Production of Cognitive and Life Skills in Public, Private, and NGO Schools in Pakistan

Abstract

The share of private and NGO schools in primary education has substantially increased over time, though the public sector is still a major player in this area. The present study analyses the factors determining the quality of education offered by the three types of schools and draws policy recommendations for improving primary education in Pakistan. The study compares learning achievement of Class 4 students enrolled in 50 public, private, and NGO schools located across six districts of Pakistan and in Azad Kashmir in terms of their scores in Mathematics, Urdu, and General Knowledge tests. The analysis shows that, practically, there is no gap between public and NGO schools in terms of the test scores of their students. However, a significant test score gap was found between the students enrolled in public and private schools. This gap was largely explained by family background and school-related variables, including teachers’ qualification and student/teacher ratio. However, the performance of private schools was not uniform across districts. In some districts public schools performed even better than private and NGO schools. The findings of this study highlight the need for improving the quality of education in public schools by recruiting more qualified teachers and improving overall supervision. Teacher training is the area where the public and private sectors can benefit by pooling their resources and expertise.

Exploring variations in the relative technical efficiency in providing school education: a case study of Sindh, Pakistan

“…In the case of, the share of teachers residing in the community-a fact easily known to parents-was found to have a particularly important effect on girls'; in the case of retention, attending a government school rather than a private school-government schools typically have a lower rank on most dimensions of school quality-tends to significantly increase the chance that a girl will drop out of school. Arif and Saqib (2003) measure cognitive skills in the primary grades for public, private and nongovernmental organization (NGO) schools. They administered questionnaires to grade 4 (primary school) pupils, their parents, teachers and school heads.…”

Peaceful Coexistence? The Role of Religious Schools and NGOs in the Growth of Female Secondary Schooling in Bangladesh

“…Studies on the relative performance NGO schools for other countries include Arif and Saqib (2003) and Khan and Kiefer (2007). Both studies utilize sample survey data from Pakistan.…”

Do Pro‐Poor Schools Reach Out to the Poor? Location Choice of BRAC and ROSC Schools in Bangladesh

“…However, the evidence on student performance in NGO‐run schools is mixed. Some studies find positive impact (for example, Sukontamarn ; Khan and Kiefer ), while others report no or negative impact (for example, Arif and Saqib ). One possible explanation for differences lies in differential targeting rule.…”