Out-of-school children are not only an education issue. They are a national challenge, a social concern and a development emergency. When a child remains outside the classroom, the loss is not limited to one family. The whole society loses talent, confidence, productivity and future leadership. Pakistan today faces one of the biggest education challenges in the region, with around 26.21 million children aged 5 to 16 out of school. This means that millions of children are growing up without formal learning, without basic literacy and numeracy, and without the protection and opportunity that education provides.
The problem exists across the country. Punjab has the highest number, with around 11.73 million out-of-school children. Sindh follows with around 6.63 million. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has around 5.63 million, while Balochistan has around 4.13 million. These figures show that the crisis is national in scale. No province can ignore it, and no government can treat it as a routine administrative matter. It requires urgent planning, strong political commitment, social support and continuous implementation.
A literate, progressive and prosperous Sindh will only be possible when every child is inside the learning system.
Sindh, with 6.63 million out-of-school children, faces a particularly serious challenge. The province has large rural areas, fast-growing urban settlements, poor communities, flood-affected villages, remote regions, and districts where poverty and social barriers continue to keep children away from school. The challenge is even greater for girls, who are often affected by distance from school, lack of safe access, household responsibilities, early marriage concerns and social restrictions. Many boys also leave school because of poverty, child labour, seasonal migration or the need to support family income.
Despite these challenges, the Government of Sindh and the School Education & Literacy Department have shown a clear and serious commitment to bringing children back into the learning system. The issue of out-of-school children has been placed at the centre of the provincial education agenda. This is an important and positive shift because the problem cannot be solved through slogans alone. It needs political ownership, realistic planning and continuous field-level implementation.
The Government of Sindh has recognised that bringing children back to school must be treated as a top priority. Under the Sindh Education Roadmap 2025-2030, the province has set a clear target: to bring 50% of out-of-school children back to school by 2030. This is an ambitious goal, but it is also a necessary one. Sindh cannot move toward a literate, progressive and prosperous future while millions of children remain outside the education system.
Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah has rightly emphasised that out-of-school children need education that is connected with dignity, opportunity and livelihood. This approach reflects a practical understanding of the ground realities of poor families. For many families, the question is not whether education is important. They already know that education matters. The real question is how a family struggling for daily survival can keep a child in school. This is why Sindh’s education response is becoming more practical, flexible and family-sensitive. Children must be enrolled, retained and supported to learn, but their economic and social realities must also be understood.
The first step is accurate identification. Every district, taluka, union council and school catchment area should know how many children are out of school, where they live, what their age group is and why they are not attending school. Some children never enrolled. Some dropped out after primary classes. Some are overage and feel uncomfortable sitting with much younger children. Some are working. Some are girls whose parents do not feel safe sending them far from home. Some belong to flood-affected or displaced families. Without knowing the reason, the solution cannot be effective.
The Sindh Education Department’s focus on data, planning and district-level understanding is therefore very important. A serious roadmap must begin with correct information. If the government knows where children are, why they are out of school and what support they need, then resources can be used in a better and more targeted manner. This is where the role of the department, district education officers, head teachers and local communities becomes central.
The second step is enrollment through community mobilisation. Door-to-door campaigns, village meetings, parent engagement, mosque announcements, local government support, civil society involvement and school-based enrollment drives can help bring children back. Local teachers, head teachers, community elders, women volunteers and social workers can play a powerful role. In many areas, parents need personal assurance that the school is safe, functional and useful for their children.
However, enrollment alone is not enough. Pakistan has seen many enrollment campaigns in the past, but many children who are enrolled later drop out again. The real success is retention. A child must not only enter school, but must stay in school and learn. Sindh’s roadmap correctly focuses on the idea that every child should be enrolled, retained and learning. This is the right direction because an education system cannot be judged only by registration numbers. It must be judged by attendance, learning outcomes and completion.
Poverty remains the biggest barrier. Many children are out of school because their families cannot afford uniforms, transport, books, meals or the opportunity cost of sending a child to school instead of work. For such families, support matters. Educational scholarships, cash support, school attendance-linked incentives and targeted social protection can make a major difference. If poor families receive support linked with regular attendance, they are more likely to keep children in school. This is especially important for girls and children from the poorest households.
Girls’ education needs special attention. Sindh cannot reduce its out-of-school numbers without a strong focus on girls. In many communities, girls are the first to be kept at home and the last to be sent back to school. Safe access, nearby schools, female teachers, separate toilets, boundary walls and a respectful learning environment are essential. Parents must feel confident that their daughters are protected. Girls’ education should not be treated as a separate slogan, but as the heart of the out-of-school children strategy.
The Sindh Education Department’s attention to girls’ education is therefore a highly significant part of the reform agenda. Bringing girls back to school is not only about increasing enrollment numbers. It is about protecting their future, delaying early marriage, improving family health, increasing household income and building stronger communities. When a girl is educated, the benefit reaches the whole family and the next generation.
Alternative learning pathways are also necessary. Not every out-of-school child can immediately return to a regular classroom. A 12-year-old who left school years ago may not fit into Grade 2. A working child may not be able to attend school during normal hours. A child from a migrant family may need flexible timing. This is where non-formal education, accelerated learning, second-chance education and skill-based learning become important.
The writer works at College Education Department, Government of Sindh.