Socioeconomic School Segregation in Urban Pakistan

Saman Nazir and Hafsa Hina

Abstract

Socioeconomic segregation in schools is a critical policy issue since it affects social, educational and professional opportunities children have in society. This study measures the degree of school socioeconomic segregation in Pakistan. We calculated the school segregation using the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurements surveys for the years 2001-02 and 2018-19. Segregation was calculated at the national, urban, and city levels. We found elevated degree of segregation in government schools for students from less advantaged backgrounds. School segregation has dramatically increased over time and government schools are more segregated than private schools. In addition, we found that schools in Islamabad (level 1-10) had the highest levels of segregation, followed by Multan, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad. The study concludes with key recommendations for improving integration within government schools of urban Pakistan to reduce inequalities.