Number of children out of school in KP decreases by 2 per cent: report

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led coalition government’s efforts started yielding fruits, as an upward trend in school enrolment could be seen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in 2015.

The number of children out of school across the province decrease to 13 percent during the on-going year 2015 from 15 percent in 2014 reveals a survey by Annual Status of Education Report (ASER).

According to the findings of the survey, 13 per cent of children were reported out-of-school. The survey report said 9 per cent had never been enrolled and 4 per cent had dropped out of school for various reasons.

The survey, conducted in all 24 districts, covered 13,958 households in 704 villages across the province. It collected information on 42, 274 children aged between three to 16 years. Of these, 36,713 children were tested for language and arithmetic competencies.

The survey reveals that out of the total 87 per cent enrolled children, 72 per cent were enrolled in government schools, whereas 28 per cent of children at private institutions of which 26 percent at private schools and 2 percent in Madrassah. Boys outshine girls at government schools with 67 per cent enrolment as compare to girls with 33 percent. Similarly, in private schools, the student body comprised 68 per cent boys and 32 per cent girls.

The ASER survey found that the rate of enrolment increased as compared to the last year. The survey showed that 40 per cent of all school-aged children were enrolled in schools, compared to 38 per cent in 2014. As many as 60 per cent children between the age group of three to five years were not enrolled in any early childhood programme or a school.

The survey also looked at learning outcomes. The report said learning levels had improved, as this year, 53 per cent of the students of grade five could not write a grade two stories in Urdu/Pashto compared to 62 per cent in 2014.

The ASER report said that 86 per cent students of class three could not read a story in Urdu/Pashto in 2015, as compared to 90 per cent in the previous year. The report said that 24 per cent students of class one could not read letters in Urdu/Pashto compared to 28 per cent in 2014.

English language learning also showed remarkable improvement. Nearly 50 per cent students of class five could not read sentences of class two, compared to 58 per cent in the previous year.

Similarly, 83 per cent children enrolled in class three could not read could not read sentences of class two in 2015 as compared to 88 per cent in 2014.

Out of the surveyed children, 24 per cent children enrolled in class one could not read capital letters, as compared to 28 per cent in 2014.

The report said 52 per cent students of grade five could not perform two-digit division compared to 60 per cent in 2014.

Children enrolled in private schools were found to be performing better than those in public schools. The survey found that 60 per cent children enrolled in grade five of a private school were able to read a story in Urdu/Pashto compared to 43 per cent of class five children enrolled in government schools.

Likewise, English learning levels of private schools were also found to be better than in government schools. The survey found that 63 per cent of class five children in private schools could read at least sentences, whereas only 46 per cent children of government schools children could do the same.

Boys outperformed girls in literacy and numeracy skills.

Among the tested children, 58 per cent boys and 46 per cent girls could read sentences in Urdu/Pashto. The survey found that 64 per cent boys could read at least words in English, while 53 per cent of girls could read the same. Similarly, 61 per cent boys were able to perform subtraction, whereas only 49 per cent girls could do it.

The survey found 35 per cent teachers at the surveyed government schools had completed graduation, compared to the 37 per cent at private schools.

It showed that 26 per cent government high schools had computer labs and 57 per cent had libraries in their premises as compared to 57 per cent private high schools had computer labs and 76 per cent had libraries.

It doesn’t mean that all is well; the provincial government has yet to do a lot, as the survey found that 38 percent of government primary schools did not have toilets in 2015, which was similar in 2014.

Likewise, 28 percent of the government primary schools did not have clean drinking water in 2015 similar to 2014.

The survey showed that proposition of government primary schools receiving grants has decreased to 13 percent during 2015, as compared to 75 percent in 2014 and 71 percent in 2013 respectively.