According to the latest Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey 2008‐09, the overall literacy rate (age 10 years and above) is 57% (69% for male and 45% for female) compared to 56% (69% for male and 44% for female) for 2007‐08. The data shows that literacy remains higher in urban areas (74%) than in rural areas (48%), and is more prevalent for men (69%) compared to women (45%). However, it is evident from the data that overall female literacy is rising over time, but progress is uneven across the provinces. When analyzed provincially, literacy rate in Punjab stood at (59 %), Sindh (59%), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (50%) and Balochistan at (45%). When analyzed provincially, literacy rate in Punjab stood at (59 %), Sindh (59%), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (50%) and Balochistan at (45%). According to the data, the overall school attendance, as measured by the Net Enrolment Rate (NER), for 2008‐09 was 57% as compared to 55% in 2007‐08. Nationally, the Gross Enrolment Rate (GER), sometimes referred to as the participation rate, which is the number of children attending primary school (irrespective of age) divided by the number of children who ought to be attending, in case of both male and female saw no change and remained at 91% between 2007‐08 and 2008‐09. The Gender Parity Index (GPI) is the ratio of female enrolment to male enrolment. A GPI of more than one indicates that, in proportion to every male in the school, there is more than one female. The GPI for Pakistan as a whole in 2008‐09 is 0.65 compared to 0.64 in 2007‐08. Province‐wise GPI is high in Punjab (0.72) followed by Sindh (0.63), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (0.45) and Balochistan (0.37). The lower GPI with a decreasing tendency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deserves attention at both the federal and provincial levels.

[1] Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey 2008‐09, Economic Survey of Pakistan 2009-10