AZAD JAMMU AND KASHMIR OUTSTRIPS IN GENDER PARITY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL LEVEL: AN EVIDENCE FROM MICS DATA

Abstract

Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K) is a state spread over 13,297 square kilometers with 4.02 million population witnessing notable progress in the education sectors with dividends in gender parity attaining 1.00 Gender Parity Index (GPI) at the primary school level. It achieved a precise gender balance in the net attendant ratio at all levels - state, division, district, urban, and rural. However, there is a lack of any empirical evidence on these vital achievements of AJ&K. Hence this is the first-ever study specifically designed to bridge the prevailing gap in the development literature. It examines the GP in primary school net attendance ratio along with middle and secondary levels in AJ&K. Examining the secondary data from MICS AJ&K 2008 and 2021, it investigates the prevalence of gender parity at the primary level along with the realization of the SDGs targets in AJ&K. The study also solicits the contributing factors enabling AJ&K only to get the stipulated GP score within Pakistan and its region despite suffering from several manmade and natural disasters. It also examines AJ&K’s efforts in attaining Gender Parity in quality education. The study uses Secondary data (MICS AJ&K) for carrying out the analysis benefiting from SPSS-26 and MS Excel. The graphical tools are deployed to exhibit gender parity/disparity and examine targets like MDGs and SDGs. In particular, the gender parity/disparity in net attendance ratio at different educational levels has been evaluated concerning AJ&K, divisions, and districts along with urban and rural areas. The study observed that education, particularly, gender parity despite being an important indicator of social standing and education performance remained ignored in AJ&K for many decades. However, the GP Index at the primary school level improved gradually from 0.97 in 2008 (MICS 2007-08) to GPI “1.00” at the state, division, district, and urban-rural levels in 2021 (MICSAJ&K 2002-21). It also observes gender parity in reading English (GPI 0.984) and Urdu (GPI 1.00) along with numerical skill (GPI 0.985). The study witnesses a persistent gender gap harming girls having illiterate mothers or living in poor households. The analysis also finds a gender gap harming boys and girls at the middle and secondary levels respectively. AJ&K also obtained gender parity in quality education in reading (English and Urdu) comprehension and numerical skills. The study also identifies government commitment, community zest, number of girls' schools and female teachers, mother income, and family opulence as instrumental for enhancing GP score in the AJ&K. Furthermore this study reveals that financial paucity, fragile education system, and weak institutional capacity do not matter if state commitment and community support are readily available. The study further informs that AJ&K needs extra efforts for sustaining GPI “1” and bridging the gender gap disadvantaging girls having illiterate mothers and living in poor households. It also underlines the importance of improving the overall education environment in AJ&K to sustain GP along with quality education at the primary school level and enhance GP further at the middle and secondary levels of education.