Budget 2026-27: Focus on Education and Health, but Mental Health and Rights Funding Lags
ISLAMABAD – The federal government’s budget and development plans for the fiscal year 2026-27 place significant emphasis on education, healthcare, youth development, and social welfare, with increased allocations for key sectors. However, rights advocates may question the limited visibility of dedicated funding for human rights, mental health, and gender equality initiatives.
According to the Annual Budget Statement 2026-27, the Federal Education and Professional Training Division has been allocated approximately Rs42.75 billion, while the Higher Education Commission (HEC) will receive Rs66.43 billion. The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) has been allocated Rs1.09 billion. Combined, these allocations represent more than Rs110 billion for education and skills development, reflecting continued investment in schools, universities, technical training, and institutional capacity building.
Higher Education and Women's Institutions
The government has also expanded support for higher education through scholarship programmes, research facilities, women’s universities, and hostel projects. Funding has been earmarked for strengthening women-focused universities in Peshawar, Multan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as well as new girls’ hostel facilities in Lahore. While the budget strengthens educational infrastructure and access, it does not identify a dedicated allocation for student mental health services, psychosocial support, or counselling programmes.
Health Sector Allocations
In the health sector, the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Division has been allocated Rs37.22 billion, including a development budget of Rs16.07 billion. The funding will support major public health initiatives, including the Prime Minister’s National Health Programme, hepatitis elimination efforts, diabetes prevention, cancer treatment facilities, stroke care expansion, and universal health coverage. However, no separate allocation has been identified for mental health services, psychiatric care, suicide prevention, or structured psychosocial support programmes.
Youth Development and Employment
The budget also continues to prioritise youth employment, vocational training, and entrepreneurship initiatives. Yet targeted spending on youth mental health, campus counselling services, and community-based psychological support remains largely absent from the development framework.
Gender Perspective
From a gender perspective, investments in women’s education continue through the expansion of girls’ colleges, women’s universities, and related infrastructure. However, dedicated allocations for gender-based violence prevention, trauma recovery, and mental health services for women are not clearly reflected as standalone budget items.
Overall Assessment
Overall, the 2026-27 budget demonstrates increased investment in education and healthcare but offers limited visibility of targeted spending on mental health, human rights, and rights-based social protection programmes.
