Government schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have enrolled just 36 per cent of their new-admission target while private schools exceed theirs, as parents cite delayed calendars, missing textbooks and lost stipends amid a province-wide education crisis.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the ongoing admission campaign for government schools has fallen sharply short of ambitious targets, exposing deep structural challenges that continue to push families toward private institutions. 

Official figures show that of the 1,161,203 new admissions targeted for government schools, only 422,899 children have been enrolled so far – just 36 per cent of the goal. By contrast, private schools, assigned a target of 398,587, have already enrolled 421,999 students and surpassed their mark.

The disparity has sparked concern among parents, teachers and education advocates. While the provincial Education Department insists the campaign remains active and that it is too early to label it a failure, the numbers and the reasons cited by families point to longer-term problems that have plagued public education in the province for years.

Academic Calendar Mismatch and the Semester System

One of the most frequently mentioned obstacles is the semester system introduced in government schools. The academic year now runs in two parts: the first semester from September to December 31 and the second from January to May 31. Private schools, by comparison, typically complete examinations by late February or early March and begin the new session shortly afterward.

Parents say the gap leaves children idle for months. Many cannot risk keeping their children out of structured learning for three to six months and therefore keep them in – or return them to – private schools despite the higher cost. One Peshawar mother who had planned to transfer her daughter to a government school reversed the decision after learning of the delayed start. “I did not want my daughter to lose several months of her education,” she explained. 

Another parent whose three daughters attend a government school noted that summer travel after May examinations delayed re-enrollment, a problem that would be less acute if calendars were aligned.

Teachers acknowledge the impact. While some argue that admissions continue year-round from Grade 1 to 10 and that it is premature to declare the drive a failure, others concede that the calendar mismatch has discouraged new entrants this year.

Missing Textbooks and the End of Stipends

A second major complaint is the chronic shortage of free textbooks. Parents report that complete sets have not been provided for two to three years. The books that do arrive are often old, worn and incomplete. New copies are scarce in the market, leaving low-income families with little practical choice.

In villages around Peshawar, enrollment of girls has dropped noticeably. One resident of Naguman said many families either sent daughters to schools in neighbouring areas or kept them at home because they could not afford books. The discontinuation of stipends for female students has further reduced the attractiveness of government schools for poor households that once relied on the modest financial support.

These immediate grievances sit against a backdrop of deeper, persistent challenges. Roughly 4.9 million children aged five to sixteen remain out of school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – about 37 per cent of the school-age population. Two-thirds of those out of school are girls. Net primary enrollment has stagnated or declined over the past decade even as the province invested in infrastructure and hired teachers. Learning outcomes and secondary enrollment, especially for girls, lag behind neighbouring Punjab.

Broader Structural Pressures

Teacher shortages, inadequate facilities and security concerns in certain districts compound the problem. In some primary schools, a handful of teachers handle hundreds of students in dilapidated buildings lacking electricity, drinking water or proper toilets. Low-enrollment schools – those with fewer than 40 students – have become a particular focus. The provincial government has already outsourced 500 such schools to private partners with a target of raising enrollment to 180 students each, and plans to hand over another 1,500.

Earlier enrollment drives have repeatedly fallen short of targets. Campaigns aiming to bring hundreds of thousands of out-of-school children into classrooms have been extended or scaled back when results lagged, particularly in rural and former tribal districts where terrain, cultural norms and the scarcity of female teachers create additional barriers.

The Education Department maintains that monitoring has been strengthened. Teachers have been directed to visit homes and contact parents after school hours. A Cluster Monitoring System tracks progress, and officials stress that the final picture will only emerge once the campaign concludes. Yet parents and local observers argue that without resolving the calendar mismatch, textbook supply and financial incentives, public schools will continue to lose ground to the private sector.

What Is at Stake

The current shortfall is more than a temporary campaign setback. It reflects a long-running pattern in which public investment has not translated into proportional gains in enrollment or learning. With nearly five million children still outside the system, and girls disproportionately affected, the province faces a growing challenge to its human-capital development.

Private schools have demonstrated the ability to meet and exceed targets under the same demographic and economic conditions. Their success highlights both the demand for education and the shortcomings that keep many families from choosing government options. Officials say that aligning academic calendars, restoring reliable textbook distribution, reinstating targeted stipends and addressing teacher and facility gaps in underserved areas would be practical steps toward closing the gap.

Education department official say that until those issues are tackled, the enrollment numbers are likely to keep telling the same story: government schools struggling to attract the students they are meant to serve, while private institutions absorb the demand.