An education crisis in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district has intensified, with a growing number of schools closing due to a severe shortage of teachers, leaving large numbers of children out of school, a recent survey has found.
The report indicates that only around 35% of school-age children in the district are currently enrolled, while the majority remain out of school due to socio-economic and infrastructural challenges.
It highlights rising education costs, long distances to schools, and an acute shortage of teaching staff as key factors worsening the situation. Many children are unable to continue schooling as families cannot afford to travel several kilometres to reach the nearest facility.
Families from rural areas are increasingly moving towards urban centres in search of educational opportunities. However, limited teaching activity in public schools has left many struggling, while the high fees of private institutions remain beyond the reach of most households.
The survey states that several schools across Khuzdar and surrounding areas have been closed due to the absence of teachers, while many rural school buildings have fallen into disrepair. Thousands of teaching positions remain vacant, raising questions about the effectiveness of government claims of an “education emergency” in the province.
Schools in areas including Wadh, Sarona, Kunjur Mari, Shah Noorani, Ornach, Zehri, Naal, Moola, Karkh and Baghabana are non-functional despite existing infrastructure, primarily due to staff shortages. As a result, hundreds of boys and girls across the district remain out of school.
Local communities have called on Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, Education Minister Raheela Hameed Durrani, and senior education officials to take urgent measures to address the crisis, restore closed schools, and ensure teacher attendance.
The report notes that similar school closures linked to teacher shortages are being observed across multiple districts in Balochistan. It also references earlier findings suggesting that more than 542 schools were closed in the province as of 2024, with an estimated requirement of 16,000 additional teachers.
It adds that financial constraints have led some teachers to leave the profession, while others have staged protests over delayed salaries outside government offices in Quetta.
Education in Balochistan has been described in previous reports as being in a state of severe decline. Data from the Alif Ailaan initiative (2023) shows the province remains the most educationally disadvantaged region in Pakistan, with millions of children out of school and significant gaps in infrastructure, staffing, and access to basic services.