The education system in Pakistan is
languishing in an abysmal condition. In the absence of
appropriate and consistent policy, the continued
depreciation of facilities and erosion of public credibility
in the state system many parents are opting out of the
state system and moving to the growing private sector.
The growth of the non-state sector in education has been
steady since denationalization in the early 1980s and
has exploded in the last fifteen years. This growth of the
private sector raises questions about quality and equity.
The literature overwhelmingly finds in favour of the
private sector when it comes to quality. There is also
some qualified support for encouraging this trend from
educationists. The literature however fails to deal
satisfactorily with the social equality and justice
implications of the rising private sector.