In 2019, enrolment at all levels of education in refugee village schools increased to 59,998, with 21,167 girls (35%) and 38,831 boys (65%). By December 2019, UNHCR in Pakistan had provided support to a total of 52,236 primary school children (65% boys and 35% girls), including 37,092 children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 14,074 in Balochistan and 1,070 in Punjab. Overall, an improvement was observed in girls’ participation in education, specifically at the primary school level, which saw in increase from 34% in 2018 to 35% in 2019.
Secondary school enrolment, which includes middle school (grades 6-8), as well as lower (grades 9-10) and higher secondary school (grades 11-12), increased to 5,221 in 2019 (71% boys, 29% girls). The enrolment of adolescent out-of-school girls in 37 home-based girls schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa increased to 1,248. UNHCR provided textbooks, classroom supplies and uniforms in all 146 Refugee Village schools and 61 educational facilities were rehabilitated/upgraded.
To improve the quality of education in the Refugee Village schools, 188 teachers were trained by UNHCR in 2019 through the Provincial Institute of Teacher Education (PITE) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (100) and Balochistan (88). PITE trained the teachers through a customized teacher training curriculum, based on the Pakistani curriculum. UNHCR provided a stipend to 1,273 teachers in Refugee Village schools in 2019 (638 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; 582 in Balochistan; and 53 in Punjab). The transition rate of girls from grade 3 to 4 increased from 87% in 2018 to 91% in 2019. In Balochistan, in order to cater to the needs of the students living in remote locations, 30 satellite classes continued to provide education to both boys and girls. 13 early-childhood education centres provided a child-friendly space for children between 3-5 years of age in Balochistan’s refugee villages. To retain girls in secondary classes, a cash grant was also provided to 275 female students in Balochistan.
In 2019, UNHCR strengthened its partnership with federal and provincial education departments, UNICEF, JICA and other development partners regarding refugee education. The Office participated in the National Education Development Partners Group (NEDPG), chaired the Non-formal Education technical working group and participated in the education sector plan development meetings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. UNHCR was successful in getting the Academy of Educational Planning and Management to include a nationality indicator in its data collection questionnaire, which feeds information into the National Education Management Information System and the Non-Formal Education Management Information System.
In the area of tertiary education, 433 Afghan refugee students were provided with a scholarship, through DAFI funding in 2019. A draft cooperation agreement with GIZ on the second phase of the DAFI+ programme, which focuses on providing on-the-job training to DAFI graduates and internship opportunities, was drafted and was awaiting clearance at the end of 2019.
The Pakistan Education Strategy 2020-2022 was finalised following an extensive consultation process with UNHCR, the Government, development partners and people of concern.
To identify public schools close to refugee villages where Afghan students could be enrolled, a mapping exercise of public schools was conducted. This data will continue to be used to merge existing refugee villages’ schools, where public schools are available and have enough absorption capacity to enroll Afghan students. These mapping reports were also used to identify the most immediate needs and allocate funding to meet minimum standards in all refugee villages schools across the country.
A minimum teachers’ qualifications paper was finalised, covering grade 12 minimum qualifications for refugee villages’ teachers. Exceptions were allowed in remote locations in Balochistan.
Transition plans for changing the curriculum from the Afghan to Pakistani curriculum were prepared for both primary and secondary levels to track progress.