Islamabad [Pakistan], January 21 : Pakistani households are spending more on education than the government itself, exposing deep structural failures in public education financing and raising urgent questions about inequality and state responsibility.
According to a new report launched at a national policy dialogue, families spent an estimated PKR 2.8 trillion on education, overtaking the government's allocation of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 2.23 trillion.
The findings were presented during the release of the 15th annual Public Financing of Education report by the Institute of Social and Policy Sciences (I-SAPS), as reported by The Express Tribune.
According to The Express Tribune, the data reveals that Pakistan's total education expenditure now stands at PKR 5.03 trillion, with households shouldering 56 per cent of the burden while the public sector contributes just 44 per cent. Analysts warn that this reversal signals a dangerous shift, where access to education increasingly depends on a family's financial capacity rather than state provision.
This is the first time a nationwide assessment has combined official education budgets with household-level spending, offering a fuller picture of how education is actually financed in Pakistan. The report shows that families spent PKR 1.31 trillion on private school fees, PKR 613 billion on tuition and coaching centres, and PKR 878 billion on other education-related expenses such as books, uniforms, and transport.
I-SAPS Executive Director Salman Humayun cautioned that the scale of private spending highlights serious equity concerns. He argued that when households are forced to outspend the state, poorer families are at risk of being pushed out of the education system altogether. Speakers at the dialogue linked the surge in private spending to persistent weaknesses in public schooling.
Officials and development partners noted that families are increasingly turning to private institutions due to declining quality, accountability, and responsiveness in government schools, as cited by The Express Tribune.
Experts also stated that merely increasing budgets would not be enough. Greater efficiency, outcome-based financing, and stronger governance mechanisms were identified as essential to restoring confidence in the public system.
Federal officials acknowledged recent improvements in education data collection but emphasised the need for independent research to guide policy in an era of fiscal constraints, as reported by The Express Tribune.
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