Over 5 mn Pakistani kids out of school: UN

Islamabad, Oct 19 2012: A recently released UN report reveals that there are 5.1 million Pakistani children who are out of school, with 63 percent of them being girls. According to the report launched in Islamabad, the school age population of Pakistan is 197.5 million while net enrollment ratio in primary schools stands at 74 percent. 

The report was launched to share Pakistan specific statistics and analysis with major educationists and policy makers.  According to the Global Monitoring Report, only 40 percent of girls of age 15 or less are literate, which is projected to 60 percent by 2015; thus needs special attention to eliminate gender parity.  In Pakistan, skills development, including teacher training, expenditure in year 2008/2009 was only one percent out of total education budget.