Education in Pakistan

Education in Pakistan is divided into five levels: primary (grades one through five); middle (grades six through eight); high (grades nine and ten, culminating in matriculation); intermediate (grades eleven and twelve, leading to an F.A. diploma in arts or F.S. science; and university programs leading to undergraduate and advanced degrees.

Academic and technical education institutions are the responsibility of the federal Ministry of Education, which coordinates instruction through the intermediate level. However, education is still largely a provincial matter with each province having its own board of education. Above that level, a designated university in each province is responsible for coordination of instruction and examinations. In certain cases, a different ministry may oversee specialized programs. Universities enjoy limited autonomy; their finances are overseen by a University Grants Commission, as in Britain.

Pre-school

A child may begin his/her schooling at a pre-school at the age of 3. Over the last few years, many new kindergarten (sometimes called montessori) schools have sprung up in Pakistan.

Primary Education

Formal education in Pakistan starts from around age 5. The first 5 years of school are referred to as Primary. Thereafter, the next 3 are referred to as Middle and the next 2 as High School.

Secondary Education

At the completion of High School or 10 years of schooling, students are required to sit for board examinations referred to as Secondary School Certificate examinations or more commonly as 'Matric'. These are administered by area boards. Those that receive passing marks (normally 33%) on this examination are awarded a Secondary School Certificate or SSC.

Post-Secondary

Students may then enter a college to complete two more years of schooling after which they sit for the Higher Secondary School Certificate or more commonly called 'Intermediate' exams. There is a wide choice of subjects that students can choose from during their 'intermediate' college years many of which are technical subjects. Students normally read about 5 subjects in a chosen stream such as pre-medical, science, humanities, pre-engineering etc. and then sit for the Higher Secondary School Certificate exam in those subjects which are also administered by area boards. Those that receive passing marks (normally 33%) of all subjects cummulative are awarded a Higher Secondary School Certificate or HSSC.

Degrees Offered

Students can then proceed to a College or University for Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Science (BSc) or Commerce/Business Administration (BCom/BBA) degree courses. There are two types of Bachelor courses in Pakistan namely Pass or Honours. Pass constitutes two years of study and students normally read three optional subjects (such as Chemistry, Mathematics, Economics, Statistics) in addition to almost equal number of compulsory subjects (such as English, Pakistan Studies and Islamic Studies) whereas Honours are three or four years and students normally specialize in a chosen field of study such as Biochemistry (BSc Hons. Biochemistry). It is important to note that Pass Bachelors is now slowly being phased out for Honours throughout the country. Students may also after earning their HSSC may study for professional Bachelor degree courses such as engineering (B Engg), medicine (MBBS), vetrinary medicine(DVM) law (LLB), agriculture (B Agri), architecture (B Arch), nursing (B Nurs) etc. which are of four or five years duration depending on the degree

Some Masters Degrees also consist of 1.5 years. Then there are PhD Education as well in selected areas. One has to choose specific field and the suitable university doing research work in that field. PhD in Pakistan consists of minimum 3-5 years.

Pakistani universities churn out almost 1.2 million skilled graduates annually. The government has announced a $1 billion spending plan over the next decade to build 6 state-of-the-art science and engineering universities. The scheme would be overseen by the Higher Education Commission.

Private Institutions in Pakistan

Owing to the failure of public schools to provide quality education to the children of Pakistan, many parents have enrolled their children in private schools. Although traditionally, private schools have been a luxury only the rich can afford, this is not necessarily the case in the current reemergence of the private sector in Pakistan's education system.

Nationally, overall private school primary enrolment (as a percentage of total primary enrolment) is 13 percent in Pakistan.

A recent survey in urban Pakistan found that 59 percent of households earning less than Rs 3,500 had children who were enrolled in private schools in the city of Lahore. Similarly, in the low-income and economically-deprived Orangi district of Karachi, a surprising 60 percent of all enrolled children went to private primary schools.

The findings of this study are given added support by a 1996 study conducted in the urban areas of five districts in the province of Punjab. This study found that even among low-income households, there was a private school enrolment rate of 50 percent.

More than 36,000 private institutions attend to the educational needs of 6.3 million children.

There is a parallel education system in place in some private schools, i.e. the 'O' level and 'A' level system. These curriculums are set by the University of Cambridge of the UK. Students studying in this system do not follow the syllabi set by the Pakistan government, but subjects such as Islamiyat and Pakistan studies are still compulsory for most high school students. The ministry of education also keeps an eye on what is being taught in these private schools. Generally, these schools are accessible to the elite few due to the high fees charged by O/A levels schools. However, during recent years, the phenomenon of appearing for the Cambridge exams "privately" has been rising. Students attend private tutoring sessions, register for the British exams via the British Council, and do no attend any school to prepare for their exams.

Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan

The Higher Education Commission has been set up by the Government of Pakistan to facilitate the development of indigenous universities to be world-class centers of education, research and development. Through facilitating this process, the HEC intends to play its part in spearheading the building of a knowledge-based economy in Pakistan.

Pakistan Institutes:

Islamabad Institutes

• Air University, Islamabad
• Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad
• Bahria University, Islamabad
• COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad (having campuses; Islamabad, Abbottabad, Wah, Lahore and Attock).
• Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology, Islamabad
• Foundation University, Islamabad
• Institute of Space Technology (IST), Islamabad
• International Islamic University, Islamabad
• National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad
• National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad
• Pakistan Institute of Engineering Applied Sciences, Islamabad
• Pakistan Institute of Development Economics
• Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
• Riphah International University, Islamabad

Punjab Institutes    

• Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan
• Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
• National College of Buisness Administration& Economics (NCBA&E) Lahore
• Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi
• Forman Christian College, Lahore
• GIFT University, Gujranwala
• Government College University, Faisalabad
• Government College University, Lahore
• Hajvery University, Lahore
• Imperial College of Business Studies, Lahore
• Institute of Management Sciences, Lahore
• Islamia University, Bahawalpur
• King Edward Medical University, Lahore
• Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore
• Lahore College for Women University, Lahore
• Lahore School of Economics, Lahore
• Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore
• Minhaj University, Lahore
• National College of Arts, Lahore
• National Textile University, Faisalabad (Federal Chartered)
• National University of Sciences & Technology , Rawalpindi
• The Superior College, Lahore
• The University of Management & Technology, Lahore  
• University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
• University of Arid Agriculture, Murree Road, Rawalpindi
• University of Central Punjab, Lahore
• University of Education, Lahore
• University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore
• University of Engineering & Technology, Taxila
• University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad
• University of Gujrat , Gujrat
• University of Health Sciences, Lahore
• University of Lahore, Lahore
• University of the Punjab, Lahore
• University of Sargodha, Sargodha
• University of South Asia, Lahore
• University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore
• Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore

Sindh Institutes  

• Agha Khan University, Karachi
• Baqai Medical University, Karachi
• Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education, Karachi
• DHA Suffa University,  Karachi
• Dow University of Health Sciences Karachi
• Greenwich University, Karachi
• Hamdard University, Karachi
• Indus Institute of Higher Education, Karachi
• Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi
• Institute of Business & Technology BIZTEK, Karachi
• Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
• Institute of Business Management, Karachi
• Iqra University, Karachi
• Isra University, Hyderabad
• Jinnah University for Women, Karachi
• Karachi Institute of Economics & Technology, Karachi
• KASB (Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari) Institute of Technology, Karachi
• Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro Sindh
• Mehran University of Eng. & Technology, Jamshoro
• Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi
• Nazeer Hussain University, Karachi
• NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi
• Newports Institute of Communications and Economics, Karachi
• Pakistan Naval Academy, Karachi
• Preston Institute of Management Sciences and Technology, Karachi
• Preston University, Karachi
• Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science & Technology, Nawabshah
• Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur
• Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology (SZABIST), Karachi
• Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam
• Sir Syed University of Engg. & Technology, Karachi
• Sukkur Institute of Business Administration, Sukkur
• Textile Institute of Pakistan, Karachi
• University of East, Hyderabad
• University of Karachi, Karachi
• University of Sindh, Jamshoro
• Ziauddin Medical University, Karachi

Balochistan Institutes  

• Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology, Khuzdar
• Balochistan University of Information Technology and Management Sciences, Quetta
• Iqra University, Quetta
• Lasbelaa University of Agriculture, Water & Marine Science, Othal
• Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University, Quetta
• University of Balochistan, Quetta

NWFP Institutes       

• Frontier Women University, Peshawar
• CECOS University of Information Technology and Emerging Sciences, Peshawar
• City University of Science & Information Technology, Peshawar
• Gandhara University, Peshawar
• Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences & Technology, Swabi
• Gomal University, D.I. Khan
• Hazara University, Dodhial, Mansehra
• Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences), Peshawar
• Karakuram International University, Gilgit
• Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat
• Northern University, Nowshera Cantonment
• NWFP Agriculture University, Peshawar
• NWFP University of Engineering & Technology, Peshawar
• Pakistan Military Academy, Abbottabad
• Preston University, Kohat
• Qurtaba University of Science & Information Technology, D. I. Khan
• Sarhad University of Science & Information Technology, Peshawar (Approved Distance Education Centers of (SUIT), Peshawar)
• University of Malakand, Chakdara, Dir. Malakand
• University of Peshawar, Peshawar
• University of Science & Technology, Bannu

Azad Jammu & Kashmir Institutes  

• Al-Khair University, AJK
• Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University, AJK
• University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir