10,000 Schools set for privatisation by June 2026
Students excitedly chat about how they spent their extended summer vacation as they make their way home after the first day of school in Rawalpindi. PHOTO: ONLINE
In a bid to address the ongoing financial and economic crisis, the Punjab Education Department has resolved to privatise a further 10,000 primary, middle, and high schools by the end of the current fiscal year, June 30, 2026.
Preparations are already underway, with lists of the schools earmarked for privatisation currently being compiled. Notably, this marks the first time that high schools will also be included in the privatisation drive.
Over the past 18 months, the Punjab government has already transferred control of 12,000 primary and middle schools to private entities. At the beginning of the current administration's tenure, the total number of public schools across the province stood at 47,000. With the prior round of privatisation, this figure has already fallen to approximately 35,500.
Upon the completion of the newly planned phase, the number of state-run schools is projected to decrease further, to between 25,000 and 26,000.
According to official statements, the privatisation of these 10,000 schools is expected to yield savings worth billions of rupees. The Department of Education has been formally tasked with executing this downsizing, and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is currently being drafted to guide the process.
In line with this policy shift, the recruitment of regular, permanent teachers has been suspended. Instead, the government is appointing daily-wage educators and school teaching interns for the current academic year, with contracts running until March 31, 2026.
In case of further staffing requirements, these same temporary personnel are expected to be re-engaged, rather than recruiting full-time, regular teaching staff.