Exploring the Barriers to Girls’ Education from Primary to Secondary Level in District Lasbela, Balochistan: A Case Study of Tehsil Uthal

Abstract

This paper explores barriers to girls’ education from primary to secondary school levels in District Lasbela, Balochistan, with a focus on Tehsil Uthal. It also examines the attitude of the people of Tehsil Uthal towards girls’ education and offers recommendations to the government of Balochistan to increase girls’ educational opportunities in Tehsil Uthal. A mixed research method is used by combining both the qualitative and the quantitative data to reach to the depth of each barrier. Primary data is collected in two rounds of interviews. In the first round, 150 respondents were selected randomly, who were sent a close-ended questionnaire for filling, while in the second round, 20 individuals were selected for in-depth interviews using open-ended questionnaires. The findings reveal poverty, lack of awareness, accessibility concerns (such as lack of schools, lack of transportation facilities, and long distances between schools and villages), gender discrimination, and early marriages as the primary barriers to girls' education in Tehsil Uthal. The paper concludes that girls' educational chances can be enhanced by addressing these barriers through more public awareness campaigns, improved school accessibility, incentivizing girls’ education through scholarships, and through social change initiatives that challenge gender stereotyping and early marriages.