Kharan District ضلع خاران ھاران دمگ‎ ضلع خاران
District of Balochistan
Kharan
Kharan Fort
Map of Balochistan with Kharan District highlighted
Country	Pakistan
Province	Balochistan
Division	Rakhshan
Established	March 15, 1952
Headquarters	Kharan
Government
• Type	District Administration
• Deputy Commissioner	N/A
• District Police Officer	N/A
• District Health Officer	N/A
Area
• Total	14,958 km2 (5,775 sq mi)
Population  (2017)[1]
• Total	418,508
• Density	28/km2 (72/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+5 (PST)
District Councils	9 Union Councils
Number of Tehsils	3 (1 Sub Tehsils

Kharan district (Balochi: ھاران دمگ; Urdu: ضلع خاران) is a district in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.

Demographics

At the 2017 census, the district had 24,413 households and a population of 162,766. Kharan had a sex ratio of 923 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 40.93% - 55.42% for males and 25.47% for females. 51,388 (31.57%) lived in urban areas. 36.41% of the population lived in urban areas. 595 (0.37%) people in the district were from religious minorities, mainly Hindus.^[1]

At the time of the 2017 census, 81.49% of the population spoke Balochi and 16.88% Brahui as their first language.^[1]

Education

According to the Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017, district Kharan is ranked at number 110 out of the 141 ranked districts in Pakistan on the education score index. This index considers learning, gender parity and retention in the district.

Literacy rate in 2014–15 of population 10 years and older in the district stands at 44% whereas for females it is only 27%.^[2]

Post primary access is a major issue in the district with 78% schools being at primary level. Compare this with high schools which constitute only 8% of government schools in the district. This is also reflected in the enrolment figures for 2016–17 with 6,987 students enrolled in class 1 to 5 and only 170 students enrolled in class 9 and 10.

Gender disparity is another issue in the district. Only 26% schools in the district are girls’ schools. Access to education for girls is a major issue in the district and is also reflected in the low literacy rates for females.

Moreover, the schools in the district lack basic facilities. According to Alif Ailaan district education rankings 2017, the district is ranked at number 141 out of the 155 districts of Pakistan for primary school infrastructure. At the middle school level, it is ranked at number 126 out of the 155 districts. These rankings take into account the basic facilities available in schools including drinking water, working toilet, availability of electricity, existence of a boundary wall and general building condition. Approximately 4 out of 5 schools do not have electricity in them. 1 out 3 schools lack a toilet and 3 out of 5 do not have a boundary wall. About 1 out of 2 schools do not have clean drinking water.