What is the context?
This policy brief draws on a DARE-RC-supported research study that examines the lived educational and social experiences of children from religious minority backgrounds in Pakistan. While national policy frameworks recognise inclusion and equal rights, there is limited grounded evidence on how minority children actually experience schooling in their daily lives. This study was designed to bring those lived realities into policy discussion by listening directly to children, alongside teachers and school leaders, across multiple regions of the country.
Religious minorities have long contributed to Pakistan’s social and educational landscape, yet their own educational experiences remain under-documented. Available data are fragmented, and many forms of exclusion operate in subtle, everyday ways that are rarely captured in official statistics. The research, therefore, focused on school practices, teacher attitudes, peer relations, family support, and children’s own aspirations to understand where inclusion is working and where barriers persist. Special care was taken to include voices from diverse minority communities across four provinces, including groups whose identities required anonymisation for safety reasons.
The study is policy-relevant by design. Its purpose is not only to document challenges but to generate practical, evidence-based recommendations for education authorities, teacher education institutions, and school leadership. The findings offer concrete entry points for strengthening inclusive, equitable, and safe schooling for minority learners.
What did we learn?
● The lived experiences of children from religious minority backgrounds in Pakistan are a test of how inclusive Pakistan’s education system is. This brief brings these experiences into policy discussion and reflects on what it will take to get there.
● Minority children value education as a pathway to upward mobility and strive for it. Supportive teachers and friends strengthen their confidence, but some barriers hold them back: their religions are largely invisible in the curriculum and they experience discomfort with compulsory religious subjects, unequal access to financial support, and unaddressed discrimination or bullying.
● Social interactions are shaped by school culture, economic context, and classroom environment. Cross-religious friendships and institutional support can provide protection and a sense of normalcy, particularly in larger cities. But teacher silence and absence of institutional support aggravates their exclusion, especially in smaller towns and poverty-stricken areas.
● Minority children’s career aspirations are ambitious but many remain uncertain whether their religion will limit access to education and public sector jobs, regardless of merit. Gender and class strongly shape aspirations: girls face mobility restrictions and pressure towards early marriage, while students facing poverty limit their goals to what feels achievable.
● Addressing the gaps requires visible representation of minority religions and cultures in curricula and textbooks, mandating diversity-responsive training to help teachers address biases and respond to bullying, and stronger accountability (like school inspections and monitoring systems). Inclusion can also be improved through career guidance and equitable financial support for access to scholarships and stipends.
How did we learn this?
This policy brief draws on a qualitative study designed to understand how children from religious minority backgrounds experience schooling in Pakistan. The research focused on personal accounts of the schools, communities and children to develop insights about their lived experiences of education.
Data were collected through focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, and picture-prompt storytelling activities, which enabled children to discuss sensitive issues in an age-appropriate and open way. Separate focus group discussions were also conducted with teachers and school administrators to capture institutional perspectives on inclusion, school culture, and support practices.
Fieldwork was carried out across all four provinces to reflect regional and socio-economic diversity. Participants included children aged 14–16 from multiple minority communities, including Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Kalasha, Parsi, Buddhist, and anonymised groups with representation ensured across religion, gender, and socio-economic background. Participants were selected through purposive sampling based on community presence and self-identified affiliation, allowing a broad range of minority perspectives. Research tools were piloted and simplified to reduce leading questions and improve clarity across language and education levels. Data were analysed using structured thematic analysis with qualitative software.
