In Zhob district, schooling has always been a neglected sector. The number of primary, middle and high schools in the district, was disappointingly low, particularly as far as girls’ schools are concerned, until very recently. Up to 1991 there was no middle school for girls and only one high school.

 There are two important private schools: Paper Grammar and Army Public School. In addition to these there are two other small private schools.

The majority of the schools are government run schools. They come under the direct supervision of the District Education Officers, one male and one female. The female district education officer administers the two districts of Killa Saifullah and Zhob and is based in Muslim Bagh. The Male DEO is stationed in Zhob city. There are three categories of government run schools: primary, middle, and high schools. There used to be Mosque schools in the district, but they became government schools in 1993.

A primary school comprises two rooms. Most schools, including the girls’ schools do not have a boundary wall. The schools are government owned or donated by the MPA. A number of them are used as resting places. The total number of primary schools for boys is 371 with 14,920 students. The number of primary schools for girls is 40 with 4,157 students.

There is no vocational school in the district.

There are 22 boys’ schools with a total of 4,055 students (1,364 urban and 2,691 rural). There are 5 middle schools for girls with a total of 927 students (877 urban and 50 rural).

The total number of high schools is 7 for boys and 1 for girls. The total number of male students is 2,604 (2,329 urban and 275 rural). The total number of girls enrolled in high school is 711 (694 urban and 17 rural). The private school Grammar Model High School will start high level classes in 1998.

There is one degree college at Zhob city. The college was established in the 1960s and received its degree status in the early 1970s. Zhob college is one of the oldest colleges in the province. The college has a number of female students because there is no separate girls’ college. The number of girls aspiring to go to college is high, but many parents are reluctant to send their daughters to a boys’ college.

The school administration comes under a headmaster or head mistress. A head master or head mistress is supported by a number of teachers, drawing masters, science teacher, a clerk etc. The number and variety of staff varies from school to school.

The school buildings belong to the government of Balochistan. Building of private schools are privately owned. Some primary school building are funded by MPA funds and donated to the Balochistan government. There is little consistency in construction and style of school buildings. The majority of them lack playing grounds, boundary wall and latrines.

The education sector in the district is faced with a number of development issues. The number of middle and high schools for girls is not sufficient. The number of drop-outs from primary and middle schools, particularly girls, are high because of poverty and social unawareness of the parents. Drop-out rates decreased after the government and NGOs started distributing books and cooking oil.

 The schools are short of qualified teachers, particularly science teachers. At times JV teacher teach in high school classes.

 The literacy rate in the district is low among men and women both. However, the number of girls’ schools is much lower than the number of boys’ schools. The intermediate college for girls does not have a permanent building. It is temporarily housed in a private 4 room building. In today’s development initiatives, where women’s education is a major concern, efforts to increase opportunities for women need to be made. In Zhob district lack of education has maintained the social set-up with old and suppressive traditions. Health, employment, water and sanitation and environmental preservation are all underdeveloped mainly due to lack of education and awareness.

 The trend of cheating in secondary and middle examinations has increased. Attendance is not very high in rural areas, which accounts for the low standard of schooling in the district.

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