Social norms such as gender stereotypes and preference for educating boys continue to prevent girls from accessing education. Pakistan lacks the number of free, quality schools and female teachers needed to adequately educate girls. Additionally, education that centres girls and prepares them for the workforce remains scarce. As a result, families feel pressured to marry girls off early or send them into domestic or paid labour.
Despite the government’s commitment to increase the number of schools, Pakistan spends less than 2% of GDP on education.
Malala Fund has been working in Pakistan since 2017 to ensure every girl can choose her own future. Our partners work across cities like Karachi and Lahore and rural areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh provinces to increase girls’ access to 12 years of free, safe, quality education. We work with them on three main areas:
Addressing key barriers that prevent girls from staying in school.
Increasing government funding for girls’ education.
Improving girls’ access to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education.
Malala Fund believes that achieving progress requires action at multiple levels — sub-national, national and global — to achieve lasting impact for girls’ education.
"I want to see these girls fly. I want them to make their own choices — whether it is to get married or have children. They should study as much as they like, mobilise resources for themselves and make their own decisions. The sky should be their limit.”
— Anbreen Ajaib, Executive Director, Bedari
60%
There are 3.7 million out-of-school children in Afghanistan — 60% are girls. (UNICEF)
42%
Most girls in rural Bangladesh dropout of school after primary school, with dropout rates at nearly 42 percent. (UNICEF)
