Punjab school enrollment: 33 districts fail to reach 50% target

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Six months into new academic session, govt schools achieve less than half of enrollment targets

According to the Punjab Education Department’s enrollment report, Rajanpur recorded the province’s lowest achievement at just 19%, while Lahore enrolled approximately 603,000 children against a target of two million.

The report highlights a significant shortfall in student enrollment across government schools, with 33 districts failing to achieve even 50% of their assigned targets.

Despite the passage of six months into the academic session, enrollment figures remain well below expectations in several districts, including major urban centres.

Only seven districts across Punjab managed to achieve more than 50% of their enrollment targets, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing the provincial public education system.

Rajanpur performed the worst among the districts listed in the report, achieving only 19% of its government school enrollment target.

Kot Addu recorded 20%, followed by Muzaffargarh at 21%. Faisalabad and Bahawalpur each achieved just 23% of their respective enrollment targets.

Khushab reached 24%, while Sargodha recorded 25%. Kasur and Mandi Bahauddin achieved 26% each, followed by Sialkot at 27%.

Chakwal and Sheikhupura recorded enrollment achievement of 28%, while Layyah reached 29%.

Government schools in Lahore achieved only 30% of their enrollment target, according to the report.

The provincial capital enrolled 603,134 children against a target of two million, leaving a substantial gap between the planned and actual number of students.

Despite being one of Punjab’s major urban centres, Lahore ranked 24th among the province’s districts in terms of enrollment target achievement.

The figures highlight the difficulties government schools continue to face in attracting students, even in a major city with an extensive network of educational institutions.

The Punjab Education Department’s report shows that just seven districts managed to achieve more than half of their enrollment targets during the first six months of the academic session.

Sahiwal topped the list of districts exceeding the 50% threshold, followed by Nankana Sahib in second place.

The report points to a widespread enrollment shortfall across Punjab’s government schools, with most districts remaining below the halfway mark despite the passage of six months.

The findings have raised concerns about progress towards provincial enrollment goals, particularly as the government continues efforts to bring more children into the public education system.