17 July 2004	Saturday	28 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, July 16: The federal education ministry is working on a bill to regulate private educational institutions in the federal capital, an official source told Dawn on Friday.

The bill, which will soon be presented to the cabinet for approval, aims at streamlining private educational institutions and providing them a set of guidelines for their smooth running, he said. It will also offer an incentive package to the proprietors of private schools, he added.

The Capital Development Authority had recently launched a campaign to close private schools operating in residential areas on the plea that the former were functioning in violation of the authority's rules.

Subsequently, the education ministry set up a committee to solve the issue, and also directed its officials concerned to prepare a bill for the regulation of private institutions on permanent grounds, the source said.

The ministry has already announced a relief package for private educational institutions in the country. Moreover, public policy has been amended to mobilize private sector and civil society organizations in the financing, management and delivery of education services in the country.

The government has also stepped up its efforts to include NGOs and various other stakeholders in the delivery of education. Education Sector Reforms have developed a conceptual framework for public-private partnership in this regard.

Similarly, in order to create a conducive environment for private sector's involvement in the education sector, the federal cabinet has passed a decision to facilitate the participation of non-governmental entities in the education sector.