Daily Times

LAHORE – Punjab Schools Education Department on Friday handed over around 1000 primary public schools including 40 primary schools of Lahore district to non-government organisations (NGOs) for the betterment of quality education.

However, these schools handed over through Punjab Education Foundation (PEF), which is already working with the several private schools and paying them per student share. Whereas, SED and PEF will also pay Rs 700 per student to NGOs who are taking charge of schools. Besides, the NGOs will be responsible for decoration of school building, increasing quality of teaching, teacher’s trainings and curricula of these schools.

Punjab SED had planned to hand over around 3,500 schools to private sector for which it has initially decided to hand over around 1000 schools as a sample test and if this experiment will be successful in its goals then all 3,500 schools will be given in administration of NGOs.

Meanwhile, Punjab SED asked for the application from NGOs for taking charge of public schools under public private partnership in January and around 3500 NGOs applied. According to sources, only schools with poor performance of results of class five examinations had been considered for this purpose.

However, according to sources at SED, the decision was taken after the teachers of these schools were failed to increase the standards and quality of education in these schools besides, they were unable to deliver the students. The performance of these schools was observed in last twenty years and decision was taken after pass percentage, sources said.

Sources said that NGOs will not only introduce new techniques and latest teaching methods, but it will also provide students with the latest and up to dated curricula which would definitely increase the standards of education not only in these schools but in Punjab as well.

It is pertinent to mention here that teachers union of Punjab schools had already rejected the experiment and termed this as initiative to destroy the education sector by commercialisation. Both chapters of Punjab Teachers Unions had condemned the government act separately and demanded Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, high ups and SED to save the future of poor children by not letting NGOs take over the schools of Punjab.

PTU Lahore Chapter Secretary General Kashif Shahzad and PTU Punjab General Secretary Rana Liaqat had strongly condemned the act of Punjab government and warned of province wide protest if the government would not take its decision back. They said that this would eventually increase not only school fee, but also other expenses just like private schools, which would affect the budget of a poor man who is earning below 15,000 per month.