Punjab Is Considering Hiring the Private Sector to Run Middle and High Schools
After privatising 4,500 primary schools, the Punjab School Education Department has finalised plans to privatise 500 public middle and high schools by the end of November. Teachers are furious over this action and have called for a large-scale sit-in protest in Lahore.
This month, the department will publish ads for the middle and high schools that are up for privatisation. Applications for the sale of an additional 7,500 primary schools are being accepted until November 25. In the meantime, 4,500 primary schools have already been turned over to private owners. Additionally, 500 middle and high schools will be on the list for privatisation by the end of November.
By April 1, 2025, the government wants to privatise between 20,000 and 25,000 elementary, middle, and high schools, according to The Express Tribune. According to reports, the education budget for the 2025–2026 fiscal year is going to be cut by 40–50%, and some 130,000 teachers are anticipated to be transferred to a surplus pool.
Grand Teachers Alliance (GDA) leaders Shafiq Bhalwalia, Rana Liaquat, and Basharat Iqbal Raja have criticised the PML-N-led Punjab government of deprioritizing healthcare and education, pointing to the continuous privatisation of essential health facilities. They caution that the privatisation of schools will exacerbate inequality by rendering education unaffordable for the impoverished and the offspring of lower-level government workers.
The GDA leaders also noted that textbook prices have already risen by 50%, with another 25% hike anticipated next year. They predict that the number of out-of-school children in Punjab will exceed 30 million by December 31, 2024.
The GDA has reaffirmed its plan for a large-scale protest in Lahore to oppose these measures, pledging to continue until their demands are addressed.
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