22. The enrollment registered during 2021-22 was 2.1 million as compared to 2.3 million in 2020-21. For 2022- 23, it was estimated at 2.3 million.
An enrolment of 0.62 million students is expected during 2022-23 in degree colleges, the same as in 2021-22. A total of 2487 degree colleges were established in 2021-22, with an estimated figure of 2735 degree colleges for 2022-23. The number of teachers in degree colleges were 57.7 thousand in 2021-22 and is projected to be 62.3 thousand in 2022-23.
Universities: There were 220 universities with 69.6 thousand teachers in both public and private sectors in 2021-22. The overall enrolment of students in higher education institutions (universities) was recorded at 2.23 million in 2021-22, the same as in the previous year. The enrolment is expected to increase from 2.23 million in 2021-22 to 2.41 million in 2022-23.
According to the survey, the literacy rate (10 years and older) is 60 percent, showing that males are more literate than females. Punjab is at the top, while Balochistan is at the bottom. Youth literacy (15- 24 years) is 72 percent (Male: 79 percent and Female: 65 percent). The province-wise comparative situation is the same, with higher disparities for females than males in youth literacy rates. The adult literacy rate is 57 percent (Male: 68 percent and Females: 46 percent), which indicates that the adult male population is more literate than the adult female population.
The survey said during 2023-24, the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training is implementing 21 projects/programmes about Basic and College education with an allocation of Rs 3.78 billion.
It said Pakistan’s literacy rates, enrollment figures, and various educational benchmarks are gradually improving. This positive trajectory is supported by the government’s unwavering commitment to enhancing the quality and scope of education through a series of reforms and policy interventions, along with resource allocation.
