Meeting on private schools' issues inconclusive

A meeting on issues faced by private educational institutions, policy matters and regulatory challenges was held under the chairmanship of Special Secretary School Education Punjab Muhammad Iqbal.

Despite participation from key stakeholders, no major decision was reached.

Representatives including Pakistan Education Council President Mian Imran Masood, APPSMA Central President Kashif Adeeb Javedani, APPSMA North Punjab President Abrar Ahmed Khan, PECTA Deputy Director Dr Aneela Sajid and Punjab Education Department Senior Law Officer Muhammad Asif Iqbal, attended the meeting.

Participants discussed commercialisation of private schools, heavy taxation, shifting policies of LDA and other authorities, complex registration procedures and data management issues.

APPSMA Secretary General Amjad Ali Khan stated that commercialisation policies and fines have placed low-fee private schools under severe financial pressure, directly impacting parents and students. He proposed forming a sub-committee comprising stakeholders to prepare recommendations for submission to the Punjab chief minister.

Abrar Ahmed Khan welcomed the convening of the meeting and expressed hope that the longstanding demands of private institutions would be resolved on a priority basis.

Participants stressed that a large number of private schools in Punjab fall under the low-fee category (less than Rs4,000 monthly) and should be seriously considered for exemption from commercialisation in light of Supreme Court decisions.

They noted that with a growing population and millions of new students each year, the private sector bears a substantial share of the educational burden. Facilitation, simplified registration and policy stability were termed urgent needs.

It was also demanded that powers of the District Registration Authority be transferred back from deputy commissioners to chief executive officers (education) to ensure timely processing of registration matters.