The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) is a survey of the quality of education. ASER seeks to identify gaps in educational data by looking to provide a reliable set of data at the national level, that is comprehensive and, at the same time, easy to understand.
This year, ASER Rural Survey was conducted in 151 districts across Pakistan between October-December 2023. A total of 272,370 children aged 3-16 were assessed.
Some key findings:
- Out of School Children (OOSC): 18% of children aged 5-16 are currently out of school in rural Pakistan, totaling 4.8 million children. Rates are highest in Balochistan (36%) and Sindh (20%).
- Enrolment: Enrolment rates for children aged 5-16 have improved, reaching 82% in rural Pakistan. Boys continue to have higher enrolment rates than girls at all levels.
- Literacy: 49% of children in Grade 5 can read a Grade 2 level story in Urdu/Siraiki. However, only 34% can do basic subtraction and 29% can read English sentences. Learning outcomes remain low across subjects.
- Private Schools: 27% of rural children now attend private schools. Use of private school is higher among wealthier households and in Punjab (35%) and Sindh (30%).
- Madrasah Enrolment: 13% of rural children attend madrasahs at some level, with higher rates (over 20%) in KP, Balochistan and FATA.
- Climate Change Impacts: 22% of households reported being affected by 2022 floods. Flood impacts were highest in Sindh (49%) and Balochistan (47%).
- Technology Access: 73% of rural schools and 51% of households now have access to electricity. However, access to Internet remains low at 15% of schools and 7% of households.
