Punjab to outsource 2,735 additional government schools

LAHORE: The Government of Punjab has decided to outsource an additional 2,735 public schools to NGOs and private operators through the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF).

The provincial government said the move aims to improve the quality of education and address the issue of out-of-school children.

According to officials, private individuals and organisations will operate the schools in various districts. The School Education Department has invited applications from the private sector, with the deadline set for March 31. Selected operators are expected to take charge of the 2,735 schools in April.

Media reports indicate that the Punjab government plans to outsource more than 14,000 government schools in two phases, which could result in the removal of over 40,000 teaching posts.

Last year, the government completed the first phase of the outsourcing process, handing over more than 11,000 schools to private operators. The development was disclosed during a meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Lahore on May 4, 2025.

Meanwhile, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman criticised the provincial government’s spending priorities.

Speaking at a public gathering, Hafiz Naeem alleged that while poverty in Punjab has increased by 31 percent, the chief minister purchased an aircraft worth Rs11 billion. He claimed that instead of prioritising development, public funds collected through taxes are being spent on advertisements.

The Jamaat-e-Islami chief further claimed that poverty has risen significantly in the province and that nearly 10 million children remain out of school.

“From the outside, it appears as if rivers of milk are flowing in Punjab, but the ground reality is very different,” he remarked.

Hafiz Naeem added that education is a constitutional right but has increasingly become part of a class-based system, depriving many children of access to quality schooling.