Understanding Primary School Enrollment in the Free Education Era Through Large-Scale from Punjab, Pakistan: Roadblocks to Meeting the Sustainable Development Goal

Pakistan’s government has long been committed to providing its citizens with accessible and universal education. However, these efforts have yielded little gains for society due to several social and economic factors. Subsequently, Pakistan has a lower literacy rate and is one of the lowest in South Asia and the rest of the world. Although such a substantial issue is daunting and weakens the country’s educational system, more evidence is needed that proposes potential implications or interventions to identify the most important in-school factors of primary school enrollment in Pakistan. Therefore, the present study derived a literature review-driven hypothesis and administered a rigorous analysis using the 2018 school census from the Punjab government education commission, showing detailed information on 24,305 public primary schools. The findings of this study assert that the medium of instruction has a considerable impact on primary school enrollment and the availability of qualified teachers. Single-sex schools, WASH facilities, and the security of schools have significant and diverse effects on student enrollment, which may have implications for scholars, educators, and policymakers.