Following years of advocacy by Malala Fund’s Education Champion Network (ECN) in Pakistan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government recently announced free school transportation for girls in rural areas.
More than 6 million girls in Pakistan are missing out on secondary school, with adolescent girls in rural areas the most disadvantaged when it comes to education. In these areas, 43% of girls drop out of school after completing primary education, as compared to 20% in urban areas. The costs of books, uniforms and transportation are among the biggest barriers preventing rural families from sending their daughters to school.
As a result of advocacy by Blue Veins and other ECN partners in Pakistan including Thar Education Alliance and Institute of Social and Policy Sciences (I-SAPS), the KP government announced last month it will be rolling out free transportation services for middle school girls (grades 6-8). Starting this year, the services will be available in 10 provincial districts for girls who live 1.5 kilometers or more away from their schools
“We appreciate the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government for rolling out free transportation for school-going girls in 10 districts. Education Champions strongly believe it’s a lifeline that can help thousands of girls stay in school,” said Qamar Naseem, Program Manager at Blue Veins. “For many families, distance and safety concerns are real obstacles. By removing this burden, the government is opening doors to opportunity, confidence and long-term change in girls’ lives.”
Since 2022, ECN partners have been engaging with and advocating to the KP government to tackle girls’ education barriers in rural areas. They shared a broad set of recommendations, including free transportation services, with high-level KP government officials, including the Special Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. ECN partners continued engaging with various stakeholders directly and through Blue Veins’ Rise and Shine Girls' Education Network to implement these recommendations.
“This new transportation scheme is a testament to our partners’ ability to secure policy change that will help thousands of girls get to school safely and to the KP government’s commitment to reducing girls’ dropout,” said Nishat Riaz, Chief Executive for Malala Fund Pakistan. “Through Malala Fund’s new strategy, we are committing more resources in the next five years to advance policies like these in Pakistan. Every girl deserves to complete her education, no matter her background, income or where she lives.”
In rural areas, girls lack access to enough middle and secondary schools due to low government investment, leading to long and far commutes. Evidence shows that interventions to reduce school travel costs — either through providing safe transportation or building more schools — effectively increase girls’ enrolment and attendance.
