Education in Pakistan is oversee by the Ministry of Education of the Government of Pakistan as well as the provincial governments, whereas the federal government mostly assists in  curriculum development, accreditation and in the financing of research and development. Article 25-A of Constitution of Pakistan obligates the state to provide free and compulsory quality education to children of the age group 5 to 16 years. “The State shall provide free and necessary education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such a manner as may be strong-minded by law”.

The education system in Pakistan is usually separated into five levels: primary(grades one through five); middle (grades six through eight); high (grades nine and ten, leading to the Secondary School Certificate or SSC); intermediate(grades eleven and twelve, leading to a Higher Secondary (School) Certificate or HSC); and university programs leading to undergraduate and graduate degrees.

The literacy rate ranges from 96% in Islamabad to 28% in the kohlo District. Between 2000 and 2004, Pakistanis in the age group 55–64 had a literacy rate of almost 38%, those ages 45–54 had a literacy rate of nearly 46%, those 25–34 had a literacy rate of 57%, and those ages 15–24 had a literacy rate of 72%. Literacy rates vary regionally, particularly by sex.