Enforce Universal Primary and Secondary School Education in Pakistan

Pakistan is in the midst of an education crisis. This crisis, if left unchecked, will have devastating economic and social consequences and also threatens the security of the country, which not only affects Pakistan but the entire world.

The 1973 Constitution of Pakistan states, "The state shall remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education..." And with the passage of the 18th Amendment and Article 25‐A of the Constitution of Pakistan, free education has become a compulsory right of every child aged 5 to 16.

Yet as of 2012, twenty-five (25) million children between 5 to 16 years of age, are out of school. Two-thirds of the out-of-school children in the country are females, making Pakistan the third largest in the world with out-of-school female students. We call upon the Government of Pakistan to declare an Education Emergency in the country, and take immediate steps to abide by the constitution and implement a free and compulsory primary and secondary education system for all Pakistani children.