20 million Pakistani children still out of school: report

• Sindh Education and Literacy Department, together with Japan International Corporation Agency, issue a report on World Literacy Day.
• Highest number of out-of-school-children  in Pakistan is from Sindh: report.
• Situation in other provinces having a lesser number of OOSC has worsened instead of improving.

A report jointly issued by the Sindh Education and Literacy Department and the Japan International Corporation Agency suggests that at least 20 million children are still out of school in Pakistan.

The report has been issued on the occasion of World Literacy Day.

According to the report, the highest number of out-of-school-children (OOSC) in Pakistan, which is six million, is from Sindh, while the situation in other provinces having a lesser number of OOSC has worsened instead of improving.

A total of 43% of children aged around 10 years, and 45% of children around 15 years are out of school in Sindh, the report states.

This represents as much as 28% of these students in urban Sindh and 61% in rural Sindh.

UNICEF reports an estimated 22.8mn OOCS

A report issued by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund last year suggested that Pakistan had the world’s second-highest number of OOSC, with an estimated 22.8 million children out-of-school.