Public colleges to be privatised too

After initiating the privatisation process of 5,380 public schools under a public-private partnership model, the Punjab government has decided to extend the policy to public colleges.

On government directives, the Punjab Higher Education Commission has approved the establishment of "Colleges of Eminence" across all tehsils, under which selected public colleges will be handed over through public-private partnerships.

According to officials, each tehsil will have one model college upgraded to international standards. These colleges will be selected from existing institutions based on specific criteria.

The Higher Education Department has outlined ten mandatory standards, including academic reputation, highly qualified faculty, student performance, research and innovation, modern infrastructure, laboratories, libraries, facilities, industry linkages, internships.