An Empirical Assessment of District-Level Disparities in Educational Performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

Abstract

This paper aims to compare the performance of education within the district level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan and also to identify whether focusing on learning outcomes does affect the performance ranking and policy interpretation. Comparative analysis of the Provincial Education Performance Index of KP is done with the use of the framework of District Education Performance Index 2023 and applied to all the districts of KP in the year 2023. Based on the data provided by the National Education Management Information System, the research employs a composite index methodology alongside normalization and weighted aggregation methods. Besides the traditional domain structure of learning, infrastructures and access, and governance and management, the study goes on to test the sensitivity of ranking through a weighted scheme of learning prioritized by increasing the weight of learning to 40%. The findings indicate that there are high levels of intra-provincial inequalities with no district coming out as an overall high performer. The domain of learning is found to be the weakest in most of the districts and the districts with a relatively strong infrastructure and governance do not always achieve better learning outcomes, hence showing the lack of correspondence between the inputs and the outcomes. The research concludes that the improvement of the level of educational achievements in KP requires a strategic transition to the learning-centered planning, with the help of district-specific interventions and evidence-based policy development, employing the performance indices as a decision-making instrument.