Download Pdf version here

The world first turned its gaze toward Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) in 2012, when Malala Yousafzai was shot by militants for daring to speak out about girls’ education. Her survival and subsequent rise to global prominence as a Nobel Peace Prize winner spotlighted the courage and resilience of young girls fighting for their right to learn in one of Pakistan’s most volatile regions. Yet, even as Malala became a global icon, the conditions she once spoke out against persist—and in many areas, they have worsened. She remains a polarizing figure in her home province: celebrated abroad, but locally accused by some of undermining Pashtun cultural values. This tension reflects a broader reality—education in KPK, especially for girls, continues to be both a symbol of hope and a battlefield of ideology, honor, and survival.

Amina, 12, is a sixth grader and she walks ten kilometers to her school everyday in Mohmand. Upon returning home, she helps her mother with household chores, gathers firewood, and takes care of her younger siblings. Amina, who lives with her laborer father, her mother, and seven siblings in a mud house, dreams of becoming a doctor. “I want to provide free checkups and medicines to poor people; I would take care of everyone around me,” she told me with a smile. 

But for Amina and thousands like her, the path to education is paved with obstacles—from unsafe commutes to cultural expectations that prioritize honor over opportunity.

“People think that we (Pashtuns) are Neanderthals and savages who oppress their women and confine young girls to their homes. In reality, we want our girls to get an education and secure respectable jobs befitting a woman. But we cannot compromise on honor and do not allow adult girls to walk miles to school unaccompanied. Schools should be in the neighborhood, staffed with female teachers, and should have a proper boundary wall,” said Amina’s uncle.

The rise of militancy, following the Taliban’s return to Kabul in 2021, has deepened the education crisis in KPK, especially in tribal districts facing constant closures due to threats or direct attacks. School activities are frequently disrupted in merged districts due to high levels of militancy and security threats to educators. Exams are postponed, and schools are closed indefinitely. 

“These terrorists bomb schools and hospitals, vandalize barbershops and beauty parlors, and kidnap teachers and doctors, because they want our children to be ignorant and polio-ridden. The greatest threat to our existence, education, and prosperity is terrorism,” a parent, who requested anonymity, told me.

Militants routinely target girls’ schools. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has bombed schools and killed teachers, forcing many schools to shut down. For such militant groups, girls' education represents a direct threat to ideological control, making schools high-value symbolic targets. Schools become symbolic battlegrounds, targeted not just for what they teach but for what they represent: hope, progress, and equality.

Article 25A of the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the right to free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of 5 and 16. The Government of Pakistan has also pledged to meet Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and learning opportunities for all.

Despite these commitments, more than 25 million children remain out of school in Pakistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone accounts for approximately five million of these, with a disproportionate number from tribal areas and the south.. Militancy, lack of schools, inadequate school infrastructure, teacher shortages, and  entrenched cultural barriers have converged to produce an abysmally low literacy rate.

Of the out-of-school children, a staggering 60% are girls—roughly 2.9 to 3.1 million. Cultural norms frequently forbid girls from completing full education and countless girls are forced to abandon their education due to many other factors.“Early marriages, household chores, lack of secondary schools, safety and transport issues—these are some of the problems facing girls education in KPK. Men are not allowed to enter a girls’ school or teach female students beyond primary education. Female teachers are reluctant to work in remote schools, and they are also very few. It is no surprise that Pakistan ranks last on Gender Gap Index 2025” explains Warda, an education officer from Dera Ismail Khan.

This year, students in KPK faced a shortage of textbooks after the government decided to provide only half the required new books and ordered school administrations to collect used books from promoted students- a stopgap measure that has left many classrooms struggling to function effectively. The impact on learning has been severe. Many students are attending classes without any textbooks, and those who do have them often receive outdated, damaged, or mismatched volumes. Teachers have reported relying heavily on photocopies or verbal instruction, which is disruptive to the learning process.

For two decades, KP’s government provided free textbooks to students at the start of each academic year. But when printing costs surged above 10 billion rupees, the education department cut the supply in half—shifting the responsibility of sourcing books onto schools and parents. These structural gaps in learning materials only deepen the educational divide, especially in conflict zones where continuity is already fragile.

This textbook shortfall is not limited to isolated areas —it’s a province-wide issue affecting numerous schools. Reports show students in rural districts like Chitral, Upper and Lower Dir, and Kohistan are similarly impacted

Another critical challenge facing KPK’s education system is the high enrollment of children in religious seminaries (madrasas), particularly in areas close to the Afghan border.  These institutions, while offering essential welfare—food, shelter, and clothing—are often narrowly focused on religious doctrine, with little or no instruction in science, mathematics, or practical skills needed in a modern economy.

Most students who attend these seminaries come from large and impoverished families. For their guardians, the madrasas are, not only affordable, but also provide a sense of cultural continuity and moral instruction. However, this pathway often produces young people who are ill-prepared for gainful employment outside the religious sector and develop fundamentalist worldviews. With few marketable skills, they face limited economic opportunities, often remaining dependent on informal networks or becoming susceptible to ideological recruitment by extremist groups.

While these institutions fill a welfare gap, they often reinforce traditionalism, leaving youth disconnected from state narratives and economic opportunities—an imbalance militants exploit.

In November 2024, the KPK Government launched a new Girls’ Stipend Program for merged districts, offering Rs 1,000 per month to girls in grades 6–12, in partnership with the WFP. The government’s education budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 allocates billions for school repairs, free textbooks, teacher hiring, enrollment drives, higher education expansion, and scholarships, aiming to improve facilities, staffing, and access for millions of students across the province. However, critics describe it as a "paper exercise"; disconnected from school-level realities—pointing to socioeconomic gaps that mere budget lines fail to bridgee—especially in rural areas where every pair of hands is needed to contribute to household income.

“Fathers with large families often pull their sons out of school to help earn money. There is a strong belief that education is not a reliable path to social mobility—and unfortunately, evidence supports that. Unemployment is high, and students do not acquire marketable skills,” said Hassan, a school leader.

In many households, the opportunity cost of schooling outweighs the perceived benefits. A daily wage or agricultural labor from a child often provides immediate financial relief, while the promise of education remains uncertain. With limited job creation and a disconnect between curricula and employable skills, even educated youth face high unemployment rates.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Minister for Education, Faisal Khan Tarakai, recently announced merit-based recruitment for vacant teaching positions with support from UNICEF, emphasizing that “every classroom must have a teacher—this is non-negotiable.” To tackle chronic staff shortages, the government has also launched initiatives such as Double Shift Schools and internship programs for aspiring teachers.

"We are committed to ensuring the availability of at least one teacher in each classroom across the province[…] tablets and internet connectivity will be integrated into the education system. We are modernizing our infrastructure to ensure that our children are equipped to meet the demands of the 21st century,” the minister said during a press conference.

To build a resilient education system, comprehensive reforms are needed. This includes regular professional development programs for teachers, the inclusion of peace education in curricula, and data-driven policymaking to monitor and address gaps in literacy and learning outcomes. Teachers in conflict-affected districts must receive adequate security and support, while school principals and head teachers need greater autonomy to make timely, local-level decisions. Finally, the Education Management and Information System (EMIS) should be fully utilized to track teacher shortages, high dropout rates, and deteriorating infrastructure, ensuring that interventions are targeted and effective.

Policy Recommendations for Strengthening Education in KP

Yet beyond policies and budgets, the true measure of progress lies in the lives of students like Amina—girls whose dreams depend on whether these reforms can break the cycle of fear, neglect, and lost potential

Amina is one of millions of school-going girls in KP who dream of college, meaningful careers, and a life free from intrusion and fear. Her determination shines through her daily struggle—a 10-kilometer walk to school, hours of household chores, and the quiet hope of becoming a doctor who can heal those in need.

But Amina and girls like her are too young to fully grasp the magnitude of the challenges stacked against them. Terrorism, honor-based violence, rigid traditions, and chronic state neglect shadow their ambitions like a relentless phantom. When adversity strikes—whether in the form of school closures, economic hardship, or gender discrimination—their dreams are smothered quietly, often before they have a chance to take shape.

The future of education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is inseparable from the region’s security landscape. Militancy thrives where ignorance and fear prevail, and every school left vulnerable or every girl denied education becomes a battleground of ideology. Building safe classrooms, supporting teachers, and ensuring girls’ education are not just social reforms—they are acts of resistance against the forces that seek to keep communities trapped in cycles of violence. If these reforms take root, the next generation of girls in KPK

Read more from Durand Dispatch!

Follow the Durand Dispatch on Linkedin!

Overwhelmed by biased news? Cut through the clutter and get straight facts with your daily 1440 digest. From politics to sports, join millions who start their day informed.

Sign up now!