OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN ISLAMABAD CAPITAL TERRITORY (ICT): TRENDS, DETERMINANTS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Out-of-school children (OOSC) remain a major educational challenge in Pakistan despite improvements in literacy, educational infrastructure, and policy initiatives aimed at expanding access to schooling. This study is designed to examine the patterns, causes, and policy dimensions of educational exclusion in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) by analysing the secondary data obtained from different national and international resources. The study reveals that although ICT performs comparatively better than most provinces/areas of Pakistan in terms of literacy rates, school enrollment, and educational facilities, approximately 90,000 children—around 15% percent of the school-age population—remain outside the formal education system. This indicates that educational exclusion persists even within the country’s most developed administrative territory. The research further highlights the demographic transformation of ICT, where rapid population growth from 340,286 in 1981 to more than 2.3 million in 2023 has placed increasing pressure on educational infrastructure and public service delivery. The findings identify poverty, migration, parental education, and rural–urban disparities as major determinants of OOSC in ICT. Peri-urban and rural areas such as Bhara Kahu, Tarnol, Nilore, and Sihala show comparatively higher educational vulnerability due to weaker infrastructure, transportation barriers, and limited digital access. In addition, migration from other provinces has led to the growth of informal settlements and katchi abadis where children are more likely to remain out of school because of poverty, overcrowding, unstable living conditions, and lack of documentation. Gender-related barriers, including safety concerns, mobility restrictions, cultural norms, limited access and domestic responsibilities, also continue to affect girls’ educational participation, although the gender gap in ICT is narrower than in many other regions/areas of Pakistan. The study concludes that despite stronger educational indicators in ICT, structural inequalities and uneven urban development continue to sustain educational exclusion. It emphasizes the need for targeted policy interventions focusing on underserved peri-urban areas, secluded communities, migrant populations, girls’ education, school quality, and non-formal education pathways in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4): Quality Education for All.