The Punjab Teachers Joint Action Committee has strongly opposed the government’s decision to transfer management of 13,000 public schools to the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) and Punjab Education Initiatives Management Authority (PEIMA), calling it a move to outsource the education system.
Committee leaders Chaudhry Sarfraz, Bashir Warraich, Rana Liaqat, Kashif Shahzad Chaudhry, Chaudhry Safdar, and Malik Amjad have voiced their concerns, arguing that the reorganization plan would further deteriorate the education sector. They pointed out that the previous and caretaker governments have failed to recruit a single teacher in the last six years, leaving 120,000 teaching posts vacant. Despite staff shortages, a few dedicated teachers have managed to maintain primary school attendance of up to 100 children.
The committee leaders criticized the PEF and PEIMA, describing them as failed models with 12,000 educational institutions under their supervision suffering due to lack of timely funding. They warned that adding another 13,000 schools to their oversight would exacerbate existing problems.
They suggested that if the government could recruit teachers on contract, it should enable local communities to hire teachers through school councils, akin to the recruitment process in afternoon schools. The committee questioned the feasibility of providing quality education for Rs600 amidst severe inflation.
The committee urged the government to take responsibility by recruiting new teachers, increasing employees’ salaries by 100%, and restoring leave encashment. They announced plans for a peaceful protest demonstration in front of the Punjab Assembly at noon on May 29, under the auspices of the All Government Employees Grand Alliance Punjab.
The opposition comes in response to the Maryam Nawaz-led provincial government’s plan to hand over 13,000 non-performing public schools to non-government organizations (NGOs) in a bid to introduce reforms. The chief minister, during a meeting to review the School Education Reforms Programme, decided to implement these reforms within the next three months. The meeting also discussed a proposal to partner with the private sector to oversee the performance of 136 non-performing schools.