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Pakistan’s education system faces a dire crisis, with 26.2 million children out of school and alarmingly low learning outcomes. For a country plagued by such circumstances, data isn’t just numbers; it’s a critical lifeline.
In the latest episode of ‘Let’s Talk Education’ host Areebah Shahid with Dr Shahid Soroya – Director General, Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE) and Zehra Arshad – Executive Director, Society for Access to Quality Education (SAQE) dive into the criticality of data-driven decisions to lift Pakistan from its deep-seated education crisis.
This isn’t just another episode of doom and gloom. The conversation highlights key initiatives undertaken by PIE to ensure data accessibility despite constraints. After a nearly four-year hiatus, the release of the Pakistan Education Statistics 2021-22 report was met with enthusiasm by education enthusiasts advocating for access to data. However, the report revealed a long-standing crisis: after years, data on OOSC was included – unveiling an alarming 26.2 million children who remain out of school.
Explaining the urgency behind the PES 2021-22 report, Dr Soroya said;
“It was alarming to see how much ground we had lost. But without data, we didn’t know how deep the crisis ran”
The lack of access to quality, timely and standardized data remains a significant concern in Pakistan – leading to ineffective policies detached from ground realities. Over the past year, significant efforts have been directed towards consolidating credible data and enhancing its accessibility. During the discussion, Dr Soroya teased the upcoming launch of the ‘National Open Data Portal’ in March 2025 – aimed at enhancing transparency and accessibility to the latest education statistics.
Financing was another hot topic! Dr Soroya announced the recent release of ‘Public Financing in Education Sector FY 2022-23’ report, which provides detailed accounts of the ins and outs of Pakistan’s education financing state. Zehra highlighted the gap between allocated budgets and actual spending – noting that while budgets are rising, spending efficiency is lagging due to systemic bottlenecks.
“There’s no shortage of announcements about education reforms, but without clear resource allocation, progress is slow. We need to empower schools at the local level to make faster decisions. Centralizing everything delays progress,” Zehra argued. Dr Soroya agreed adding that devolution efforts to school-level in Islamabad are already showing promise.
For years, there have been tensions over ‘data ownership’ between government and civil society, with both sides wary of each other’s work. Hence, bridging the gap between the two major actors was another crucial point. Dr Soroya emphasized on collaboration over competition and noted:
“We need to build working collaborations among public-private entities. Our ultimate objective is to increase government investment, improve learning levels, and bring back children to school. So, we need to lobby together through evidence-based dialogues to raise our influence and shift priorities.”
Another welcoming news shared by Dr Soroya was the inclusion of disability and gender-inclusive data in the latest data sets. For the first time, the Washington Group Questions were included to holistically record data on the education of CWDs (Children with Disabilities).
Zehra emphasized; “This isn’t just about meeting quotas. It’s about ensuring every child, regardless of background, can thrive in the education system,”
Key takeaways from the episode: Hope is on the horizon, but we need to work together—now more than ever—to secure a better future for all children and young people. Data is finally catching up – now strong collaborative efforts are required at all levels to translate data stories into actionable policies – aimed at improving Pakistan’s education sector.
“Our job is to generate evidence, so that the government and other organizations can get their voice through the data and make timely decisions. But my call is let’s do it together! We will get no results in isolation – neither collective thought nor collective wisdom will be built in isolation.” Dr. Soroya rightfully concluded.
Pakistan’s education sector may be in crisis, but the momentum for change is building. Hence, we can say that there’s hope ahead!
Click below to watch the full episode ⤵️
