Abandoned Classrooms: The Reality of Education in Balochistan
- Balochistan has the lowest literacy rate in Pakistan, with a significant gender gap and a high percentage of out-of-school children.
- Many schools lack basic facilities like electricity, drinking water, and boundary walls, making them unfit for learning.
- A shortage of trained teachers, coupled with rampant absenteeism, worsens the quality of education
- Despite repeated promises, government policies and budget allocations remain insufficient to address the crisis.
Balochistan’s education indicators paint a grim picture. With a literacy rate of just 26.6%—less than half the national average—the province lags decades behind the rest of the country. Primary school enrollment hovers at 58%, but the gender gap is staggering: only 34% of girls attend school, compared to 52% of boys, according to the 2022–23 Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey (PSLM). In districts like Washuk and Kharan, female literacy dips below 10%, perpetuating cycles of early marriage and economic dependency. The crisis begins with crumbling infrastructure. Over 60% of government schools lack electricity, 45% operate without clean water, and 30% have no boundary walls, exposing students to harsh weather and security threats. In rural areas, children trek up to 10 kilometers daily to reach the nearest school, often crossing treacherous terrain. “Our school has no roof. When it rains, we sit under a tree,” says Abdul Qadir, a teacher in Pishin. “Many students drop out by winter.”
Classrooms, where they exist, are overcrowded, with a pupil-teacher ratio of 50:1—far above the national average of 37:1. Teacher absenteeism is rampant, and qualified educators are scarce. Female teachers make up just 27% of the workforce, critical for encouraging girls’ enrollment. “Parents won’t send daughters to male-dominated schools,” explains Farzana Baloch, a social worker in Quetta. “But hiring women is tough—many refuse postings in volatile areas.” Deep-rooted cultural norms further marginalize girls. Early marriages, domestic labor, and conservative beliefs keep 66% of Balochistan’s girls out of classrooms. Security concerns compound the problem: since 2010, over 200 schools—primarily girls’ institutions—have been bombed or shut down in conflict zones like Kech and Panjgur. “After militants burned our school, my parents said it was too dangerous to return,” says 14-year-old Zubaida, now married and tending livestock in Mastung.
Moreover, poverty remains the most pervasive barrier. With 62% of Balochistan’s population living below the poverty line, families prioritize survival over schooling. UNICEF estimates that 22% of children aged 5–14 work in hazardous sectors like mining, agriculture, and smuggling. “Children earn 500 rupees [$1.80] a day in the mines,” says Ali Raza, a labor activist. “For desperate families, that’s more valuable than an uncertain future through education.” The Balochistan government’s Education Sector Plan (2020–25) pledged to build 1,200 schools, train 5,000 teachers, and boost enrollment by 15%. Yet implementation has been sluggish. Despite allocating 15.3% of its 2023–24 budget to education—translating to 2.1% of GDP—the province falls short of UNESCO’s recommended 4–6%. International aid groups like UNICEF and USAID have stepped in, funding girl-friendly schools and mobile education units. Unfortunately, the recent cut-off of USAID by the Trump administration will further jeopardize the already crumbling education system of Balochistan. Furthermore, progress is also throttled by rampant corruption, for example, a 2023 audit found 18% of education funds were embezzled or misused.
“Money vanishes, schools remain incomplete, and teachers go unpaid,” says Malik Khan, a journalist covering governance in Quetta. “The system is broken from top to bottom.” Activists argue solutions require radical shifts. Conditional cash transfers, like those piloted by the World Bank in Sindh, could incentivize enrollment. Mobile schools and digital learning tools might bridge access gaps in remote regions. Recruiting female teachers through scholarships and safe housing initiatives is critical. “We need communities to own this fight,” says Dr. Sana Durrani, an education researcher. “Local leaders must champion girls’ education as a right, not a privilege.” Security remains a prerequisite for progress. Military operations and insurgent attacks continue displacing thousands annually, disrupting exams and shuttering schools. “Peace and education are intertwined,” says Lt. Gen. (retd.) Nasser Khan Janjua, a security analyst. “Stability will follow only when children have hope beyond militancy or labor.”
For now, Balochistan’s children wait. In Quetta’s slums, boys hawk trinkets at traffic signals while girls weave carpets in dimly lit rooms. In the mountains, classrooms without walls echo with the whispers of a generation left behind. “Education is light,” says Abdul Qadir, the teacher in Pishin. “But here, we are still in darkness.” Therefore, the need of the hour is to give strategic importance to education in Balochistan to inculcate a ray of hope among the hopeless youth of this deprived region.
The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Spine Times.
Hikmat Ullah
The writer hails from Pishin, Balochistan.
