Pakistan, formerly a part of a colony of English, still has some legacies of "British Raj". Its educational system is one of the examples. Both Pakistan and India, with some modifications, have the Educational Setup introduced by the British decades ago, a structure as deemed fit by the colonists.

This system in Pakistan is divided into Primary, Middle, Metric, Intermediate and University education. 

• Primary: This level indicates education up to grade 5. Public/Government school students are required to qualify in a provincial wide examination to be considered Primary pass.

• Middle: More advanced then Primary by three years, Middle level examinations are again held provincially for public schools. 

• Metric: Equivalent to 10 years of school education, Metric (or Secondary School Certificate) is a standardized set of examinations held provincially. It is mandatory for all those students who wish to continue study to the higher levels.

• Intermediate: Also, known as Higher Secondary School Certificate/ High School represents the successful completion of 12 years of education. It is a pre-requisite to continue study to the more advanced level. Held annually provincially, Intermediate examinations are sort of a standardized test designed to judge candidates' aptitude or skill to proceed to university. 

• University: Post intermediate studies include Associate/Diploma, Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate and Post-doctorate. University education is monitored nationally by Higher Education committee (HEC). Professional studies like engineering, engineering technology, medicine, law and fashion designing etc are also imparted through these establishments. 

Another, "Informal" education setup also runs parallel to the above-mentioned system. For example:

• Madrassah: Mosque schools (or madrassahs) were the premier mode of imparting education until the arrival of British. Even today, a large number student graduate from these institutions. As per law, mosque schools are required to have the same curricula as those taught in public schools until (usually) high school. Further, on, madrassah also provide Islamic Education equal to "Mufti" degree, which can be compared to post-doctorate level. 

• Adult Education: To increase literacy rate across the country, Government has started numerous education programs for adults/seniors. "Taleem-e-Balighan" or "Nai Roshni Schools" are some relevant schemes. Education is imparted   through numerous channels, making it flexible for people. 

• Life Long Learning: Some institutions have initialized a "Life Long Learning" series. Similar to Adult education but with different curriculum, LLC is useful for individuals who wish to keep abreast with advancements in field there choices.

It is pertinent to mention here that a high percentage of pre-university students appear in International Baccalaureate (IB), American High School Diploma and British GCSE/GCE examinations. Many open and distance learning foundations are operative is Pakistan. 

The national education policies strive to, amongst others, safeguard Pakistan ideology; instruct national unity and increase literacy.

Even though, there is an elaborate guiding principle defined in Pakistan, subsequent Governments have failed to achieve the desired goals, for example, literacy rate in Pakistan is still 49.9% (very low for a country of population of 180 million).

On the bright side, recent achievements include high ISI for research journals; breaking into top 500 universities of the world and most importantly recognition of Pakistan in filed other than terrorism.