Private schools win key policy relief

The Punjab School Education Department and the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APPSMA) have reached a broad consensus on a comprehensive package of education reforms aimed at improving academic management, easing regulatory challenges and creating a more supportive environment for private educational institutions across the province.

The proposed reforms include the introduction of a uniform academic calendar, an increase in annual teaching days, extension of school registration validity, and the reclassification of private educational institutions from the commercial to the domestic utility tariff category.

The provincial School Education Department will now convert the agreed proposals into legislation in consultation with relevant stakeholders, with implementation expected from the next academic year.

The decisions were taken during the fifth meeting of a committee constituted on the directions of the Lahore High Court (LHC) to develop a uniform academic calendar for educational institutions throughout Punjab.

The meeting was chaired by Punjab School Education Secretary Mudassar Riaz Malik and attended by Special Secretary School Education Muhammad Iqbal, APPSMA Central President Kashif Adeeb Javedani, Central Secretary General Amjad Ali Khan, APPSMA North Punjab President Abrar Ahmed Khan, representatives of leading private school networks, Pakistan Chamber of Education Chairman Ali Raza, and others.

Under the proposed academic framework, educational institutions will be required to observe a minimum of 190 and a maximum of 227 teaching days each year. Officials said the measure would ensure effective curriculum delivery, reduce learning losses caused by lengthy holidays and establish greater consistency between public and private sector schools.

A significant recommendation approved during the meeting was the transfer of private schools from the commercial utility tariff category to the domestic tariff category for electricity, gas and other services. Private education representatives maintained that schools serve an educational purpose and should not be treated as commercial entities for utility billing.

The participants also agreed that amendments should be introduced to the Punjab Private Educational Institutions (Promotion and Regulation) Act to include provisions encouraging the development and expansion of private educational institutions alongside its existing regulatory responsibilities.

Other proposed reforms include extending school registration validity from the current period to four years, facilitating the registration of unregistered private schools, revising registration fees and simplifying procedures for obtaining building fitness certificates.

APPSMA North Punjab President Abrar Ahmed Khan told The Express Tribune that the discussions were highly productive, saying private school representatives had highlighted several long-standing administrative and operational issues faced by institutions across the province.

He said prolonged summer and winter vacations had affected teaching schedules and made it challenging for many schools to complete the prescribed curriculum within the academic year.