Student Number

27242

Degree

Master of Science in Development Studies

School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Date of Submission

Summer 8-6-2026

Supervisor

Dr. Junaid Alam Memon, Professor, Department of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi

Co-Supervisor

Dr. Faiz Ur Rehman, Professor, Department of Economics, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi

Committee Member 1

Dr. Yasmeen Jamali, Examiner, Assistant Professor, Social Development and Policy, Habib University

Committee Member 2

Dr. Arslan Waheed, Program Coordinator, Graduate Programs SSLA, Department of Social Sciences, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi

Keywords

Affirmative Action, Equitable Access, Higher Education, Inequality of Opportunity, Quota System

Abstract

Once a remarkable feat, Sindh’s enactment of district quota system in engineering and medical fields for leveling the playing field is now under frequent attack and criticism for its lack of insights on its effectiveness. This study is the first of its kind to examine the effectiveness of Sindh province’s district quota system in promoting equitable access to higher education through a cross-sectional survey of 381 students enrolled in two major engineering universities. The analysis benchmarks students’ gender- and region- disaggregated household wealth and education indices created through survey data against the divisional and provincial averages derived from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey data. The findings reveal that quota-beneficiaries are socioeconomically and educationally advantaged relative to their provincial populations. Gender and urban–rural disparities further amplify these gaps. The findings further reveal a deeper flaw in the system as the quota system intervenes at the tertiary levels. However, the inequalities shaping who can compete for those seats are generated much earlier, through unequal school quality, household wealth, and educational advantage accumulated over a child’s entire educational journey. Hence, based on these findings, I have argued that while the quota system has improved geographic representation, it does not sufficiently address intra-district disparities as household wealth and intergenerational educational advantage shape students’ access to the quota-system in general and engineering universities in particular. Therefore, while the quota system is certainly needed, it needs serious reforms including the integration of socioeconomic and educational criteria into domicile-based quotas, and targeted interventions at earlier stages of the educational pipeline, alongside strengthening verification mechanisms, and establishing targeted financial and academic support for disadvantaged students. The findings of this study also contribute to ongoing debates on equality of opportunity in Pakistan’s education policy.

Submission Type

Thesis

Document Type

Restricted Access

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