Education sector — Malakand Division
Literacy is 47.51% overall — below the KP provincial rate — with a wide internal spread from 73.83% in Upper Chitral to 26.26% in Bajaur, and a sharp gender gap (Shangla male 59% vs female 12%; Bajaur male 52% vs female 10%).
Government schools — KP Development Statistics 2018–19 (7 reporting districts; Chitral not split)
Government schools
Total7,036Primary through higher-secondary plus mosque schools across Bajaur, Buner, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Malakand, Shangla, and Swat.
Primary5,488
Middle642
High509
Higher Sec.169
Mosque228
Universities & higher education
- University of Swat (Saidu Sharif)
- University of Malakand (Chakdara, Lower Dir)
- Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (Sheringal, Upper Dir)
- University of Chitral
- AWKU Mardan campuses in Buner and Chitral
Medical: Saidu Medical College (Swat); a medical college is also recorded for Lower Dir. Cadet College Swat. Examining boards: BISE Malakand and BISE Swat.
District literacy comparison (2023 Census)
| District | Literacy % |
|---|---|
| Upper Chitral | 73.83% |
| Lower Chitral | 66.1% |
| Malakand | 61.66% |
| Lower Dir | 57.36% |
| Swat | 52.61% |
| Bar-Swat | 41.78% |
| Upper Dir | 46.77% |
| Buner | 43.75% |
| Shangla | 33.74% |
| Bajaur | 26.26% |
| Malakand Division | 47.51% |
Educational institutes by district (government schools)
| District | Primary | Middle | High | Higher Sec. | Mosque |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bajaur | 543 | 56 | 44 | 1 | 6 |
| Buner | 619 | 90 | 44 | 38 | 9 |
| Lower Dir | 1,174 | 144 | 120 | 49 | 63 |
| Upper Dir | 735 | 90 | 56 | 18 | 83 |
| Malakand | 537 | 61 | 73 | 14 | 6 |
| Shangla | 574 | 70 | 48 | 11 | 39 |
| Swat | 1,306 | 131 | 124 | 38 | 22 |
Private schooling & other highlights
- Swat (post-bifurcation lower valley) and Bar-Swat together inherit the former district’s school network; Swat still has the division’s largest private-school base (256 private middle-to-higher-secondary schools, plus 109 private primary schools).
- Chitral (undivided, pre-2018) recorded 157 private middle-to-higher-secondary and 191 private primary schools before the split.
- BISE Malakand and BISE Swat examine students from across the division.
Source: PBS 2023 Digital Census (literacy); KP Development Statistics 2018–19; KPESE (kpese.gov.pk).