PPP in education
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WITH 26.2 million children out of school, the state may have to revive its model of public-private partnership (PPP) to widen the net of access and equity in education. Pakistan has had a history of NGOs filling the access gap with low-fee or no-cost schooling, health and security for citizens where the government system has failed to absorb the demand. Countless others — eager and intelligent children — are in classrooms not delivering quality education. It’s time to focus on building opportunity, rather than looking towards quick fixes. If we don’t wish to see generations fall prey to poverty, malnourishment, economic regression, this is the time to reverse the trend.
Much of the work of building opportunity is left to NGOs that are funded externally by overseas development organisations. While they have done a fantastic job reporting growth in literacy, the ultimate responsibility for education does not lie with them. However, working in tandem is always an option and a public-private commitment to education may be the way forward. Private education is not a panacea, but it can be a critical partner in working towards a solution.
Back in the 1980s, Sweden introduced a voucher system whereby parents could use government funds to send their children to private schools. This government ‘subsidy’ meant that many families could top up the voucher with their own resources and avail private sector education. In Colombia, in the 1990s, the government increased access to quality education by contracting public schools to private operators. In the US, charter schools have seen much success. Built on the model of government-funded and independently managed education providers, these schools have seen results that have outperformed the public education system in many cities. In Pakistan, we haven’t seen many successful PPP models other than the Punjab Education Foundation, which paid private schools to educate children from very low-income families. It was extended to become the Public School Support Programme in 2015 when government schools were handed over to private players to manage.
This model is wrought with challenges of inequity in environments that are not always equipped to help public school students assimilate into private school life. However, such systems can yield results through years of structured planning and sustained effort. In 2008, the New School Programme encouraged the private sector to establish new schools with support from the PEF. After a decade-long growth trajectory that saw increased literacy rates in all districts of Punjab, retention of students remained the single biggest challenge for these schools. Besides, there’s very little data on student learning outcomes from PEF partner schools and many public schools in the country. Another reason for PPP in education is the accountability and transparency brought in by private schools where monitoring and evaluation are part of an ongoing process and the results are benchmarked against required standards.
Shared responsibility can help reduce dropout rates.
PPP in school education in Pakistan would reflect shared responsibility, with the aim of raising standards across the board. It would reduce dropout rates, bridge gender gaps, and increase opportunity for a larger percentage of children from disadvantaged communities. Private partners often bring in modern teaching methods, technology integration, and performance-based accountability, which can enhance learning outcomes. This will ensure greater equity, inclusiveness, and alignment with national education goals. This synergy can lead to access to better-trained teachers, improved school facilities, and more relevant curricula. A couple of decades from now, when these students enter the workforce, they will have greater opportunities through the springboard that private education provides. Investment in our school-going children today is a critical catalyst for a growing workforce and productivity.
In some countries, private schools have been given incentives to ‘adopt’ public schools. In Sweden’s ‘free school’ programme, private schools have received funding from the government to take in a percentage of public school children. Portugal and Belgium operate a merit-based system that funds public school children who are taken into the net of private schools. Long-term merit-based loans to high-achieving public school children can provide opportunity and access to private education. Incentives for private schools to take in public school children, such as subsidies and tax-breaks, might build a sustainable model to subvert our education crisis. The time for fragmented efforts has passed.
The writer is an author, teacher educator and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. The views expressed are her own and do not reflect those of her employer.
X: @nedamulji
Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2025
