LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday established Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training, and Assessments Authority (PECTAA) to overhaul education system of the province by merging three key departments to streamline educational reforms.

The newly-established PECTAA replaces the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB), Quaid-i-Azam Academy for Educational Development (QAED), and the Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) — previously responsible for curriculum development, teacher training, and student assessments, respectively.

The decision, approved by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in an April 4 [last year] meeting, aims to centralise educational policymaking, ensuring better coordination in curriculum design, teacher training and student evaluations.

The authority will be chaired by the Punjab minister for school education, with the parliamentary secretary for schools education serving as vice chairperson. Faisal Azeem has been appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO).

A 16-member committee has also been formed, comprising: senior bureaucrats, including the secretaries of schools, special education, finance, higher education, and planning & development board, managing director of Punjab Education Foundation, chief executive officer of Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority and programme director of school education department’s programme monitoring implementation unit.

The members include MPAs Muhammad Usama Afzal, Asma Naz Abbasi, and Shakeela Javed and education experts such as Aitchison College Principal Turab Hussain, musician and activist Shehzad Roy, human rights advocate Ambreen Ajaib, and academics Mauzam Nazir, Faisal Bari, and Sarmad Yousuf are other .

While the government claims the merger will improve efficiency, insiders express scepticism. A senior official from one of the dissolved departments, speaking anonymously, questioned how consolidating three autonomous bodies each with distinct functions would enhance education quality. “PCTB managed a Rs3 billion budget independently, PEC conducted exams, and QAED trained teachers. Merging them without consultation raises concerns,” the official told Dawn.

The government asserts that PECTAA will ensure uniform standards in curriculum, teacher training, and assessments. All major educational decisions will now require the authority’s approval, signaling a shift toward centralised oversight.

Critics, however, demand transparency, urging the government to clarify how the merger will directly benefit students and teachers.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2025