KARACHI, Dec 30: The private sector gave a cold response to the Sindh education department which is making efforts to lease out its seven unutilised or under-construction educational buildings in the city.

In addition to the cost of land, the government has already spent about Rs48.5 million on the buildings/plots in question.

Sources in the department said that in all seven educational buildings/sites were offered to individuals and NGOs for further development and utilisation as educational institutions.

Under the initial programme of the government the private parties would be allowed to retain the government premises initially for the period of 10 years, mainly for the promotion of education.

Following its invitation for expression of interest in respect of seven educational buildings or plots in the city, under a criteria set by the privatisation commission, the education department received only seven bids for three government premises located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Mahmoodabad and Saeedabad, Baldia. No interest was shown for any public-private partnership in the case of other four educational premises located at Ibrahim Hyderi, Darsano Channo (Malir), Landhi and Saeedabad, added the source.

It was learnt that the Sindh education department earlier too had tried to lease out the premises in question under its policy of public-private partnership and community participation in the affairs of education and to achieve the target of quality education. Following failures in the first attempt, the department was asked to seek help from the provincial privatisation commission as well, but the situation remained unchanged, mainly because of the nonconducive economic and investment conditions, said the sources.

Under the government’s criteria, interested partners were offered to choose the site of their interest to retain the same for promotion of education initially for the period of 10 years, extendible to the extent of mutually agreed period on satisfactory performance.

The site made so available were supposed to be further constructed/improved/renovated/repaired in such a away by the partner at its own expenses and with the prior permission of the education department that ultimately the building was used solely for the purpose of education of children/students without causing any financial or other liabilities upon the government during the tenure, retention as partner or after the expiry of partnership period, said official sources.

The interest expressed by the private sector was so discouraging that the department would have to either drop the idea of entering into such deals with the private sector or make the package further attractive, said an official at the education department.

Insiders said the department had some more plots/buildings to offer to the private sector in the province, but the response received would surely cause a change of mindset in the department. They failed to receive even three bids in each of the three plots that drew attention of the private parties.