PESHAWAR: Civil society activists and education advocates have urged the provincial government to prioritise better funding for the girls’ secondary education in the upcoming budget.

In a news release, the activists demanded better funding to address the issue of out-of-school girls as well as effective implementation of Article 25(A) of the Constitution, which mandates free and compulsory education for all children aged between five and 16 years.

They said according to a survey of the Benazir Income Support Programme, a staggering 2.9 million girls were out of school in the province, making up 53 per cent of the total female population in the 5-16 age group.

The activists said the situation was even more dire in the newly-merged tribal districts, where 74.4 per cent of girls didn’t go to school, while 1.7 million boys were out of school in the province.

Call for better funding for girls’ education

They said currently, the province had around 35,000 government schools, catering to 5.5 million children.

The activists, however, said the education department estimated that 15,000 additional schools were required to accommodate out-of-school children.

They said given the current annual rate of construction of 300 schools, it would take 50 years to meet the demand, which was an unacceptable timeline for ensuring educational rights.

Qamar Naseem, program manager at Blue Veins and Malala Funds education champion from the Pakistan Education Champions Network, said the existing education system was 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,” he said.

Active member of the Prime Minister’s National Youth Council Bushra Afridi highlighted the need for targeted resource allocation. She said the lack of schools and inadequate financial commitment to girls’ secondary education were 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,” she said.

She said civil society activists, education champions and youth advocates stood united in their call for urgent action.

The activists demanded an increase in the development budget for education, ensuring adequate funds for school construction, teacher training and learning resources for girls.

They also said there was a need for an accelerated school construction plan that reduced the current estimated timeline.

The activists said strengthened parliamentary oversight was essential to ensure that funds were utilised effectively, along with multi-sectoral coordination between the education, finance, planning and social welfare departments to implement solutions for improving girls secondary education access.

They added that gender-sensitive policies that addressed barriers preventing girls from attending school, particularly in marginalised communities, must also be implemented.

The activists said ensuring that every girl in the province receives a secondary education was not just a policy imperative was a moral obligation and a critical step toward sustainable development. They urged the government to take immediate action to address those challenges and fulfill its constitutional commitment to education.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2025