ISLAMABAD: An international rights group says millions of girls in Pakistan are still out of school, mostly because the government spends less money on education.
Human Rights Watch says they are deprived of an education for multiple reasons, including a shortage of government schools.
The New York-based watchdog says the country — which has a population of about 207 million, including an estimated 80 million school-age children — has nearly 22.5 million children that are out of school. The majority of them are girls.
The 111-page report was released on Tuesday. It is entitled "Shall I Feed My Daughter, or Educate Her?: Barriers to Girls' Education in Pakistan."
In 2017, Pakistan spent less than 2.8 percent of its GDP on education — far below recommended standards of 4 to 6 percent.