47pc children drop out of schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal districts

PESHAWAR: A staggering 47 per cent of children enrolled in government schools across the integrated tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have dropped out, according to a new report released by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Department of Education.

The report, which covers the period from 2019 to 2024, paints a troubling picture of educational retention in these regions.

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The data reveals that out of the 91,032 children who enrolled in schools across the merged tribal districts in 2019, only 48,670 managed to reach the fifth grade. Shockingly, 42,362 children—nearly half of those enrolled—dropped out before completing primary school.

The situation is particularly dire for girls. In 2019, 35,755 girls were enrolled in the first grade across these districts. However, only 16,421 of them advanced to the fifth grade, marking a dropout rate of 56 percent. The merged areas were especially affected, with over half of the girls leaving school between grades one and five.

Among the merged districts, South Waziristan reported the highest dropout rate, with 66 percent of children abandoning their education within five years. Mohmand district followed closely, with a 64 percent dropout rate.

The report also highlighted challenges beyond primary education. The dropout rate from classes six to ten across the merged districts stands at 39 per cent. Out of the 27,780 students who enrolled in class six in 2019, only 16,972 progressed to class ten.

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These alarming figures underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to address the educational crisis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal districts, particularly to support girls’ education and to retain students through to higher grades.