Quality education relates to the value of learning that occurs between teachers and students. In addition, it focuses upon how learning in the school radiates into the local community and eventually across the nation merging into larger international channels.

Improving the quality of education emphasizes aspects of early childhood development, universal primary education, and ensuring excellence for improving learning outcomes and increased acquisition of knowledge and skills for better living.

Many of the policies, such as the Education for All, Education Sector Reforms and the Millennium Development Goals, underline the importance of linking quality education with other development objectives of healthcare, environment, sustainable development, sustainable livelihoods, nutrition and access to individual and community needs.

In order to address the unmet demands of access and quality, Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are being increasingly advocated as an effective approach. The ‘Education Sector Reform’ document highlights the role of Public Private Partnerships in increasing access to quality education and meeting the demand for education (Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan, 2001).

Having said that, the concept and potential of PPP for the revival and promotion of public sector education requires a delicate balance of expertise and areas of operation. Public private partnerships without clear guidelines can lead to further marginalization of the public schools. On the other hand if channeled systematically with a sense of ownership at all levels, PPP can bring about tremendous results for the revival and promotion of education.

Pakistan faces a number of challenges in education, including low enrolment ratios, significant disparities in access between girls and boys, poor quality public education and high rates of illiteracy. Despite the government's concerted efforts to make education free and accessible, situation of access and quality education remains acute in the public as well as the mushrooming low-end private school system. Country’s net enrollment rate stands at a mere 59% and male-female disparity in primary school participation is the lowest in South Asia.

The Sindh province in Pakistan also suffers from a breakdown of public education system and a marked decline in the provision of quality education. The literacy rate in general and for females in rural Sindh particularly remains alarmingly low (barely 18%). For Hyderabad, the results are not markedly different when compared to Sindh wide statistics. 28% of boys remain out of school at the primary level while the corresponding percentage for girls stands at 45%. Moreover, disparity between boys and girls stands, like much of the province, at 17%. (Source: SEMIS Data)

These statistics however fail to indicate a far more important statistic i.e. retention rate. Getting children to school does not ensure that they are learning, nor that they will stay in school. High dropout rates, irregular attendance, poorly trained and demoralized teachers and lack of educational materials result in few children completing the primary cycle; fewer still are literate and numerate. It is essential therefore that curricula and educational strategies are designed to attract children to school, keep them there and teach them relevant skills as efficiently as possible.