Access to Education of Rural Girls in Pakistan

This paper investigates barriers to education access in rural Pakistan based on multi-stakeholder interviews, highlighting contextual socio-economic disparities and challenges to girls’ education. Applying the social exclusion lens, we examine various issues contributing to this heightened lack of education access. Thirty-four participants from multiple stakeholders (students, schools, government, community, and family) from three villages in the Thatta district in Pakistan were interviewed for 60 to 90 min each. Results reveal that several barriers to education, from economic issues such as the non-employment of families, low wages, lacking government support – to sociocultural concerns such as religious and tribal nuances and the gendered role of education, perpetuate a cycle of social exclusion through lack of access to education opportunities. This study found multi-dimensional barriers that have hindered educational opportunities for rural girls in Thatta. The interplay of economic and sociocultural issues forms a multifaceted challenge that hinders the sustainable development of rural girls and exhibits possible educational inequalities beyond the country context.