Comparative Analysis of Literacy Skills, Writing and Numeracy Attained by Students of Formal and Non-Formal Schools at Primary Level in Islamabad Capital Territory

Oct 15, 2026

The study compares the quality of literacy skills of 4th grade students in formal primary schools and non-formal basic schools in Islamabad. Writing and numeracy performance are analyzed using a descriptive design. The population includes 100 girls, equally split between formal and non-formal settings. Purposive sampling is used, and data are collected via a self-developed achievement test. Results show non-formal students score lower in writing but match in numeracy, with recommendations for equal treatment, mandatory teacher training, and literacy-focused support methods.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Statement of the Problem

Comparative Analysis of Literacy Skills, Writing and Numeracy Attained by the Students of Formal and Non-Formal Schools at Primary Level in Islamabad Capital Territory Muhammad Ajmal* and Javeria Hussain * Abstract The aim of the study was to compare the quality of literacy skills of 4th grade students at Formal primary schools and non-formal basic schools in Islamabad. A comparative analysis was conducted to compare the writing and numeracy skills among the 4th grade students of Formal and Non-formal schools. The research was descriptive in nature. The population of the study consisted of 100 students (50 students from formal primary school and 50 students from non-formal basic school).All the students taken for study were girls. The researchers adopted purposive sampling technique and collected data through a self-developed achievement test. The study concluded that the non-formal basic school students were lower in writing skill as compared to Formal primary school students, but they were equal in numeracy level. The study recommended that students at non-formal schools should be treated equally with Formal schools and training of teachers should be made mandatory in field of literacy specially in writing and numeracy skills. Gamification, playful pedagogy, pencil grip exercises, and using latest apps for writing and numeracy skills were recommended for both formal and non-formal schools. Keywords: Literacy, Writing skills, Numeracy skills, Formal school, non-formal school. *Associate Professor, Department of Distance, Non-Formal & Continuing Education, AIOU. [Email: drajmal@aiou.edu.pk](Email: drajmal@aiou.edu.pk) **M. Phil Scholar, Department of Distance, Non-Formal & Continuing Education, AIOU. [Email: javariahussain111@gmail.com](Email: javariahussain111@gmail.com) Introduction Literacy is a mainstream and basic path to the progress. Literacy is a main element to communicate all over the world. It is the capability to translate data and helps to understand the data. Literacy is an art and proficiency (Karis, 2014). It is concern about the achievement of reading, writing and numeracy skills, and it’s helped the growth of healthy nation, living standards, and gender equality. The purpose of literacy should be easy to understand (UNESCO, 2006). Baguma and Okecho (2010) says that formal education is step by step designed and progressively promote the learner in education system, on the other hand formal institution provide the facility of specialization in different programmes. Ihejirika (2000) described that non-formal education helps to those people who cannot take a part informal education system. It is also planned and organized learning system, but it’s happened outside the formal school system. Non-Formal education framework offer to types of education to identified subpopulations (adults, adolescents or children) in the population. Constitution of the Pakistan stated that “the state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law”(Article 25-A) . Literacy rate of Pakistan is very low. Pakistan’s economic survey results mentioned that Pakistan’s literacy rate is 60% to 58% . Pakistan did not reach to achieve the Millennium Development Goal, target of quality education, global primary school enrolment, increase literacy rate and expand school system (Alif Ailaan & SDPI, 2016) . According to ASER Pakistan Report 2016, 􀁸 English: 86 % class 3 children cannot read English sentences (class 2 level) 􀁸 Urdu: 71 % class 3 children cannot read class 2 story. 􀁸 Arithmetic: 93 % class 3 children could not do two-digit division. Ministry of Education (2001) testimony’s outcome shows that students of primary level were very low in all subjects. It is a serious matter for nation’s foundation if education system has been worthless on a basic stage. Many steps and projects have been started to upsurge the quality of

FAQs

What was the main purpose of the study?

To compare literacy quality between 4th grade students in formal primary schools and non-formal basic schools in Islamabad, focusing on writing and numeracy.

How was the study designed and who participated?

The study used a descriptive approach with 100 girl students (50 from formal primary school and 50 from non-formal basic school).

What were the key findings and recommendations?

Non-formal students were lower in writing skills but equal in numeracy compared to formal school students. The study recommends equal treatment, mandatory teacher training for literacy (especially writing and numeracy), and supportive strategies such as gamification and app-based practice.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Guten tag