Documents reveal alarming drop in high school enrolment in merged districts

PESHAWAR: A recent document from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department has revealed a worrying trend in the merged districts of the province, where only one per cent of students are enrolled in higher secondary schools.

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The document shows that a mere 6,878 students are studying in the eleventh and twelfth grades across these districts. This is a stark contrast to the total number of 632,000 students enrolled from primary to higher secondary levels in the same areas.

The merged districts boast a network of 6,394 government schools, spanning from primary to higher secondary education. However, the document indicates that 358 of these schools are inactive, further compounding the educational difficulties faced by the region.

While there are 493,000 students enrolled in primary education and 96,000 in middle schools, the number drops dramatically in higher grades. There are 35,410 students in the ninth and tenth grades, underscoring the steep decline in enrolment as students progress through the education system.

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The figures raise serious concerns about the accessibility and quality of higher secondary education in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The low enrolment rates at higher levels suggest that many students may be dropping out or not progressing beyond middle school, which could have long-term implications for the region’s socio-economic development.