One of the main messages of the report is that to bring more children into school and ensure that they learn, the Federal and Provincial Governments need to improve the quality of education. Parental participation makes a difference Contact and cooperation between teachers and parents yield tangible benefits. Experiments in community participation in rural and urban areas across Pakistan indicate that participation improves the quality of education because parents contribute more and teachers become accountable to parents for observable results. When parents trust local teachers in local schools, the report found that they are more willing to contribute money, buildings, time, and effort to the school. Enrollment and achievement test results are higher when parents appoint and monitor teachers, form committees to ensure the smooth running of the schools, come to awards ceremonies, and assume other responsibilities to help manage their children's education.
Parental participation is especially important for girls' attendance.
Among poor families, as incomes fall, parents' willingness to educate daughters falls faster than their willingness to educate sons. Poorer parents rely more on girls for help at home, and therefore schooling carries a greater cost in lost chore time. The report recommends that parent committees be phased in for all government schools. For new schools, the creation of a parent committee should precede the creation of the school. Many private schools run on shoe-string budgets but still outperform government schools.