The Punjab government has decided to place a large number of public schools under private management as part of its efforts to improve the education system in the province.
According to a spokesperson for the Punjab Education Foundation, the government will contract out government schools in different districts, allowing individuals and organizations from the private sector to run them. In this phase, around 2,735 schools will be handed over for management.
The spokesperson said applications have been invited from interested private parties, and those associated with the education sector can apply to take over schools until March 31.
Officials say the initiative aims to improve educational standards and school performance through public-private partnerships, while ensuring students continue to receive education in their local areas.
Moreover, Punjab’s Education Department is preparing to launch the third phase of government school privatisation in December 2025. This phase will transfer 4,500 primary, middle, and high schools to private management. Earlier, 12,500 schools across the province were already handed over under previous phases.
The focus will be on schools with 100 students or fewer. Authorities have been asked to provide lists of such institutions to implement the plan without delay. Teachers working at these schools will either be transferred to nearby schools or placed in a surplus pool. High schools are being included in the privatisation drive for the first time.
Teacher unions have strongly opposed the move. Leaders from major associations have said that privatisation, combined with teacher rationalisation, could severely affect the education system. They warned that the decision would likely lead to higher fees, reduce access to education for low-income families, and further weaken public education in the province.
Earlier, Students across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have launched protests against the provincial government’s proposed plan to privatize public schools and colleges. Demonstrations broke out in several districts, including Peshawar and Mardan, where students took to the streets chanting slogans against privatization.
In Swat’s Saidu Sharif, students of Jahanzeb College staged a demonstration, while students at Degree College Mingora blocked Takhtaband Road, halting traffic. At Matta Chowk, postgraduate students of Afzal Khan Lala College also held a large protest, demanding the government immediately withdraw the decision. Protesters carried placards and banners inscribed with slogans such as “No to Privatization of Colleges” and “Education is Everyone’s Right.”
