2014年-世界发展银行全球_Private_School_Participation_in_Pakistan_69页_3mb

Private School Participation in Pakistan: Summary

Core Content

This study analyzes the extent and nature of private school participation in Pakistan at the primary and secondary levels using national household sample survey data. It provides a comparative perspective with India, focusing on spatial and socioeconomic patterns.

Main Findings

1. Private School Participation Rates

• Approximately one-fifth of children (6–10 and 11–15 age groups) in Pakistan attend private schools, which corresponds to one-third of all students due to the significant number of out-of-school children.
• Private school participation is highly concentrated, with over 50% of students in just 10 districts (mainly in northern Punjab).
• The spatial distribution of private school participation aligns closely with the spatial distribution of private school supply.

2. Socioeconomic Characteristics of Private School Students

• Private school students tend to come from urban, wealthier, and more educated households.
• Private school participation rates vary significantly across provinces, with Punjab having the highest rate at 27%, followed by Sindh (18%), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) (16%), and Balochistan (3%).
• The composition of private school students has become less unequal over time, especially in Punjab, where the share of students from urban and high-wealth households has decreased.

3. Socioeconomic Subgroup Analysis

• Private school participation is lower in rural areas than in urban areas. For example, in the 6–10 age group, the rate is 13% in rural areas vs. 43% in urban areas.
• Government school participation is higher in rural areas, with rates of 50% for the 6–10 age group and 48% for the 11–15 age group.
• Private school participation is slightly lower for girls than for boys, but the gap is smaller than in government schools.
• Private school participation increases with household wealth, with the highest rate of 57% in the top wealth quintile for the 6–10 age group.

4. Comparison with India

• Private school participation rates in Pakistan are lower than those in India at both the national and provincial/state levels.
• In India, private schools are categorized as aided or unaided, with unaided schools being more comparable to the typical private schools in Pakistan.
• When comparing only unaided private schools in India, Punjab's private school participation rates climb to be between the bottom of the second quartile and the top of the third quartile in the distribution of Indian states.

5. Variation in Participation Within and Across Households

• Most variation in private school participation is across households, not within them.
• Private schools are more accessible to children from advantaged households, especially in urban and high-wealth areas.

Key Information

• Data Sources: The study uses household sample surveys from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), including the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) surveys from 2010/11, 2004/05, and 1998/99.
• Survey Coverage: The surveys are representative at the district level and cover all four provinces of Pakistan.
• School Types: Private schools are defined as for-profit, fee-based, secular, and unregulated institutions, while government schools are free.
• Private School Teachers: They are generally younger, unmarried women with lower education levels and lower salaries compared to government school teachers.
• Private School Fees: School fees are low enough for poor households to afford, with tuition fees averaging around 2% of household income in both urban and rural areas.

Conclusion

The study highlights that private schooling in Pakistan is a growing and significant trend, particularly in urban and high-wealth areas, and that it is more accessible to certain socioeconomic groups. While private schools contribute to overall school participation, especially among boys, urban children, and high-wealth households, they also exacerbate inequality in some cases. The spatial concentration of private schools and the comparative analysis with India underscore the need for policy interventions that address the unequal access to quality education and the concentration of private schooling in certain regions.