Drawing on a survey of 1,000 rural households across five regions, this study exposes the hidden costs of schooling and examines how inadequate public investment and rising household contributions undermine girls’ access to education.
Keeping a girl in a "free" public secondary school in Pakistan costs her family an average of PKR 5,899 a month, about 12.5% of household income. Article 25-A of the Constitution obliges the State to provide free and compulsory education to every child aged 5 to 16, and all provinces and ICT have passed laws to give it effect. Yet an estimated 25.37 million children are out of school, including 13.4 million girls. Public education spending has fallen from 1.7% of GDP in FY2021–22 to 0.8% in FY2024–25, and households now finance about 57% of total education spending. Removing tuition fees alone, therefore, does not make school affordable.
To measure this hidden cost, the study surveyed 1,000 rural households, 200 each in Balochistan, Islamabad Capital Territory, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. Respondents were parents or guardians of girls enrolled in Grades 9 and 10 in public schools. The survey captured a range of education-related expenses, including school funds, fines, board examination fees, textbooks, stationery, uniforms, transport, food and other daily school-related costs.