The province’s female literacy rate, 25pc, is also the lowest
With only 25 percent girls’ literacy rate, Balochistan province has the lowest female literacy rate in Pakistan. The province’s overall literacy rate, 43 percent, is also lowest in the country.
According to Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey 2013-14, the province Punjab with 61 percent has the highest literacy rate in the country. The female literacy rate in Punjab is also highest when compared to other provinces including Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Why Balochistan is lagging behind?
As per a Yum to Yikes (http://yumtoyikes.com/2015/09/19/education-survey-80-students-balochistan-not-reach-matric/) report there are plenty of factors behind “heart-rending educational condition in Balochistan”. The report says 7,000 schools are shelter-less in Balochistan while “the total of teachers available doesn’t meet the required demand of the province.”
“The condition of the institutes is also very disheartening as they are not even provided with the basic necessities like furniture, toilets or drinking water”, the report adds.
This report of Dawn.com also highlights challenges vis-à-vis education service delivery in Balochistan. The report states “Inadequate capacity of teachers and non-availability of basic facilities remain primary reasons behind the poor quality of education. Most teachers in rural parts of Balochistan lack the aptitude required to teach science and mathematics.”
The Dawn.com report further states “Two-thirds of all children in Balochistan are not in school.”
Check out rural and urban literacy rate at national and provincial levels.
Main photo credit: Dawn.com
