Educational Inequality and System Bottlenecks in Pakistan (2014–2023): Tri-Country Benchmarking Against India And Bangladesh

This paper examines the institutional bottlenecks which still impede the process of education in Pakistan. The discussion is based on secondary data. It is a comparison of performance on indicators of access, enrolment, infrastructure, and institutional capacity and chosen benchmarks between 20142015 and 20222023 between India and Bangladesh. Results indicate that out-of-school among children aged 5-16 years decreased by 9.2 points (47.3 to 38.1) which are low improvements. Significant urban–rural disparities persist. Urban pre-primary enrolment increased significantly, with boys’ enrolment by 30% and girls’ by 28%, while rural pre-primary enrolment declined, indicating weakening access to early education. Girls’ enrolment at the middle level increased, particularly in rural areas, suggesting improvement with availability. Capacity remains uneven: 168,241 primary schools compared with only 9,004 higher-secondary institutions and 247 universities create a steep educational pyramid that constrains post-primary progression. The study concludes with stage-specific policy recommendations aimed at strengthening lower secondary retention, minimum infrastructure standards and post primary outcomes.