In accordance with the Punjab Private Schools Free Education law, the Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on School Education has directed all private schools in the province to follow the legal requirement. Under this law, every private school must provide free education to 10% of its students. The Punjab Assembly Standing Committee gave private schools 10 days to follow this rule during its meeting on Monday. Members said many private schools have failed to follow the law for years, and some schools did not reserve the required number of seats for children from low-income families.
Punjab Gives Private Schools 10 Days to Implement Free Education Program
The committee warned that any school that fails to follow the Punjab Private Schools Free Education law within 10 days could lose its operating licence. Officials said they would take strict action against schools that continue to ignore the law. The committee urged all private schools to start the free education programme without delay. The aim is to help more children from low-income families receive quality education in private schools.
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Education Department Asked to Check Schools Directly
Additionally, during the meeting, committee members also voiced their opinions regarding verification procedures for this Act.The committee said the Education Department should not rely only on information from private schools. Instead, members urged the department to identify deserving students and enrol them directly in private schools. This approach would make the process more transparent and help ensure schools follow the rules. Finally, the committee also proposed developing a separate system to verify whether the schools are really providing free education to the specified number of students.
Education Department to Collect New Data
According to the Secretary of School Education, the department will collect new data from private schools across Punjab to improve the Punjab Private Schools Free Education programme. This information will help officials identify which schools are following the law and which are not. The department will use the data to improve monitoring and make sure the free education programme is properly enforced. Officials believe that accurate records will make it easier to enforce the law and ensure deserving students receive free education.
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The government introduced the 10% free education policy to help students from poor and deserving families study in private schools without paying any fees. But according to the committee, many schools have failed to implement this policy properly in the past years. With the help of providing schools only 10 days’ time and improved inspection of the process, Punjab government believes that deserving students will benefit from free education. According to the authorities, the step is intended to make this law functional for all the students. News source eTimes Pakistan.
