LAHORE: After inviting the private sector to manage some 5,000 low-performing public schools across the province last year, the Punjab government is yet to hand over 600 of these schools after more than a year of executing the programme.

Out of the 5,000 schools, 996 were handed over in phase-I last year; 1,305 in phase-II the same year and approximately 2,100 earlier this year.

“Some 600 remaining schools, which could not be handed over due to insufficient qualifying applicants as per stringent selection criteria will be handed over once approved,” said Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit head Fatima Zaidi.

The harsh reality of public schools consistently performing poorly despite five years into the Punjab School Reforms Roadmap had compelled the government to involve the private sector. The roadmap, one of the province’s flagship education reforms programme, for five years focused on enrolling every child in school and ensuring all children received quality education and learning but with a poor outcome.

Public School Support Programme still not fully executed

However, the ground reality pushed policy-makers to craft Public School Support Programme (PSSP) and invite the private sector to manage schools. Initially, the Punjab Education Foundation was chosen as the special purpose vehicle for this programme but now it was forming the Punjab Education Initiatives Management Authority (PEIMA) to take forward the reforms process over four key priorities – teaching quality, enrolment and access, schools and teachers and public-private cooperation – by 2018.

Sources say the Punjab government has forwarded the PEIMA draft law to the cabinet for approval by circulation.

After the chief minister’s approval, policy-makers had looked towards the private sector that they believed had enough presence and interest of civil society and non-governmental organisations to contribute to the project. However, the private sector lacked financial capital.

Offering financial support as well as creating a sense of competition, the Punjab government invited the private sector that was now striving to increase enrolment in these 5,000 low-performing schools, improve teaching and learning methods, utilise vacant school infrastructure and promote better managerial practices and oversight.

Fatima Zaidi says the Punjab School Reforms Roadmap began in December 2010, and claimed it had overcome many traditional challenges, including ensuring elimination of ghost schools; improving teacher-student attendance ratio at above 90 per cent on any given day; provision of basic facilities such as toilets, boundary walls, water and electricity at almost 98 per cent; almost 200,000 teachers have been recruited over the last few years through an independent test conducted by the National Testing Service.

Answering a question, Ms Zaidi said the PSSP had attracted various NGOs and private firms for their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, adding that the monthly per child payments were Rs550 for individual entrepreneurs and Rs750 for organisations managing at least 10 schools to cover their expenditures.

Asked whether the government will work on infrastructure of adopted schools, Ms Zaidi said the government was focusing on construction of new classrooms, repair of dangerous buildings and provision of missing facilities under its Roadmap Priority of Schools and Teachers.

It had already provided PSSP a proportionate share in the first tranche of new constructions while some organisations had also been provided funds to ensure quick construction through local contractors, she added.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2017