The Effect of Gender Differences in Primary School Access, Type, and Quality on the Decision to Enroll in Rural Pakistan

An analysis of the various factors that impact the enrollment and retention rates within schools in Pakistan.

The study aims to explore how accessibility, quality and the existence of public or private schools influence the decision by parents to enroll their children within schools. The study uses rural Punjab and Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) data from a survey conducted in 1997 that specifically distinguished between the genders and reveals that various factors have a different impact on both the genders. Multinomial logic model including simulations indicates that accessibility and quality of school significantly influence the enrollment rates of girls as opposed to boys.

The results also establish that presence of all girls’ school within close proximity results in higher girl’s enrollment rates within rural areas. The study reveals that quality of schools in terms of low teacher absenteeism, teacher to student ratio and school infrastructure is an important factor during the decision by parents to enroll their daughters. It is also held that development of private schools does not impact enrollment rates and therefore policies must be designed at development of single sex schools with high quality of education. 

Note: Northwest Frontier Province (N.W.F.P) is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPk)