Census 2023 unmasks a profound crisis in Pakistan: 63 percent youth and 23 percent adolescents bereft of any schooling, marginalizing millions and imperiling the nation’s trajectory.
These out-of-school groups languish in policy shadows, per reports. The gender chasm yawns wide—75 percent of 15-29-year-old women unschooled against 50 percent men—heralding enduring deficits in jobs, wellness, and engagement.
A pivotal study by Sustainable Development Policy Institute and UNFPA in key provinces evaluates hurdles and reconnection routes for youth to education, employment, health, and civics.
Economic woes force 75 percent exits. Layers of issues: chores, work mandates, school voids, distances, insecurity en route, sociocultural restraints—girls most afflicted by matrimony and molestation fears.
Male youth grapple with juvenile toil in meager-paying roles; two-thirds burdened by early provision duties. Females log 85 percent days in unremunerated domesticity, voiding education or jobs. Marriages average 18 for girls.
75 percent idle without pay, women foremost; laborers net below 25,000 rupees in fleeting informal setups. Skills programs elude 90 percent.
Health epidemics—malnourishment, aches, psyche turmoil—persist untreated owing to prohibitive fees, mobility snags, knowledge gaps. Systemic overhauls are imperative for Pakistan’s youth redemption.