This report has been produced by the Campaign for Quality Education (CQE) in collaboration with the
Institute of Social and Policy Studies (I-SAPS) and is part of an on-going initiative to improve education in
Pakistan. The purpose of this particular report is to advocate for an important, yet often ignored, aspect
of providing quality education, that is improving budgeting of the education sector. The analysis
concentrates on education budgets of the Federal and all provincial governments for three fiscal years –
2007-08 to 2009-10.
Prioritizing education in public expenditure is a complex issue. The financing structure of education in
Pakistan indicates that the government is the biggest investor in the sector. However, the government
faces many challenges in allocating budgets and, while it may claim to support education, it is not always
able to put this in practice. Budgeting for the education sector in Pakistan remains problematic at two
levels a) at the stage of resource allocation as an outcome of the budgeting process and financial
planning mechanisms; and b) at the stage of resource utilization as an outcome of the planning process
and capacity to undertake utilization/expenditures.
By specifically analyzing the federal and provincial education budgets for 2008-09 and 2009-10, based
on the findings from both the Pre and Post Budget Dialogues on Education held jointly by CQE and ISAPS in 2008 and 2009, we gain insight into government priorities, while at the same time collect
information that can be useful for campaigning for and influencing budget work. However, the analysis
is limited in its scope in as much as it focuses only on the federal and three provincial education
budgets; it does not cover an analysis of district budgets.
