60 percent of Pak girls are school dropouts: UNICEF

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UNICEF has revealed about 7 million children in Pakistan are out of primary school and 60 percent of them are girls.

UNICEF representative Dan Rohrmann warned the possibility of increasing dropouts by 2015 if efforts for universal education were not accelerated.

"The challenge is to ensure access and quality education for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children," The Nation quoted him as saying.

Interacting with media during Global Action Week on Education, Rohrmann also laid stress on the need to decrease the dropout rate among girls.

According to the UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report (2010), gender, wealth and household location are the factors influencing the likelihood of a child being out of school.

Poverty, exploitation and armed conflict increase the possibility of dropout among girls.

The UNICEF and UN delivering as One Program partners are working with the governments worldwide to overcome barriers preventing access to education.

It is making sustained efforts to promote education through 'Back to School' campaigns, school fee abolition, child-friendly schools and early childhood education.