A new report by Pakistan’s Planning Commission, the District Education Performance Index (DEPIx) 2020-23, highlights significant disparities in educational performance across the country.
The index, which evaluates district-level performance in areas like access, learning, equity, and governance, covers 134 districts, including those in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory.
The national average score on the index is a low 53 out of 100, placing Pakistan in the “Low” performance category. Punjab led the provinces with a score of 61/100, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 55/100.
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Sindh and Balochistan lagged behind, scoring 51.5/100 and 46/100, respectively. Despite these results, none of the provinces reached the “High” or “Very High” performance categories.
Islamabad was the only district to rank in the “High” category, making it the best-performing district nationwide. In contrast, more than half of the districts assessed fell into the “Low” performance category, with the majority of these districts located in Balochistan and Sindh.
The report underscores the need for increased public spending on education, as the Public Financing domain scored the lowest among all areas evaluated. It also highlights the persistent challenges in learning outcomes and governance, particularly due to teacher shortages and high bureaucratic turnover.
