Education Policy Reforms in Pakistan: A Historical Perspective on Civic and Military Governments Approaches

This Master's thesis examines the impact of alternating civilian and military governance on education policy reforms in Pakistan from 1947 to 2009. Despite numerous policy initiatives over seven decades, Pakistan's education system remains in deep crisis, characterized by persistent challenges in access, quality, and equity. Existing scholarship lacks a systematic comparative analysis of how different regime types have influenced these outcomes over the long term. This study addresses this gap by investigating how civilian and military regimes collectively shaped policy continuity, educational outcomes, and regional equity. Utilizing a qualitative approach informed by Historical Institutionalism (HI) and Stakeholder Analysis (SA), the research draws on extensive document analysis of historical education policies and plans, complemented by semi-structured interviews with key informants (bureaucrats and academics) from Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan. HI helps explain the influence of structural legacies and path dependencies, while SA illuminates the roles and interests of diverse actors across different political contexts. The analysis reveals that political instability and a lack of sustained political commitment are major drivers of policy disruption, often leading to fragmented reforms regardless of regime type. Educational outcomes, particularly in terms of quality and critical thinking, remain persistently low, constrained by historical path dependencies such as chronic underfunding and inadequate infrastructure, compounded by misaligned stakeholder priorities that favor other sectors. Regional equity disparities persist, rooted in historical investment patterns and exacerbated by capacity deficits and political dynamics within provinces. The study concludes that the influence of regime type is significantly mediated by the enduring power of historical institutional constraints and the dynamics of stakeholders, particularly the consistent lack of political prioritization for education. Addressing Pakistan's education crisis requires a sustained national consensus, protected funding, strengthened provincial capacity, and depoliticized governance to overcome systemic challenges and ensure future stability and prosperity.