ISLAMABAD, June 18: A facilitation cell will be set up in the education ministry for private schools and other educational institutions.

The education minister, Zobaida Jalal, on Wednesday said the cell would sort out problems confronting the private sector in the field of education. She also urged the officials of her ministry to identify the root problems faced by the private sector and address them immediately.

About the notice issued by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) regarding closure of private schools in the capital, she said negotiations were underway with the interior ministry and the CDA chairman. The issue will soon be resolved amicably, she added.

The minister asked the section concerned to look into the matter and intimate its report immediately. Unless the government does not facilitate the private sector, the goal of Education for All (EFA) could not be met till 2015, she added.

The public-private partnership was the backbone of the EFA and the more the private sector was provided help, the more quality education it would impart, she said.

Ms Jalal explained that in the far-flung areas of the country, education was accessible to the dwellers of the area because of public-private partnership. She urged the private sector to come forward and help the government in uplifting the basic standard of education.

In the current budget many incentives have been offered to the private-sector educational institutions for their encouragement, which they have also appreciated, she added.