Education in Pakistan: Inequality Rebranded

Pakistan continues to wrestle with deep-rooted inequalities, low literacy, weak infrastructure, and millions of children still out of school

Ali Nawaz Rahimoo

Education in Pakistan stands at a defining crossroads. Across the world, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and digital technologies are reshaping how knowledge is created and shared. Classrooms that once relied on blackboards have shifted to tablets, and now to AI tutors capable of adapting lessons to each learner’s pace. In some countries, “teacher-less education” is no longer a distant idea; it is a live experiment. Yet, while these innovations gain ground globally, Pakistan continues to wrestle with deep-rooted inequalities, low literacy, weak infrastructure, and millions of children still out of school. The question is no longer whether education is changing worldwide, but whether Pakistan’s version of innovation will be truly inclusive or another wave that leaves the majority behind.

The Global Education Shift

Globally, the education landscape is undergoing an AI-driven transformation. According to UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report 2024, more than 60 countries have integrated AI or digital literacy into their national curricula. Tools such as ChatGPT, Squirrel AI, and Google’s adaptive learning systems now help millions of students receive personalized lessons.

Research shows that AI can automate grading, identify learning gaps, and even provide emotional feedback allowing teachers to focus on mentoring rather than lecturing. In China, over 40,000 schools use AI-enabled systems for customized analytics.

The UAE has piloted AI tutors in public schools, while Singapore introduces “AI for All” modules from Grade 6 onwards. The global EdTech industry mirrors this momentum. Precedence Research (2024) estimates that “AI in Education” will grow from US $7 billion in 2025 to more than US $112 billion by 2034—a staggering 36 percent annual growth rate. But these gains also underline a widening gap between nations leading the change and those left behind.

Pakistan’s Education Landscape: The Missing Millions

Despite years of reform pledges, Pakistan’s education indicators remain grim. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF (2024), 22.8 million children about 44 percent of the school-age population—are out of school, the second-highest number in the world after Nigeria.

• Literacy rate: 58 percent, compared with India’s 77 percent and Iran’s 86 percent.
• Teacher shortage: remain vacant, particularly in rural Sindh and Balochistan.
• Infrastructure gaps: Only 36 percent of schools have functioning IT or computer facilities.
• Gender disparity: In rural Pakistan, just 13 percent of girls reach lower-secondary education.
• Dropout rate: Net enrollment is 66 percent at the primary level, plunging to 43 percent in middle school.
• Economic pressure: With an average household income of PKR 41,500 (≈ US $150), many families cannot afford school fees, transport, or digital devices.

The COVID-19 pandemic deepened these divides. During school closures, only 15–18 percent of Pakistani students accessed remote learning through TV, radio, or online platforms, compared with nearly 80 percent in middle-income countries (World Bank, 2023). When AI-based learning is discussed as “the future of education,” the question remains: future for whom?

AI Readiness: Promise and Pause

Pakistan has begun to acknowledge the need for digital transformation. In 2023, the government launched the National Artificial Intelligence Policy, pledging to promote AI research, capacity-building, and digital literacy. Yet progress has been slow.

• Implementation lag: Funding and coordination remain limited, and provincial adoption uneven.
• Research output: Pakistan’s share in global AI research is below 0.1 percent (Stanford AI Index 2024).
• Curriculum gaps: No national AI or coding curriculum exists at school level.
• Connectivity divide: Internet penetration is 36 percent, with only 14 percent of rural households online (PTA, 2024).

While the policy signals intent, the benefits of AI learning tools remain confined largely to urban elites.

Local Innovators: Glimpses of Hope

Amid these challenges, Pakistan’s EdTech ecosystem is showing encouraging signs.

• Taleemabad, a gamified Urdu-language app, has reached over 500,000 users.
• Sabaq and Out-Class provide AI-assisted tutoring aligned with the national curriculum.
• The state-run Tele School initiative, launched during the pandemic, delivered televised lessons to 8 million children nationwide.

These examples show that when innovation meets accessibility, transformation is possible. But without large-scale public investment and consistent policy support, such projects risk remaining isolated successes rather than national solutions.

The Inclusion Gap: Innovation or Inequality?

For now, innovation in Pakistan’s education system often widens divides instead of closing them. Elite private schools in major cities offer robotics labs, coding bootcamps, and AI modules, while students in Tharparkar, Turbat, or Shangla still learn under open skies or not at all. Technology, instead of being an equalizer, risks becoming another marker of privilege. True progress demands equity. Without affordable internet, trained teachers, and accessible devices, AI-driven education will benefit only those already ahead.

What Needs to Change

For innovation to become inclusive, Pakistan must move beyond pilot projects and policy papers. A national roadmap is essential:

1. Integrate AI and Digital Literacy

Introduce data literacy and coding from middle school, advancing to AI fundamentals by high school.

2. Teacher Training at Scale

Develop national AI-pedagogy training programs through the Higher Education Commission and provincial boards.

3. Infrastructure and Connectivity

Expand broadband to rural areas and equip public schools with digital labs.

4. Public–Private Partnerships

Collaborate with global tech companies to fund and sustain digital education in government schools.

5. Equity and Inclusion Frameworks

Prioritize rural girls, differently-abled learners, and linguistic minorities. AI tools should operate in Urdu and regional languages.

6. Monitoring and Research

Establish an AI in Education Observatory under the Ministry of Federal Education to assess ethical, social, and pedagogical outcomes.

Innovation Without Access Is Inequality Rebranded

AI can teach. Innovation can scale. Technology can transform learning.

But only if the foundation is ready. Pakistan’s education system cannot leapfrog into the AI era while millions of children remain offline, out of school, or priced out of opportunity. The future of learning must be built not just on algorithms but on accessibility, inclusion, and equity.  The question is not whether Pakistan can innovate it is whether it can innovate for everyone.  In a country where millions still lack textbooks, expecting digital tablets to solve systemic failure is wishful thinking. Where families struggle for school fees, talk of AI labs can ring hollow. Progress will not come from pilot projects alone it will come when every child, regardless of geography or income, has access to learning opportunities shaped by both human care and intelligent tools. Until then, let’s not confuse progress with transformation. The future of education must not only be smart it must be fair, inclusive, and human-centered.

Read: Pakistan: Education without Employability

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Ali Nawaz Rahimoo, based in Umerkot, Sindh is a social development professional. He can be contacted on anrahimoo@gmail.com