Navigating Educational Margins: An Intersectional Analysis of School Choice Among Christians in Lahore

Abstract

The aim of this research is to explore the way Christian parents of Lahore perceive and experience systemic inequities linked to the education system of the province, which keeps on disadvantaging the representatives of the religious minority. The research design utilized phenomenology to analyze how families choose schools based on such determinants as religious beliefs, socioeconomic position, gender roles, and community connections. In-depth interviews were organized to learn about the co-generation of meaning in the discussions among the Christian families. The results were analyzed using the use of six stages of IPA developed by Smith et al. (2009). The findings suggest that the Christian parents deal with multiple types of barriers concerning education (for instance, curriculum-based exclusion from religious teaching, discrimination in admission processes, socioeconomic exclusion, and social stigma), which makes them choose between preserving original religious identity and becoming economically mobile. This highlights the fact that for Christian parents ‘school choice’ is not a market-driven decision but a calculated strategy for their child’s safety. Most prior research is quantitative in nature, highlighting educational inequality but does not focus on ‘why’ the problem exists and the lived experiences of the religious minority. The research highlights the theoretical and practical consequences of the findings of this study and calls for changes to policies that can address educational inequality in Pakistan.