Intl Literacy Day 2026: Time To Bring Out-of-school Children Under Education Net for Economic Prosperity
Published September 08, 2026 | 05:20 PM
PESHAWAR, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 8th Sep, 2026) Unaware that the world is observing International Literacy Day on Tuesday, 16-year-old Hussain Ali weaves his way through the narrow alleys of Qissa Khwani Peshawar, pushing a handcart laden with vegetables and fruits to financially support his family.
While moving in narrow streets from dawn to dusk, the summer heat has left dust on his face and fatigue in Hussain’s eyes, making him look far older than his age. For Hussain, childhood ended when his father died of pancreatic cancer, forcing him to leave school and started labour work. He took responsibility for helping repay the family’s medical debts and supporting a household of six at a time when the rising cost of living has made survival increasingly difficult for low-income families in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“My father wanted to see me become an architect,” Hussain says, his eyes filled with quiet sorrow while talking to APP. “Now I just watch schoolchildren pass by and think about what could have been. Iliteracy and poverty snatched my dreams.”
His story is more than that of one child forced into labour in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to poverty but a painful reflection of a much larger socioeconomic problems that continues to push millions of children away from classrooms.
According to data from the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) survey, more than 3.9 million children in KP are out of school. The gender gap is particularly alarming in settled districts where around 2.9 million out-of-school children are girls, while in the merged tribal districts, approximately one million children aged 5 to 16 years remain unenrolled.
The situation is particularly grave in several far flung underdeveloped districts. Palas Kolai has an estimated 77 percent of children out of school, followed by Upper Kohistan with 70 percent. North and South Waziristan stand at around 60 percent, Mohmand and Khyber at 51 percent, while Orakzai and Kurram report approximately 47 percent.
Behind these numbers are millions of individual stories—children carrying burdens that should never have been placed on their young shoulders due to socioeconomic problems.
In many parts of the province, illiteracy, poverty, cultural restrictions, inadequate infrastructure and social taboos continue to deprive children, particularly girls, of even basic educational opportunities.
“Education is the backbone of any progressive society. Free education is a constitutional right, not a luxury,” said Professor Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim, former Director of Education, KP while talking to APP on Tuesday. He warned that growing illiteracy affects far more than individual futures besides undermining development. Besides reducing economic productivity, it increases dependency and undermines social stability.
