PESHAWAR: Despite the spending of billions of rupees on education, the literacy rate declined in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 57 per cent in 2018-19 to 55 per cent in 2019-20.

The revelation was made by the elementary and secondary education department in a statement submitted to the provincial assembly’s secretariat in response to a question of opposition Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal member Inayatullah Khan.

The query didn’t come under discussion as the sitting was adjourned by the chair due to a lack of quorum.

According to it, the province’s overall literacy rate was 50 per cent in 2008-09 and went up to 57 per cent in 2018-19 but declined to 55 per cent in 2019-20.

Tribal districts (erstwhile Fata) weren’t covered by the relevant survey.

The session was adjourned by Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan, who was in the chair, until October 10 after a lawmaker pointed out a lack of quorum.

Mr Jan expressed displeasure with the absence of members from the assembly’s proceedings. The quorum was pointed out soon after the recitation from the Holy Quran as only 29 members were found to be present in the house during headcount by the assembly’s secretary.

“It is very disappointing that the lawmakers do not show interest in the proceedings,” the chair lamented.

Besides questions, calling attention notices and debate on the adjournment motion on the resurgence of militancy in the province, the Bank of Khyber (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities (Second Amendment) Bill, 2002, were also on the agenda.

The official reply to the MMA lawmaker’s question also said the Pakistan Social Living Measurement, which conducted surveys of social indicators in all four provinces, could not publish a report about literacy rate for the years 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2020-21.

It added that the number of out-of-school children aged 5-16 years in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was 30 per cent of the total minor population and they included 40 per cent girls.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2022