The Punjab School Education Department and the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APPSMA) have agreed on a broad package of education reforms covering academic management, school registration, utility tariffs, and regulatory procedures for private schools across the province.
The proposed reforms include a uniform academic calendar, an increase in annual teaching days, a longer validity period for school registrations, and the reclassification of private educational institutions from the commercial to the domestic utility tariff category.
The School Education Department will draft legislation for the agreed proposals in consultation with relevant stakeholders. The government expects to implement the reforms from the next academic year.
Officials finalized the proposals during the fifth meeting of a committee formed on the directions of the Lahore High Court (LHC) to develop a uniform academic calendar for educational institutions across Punjab.
Under the proposed framework, schools will observe a minimum of 190 and a maximum of 227 teaching days each year. Officials said the measure will improve curriculum delivery, reduce learning losses caused by extended vacations, and create greater consistency between public and private schools.
The participants also approved a proposal to shift private schools from the commercial to the domestic utility tariff category for electricity, gas, and other services. Representatives of private schools argued that educational institutions should not pay commercial utility rates.
The committee also agreed to amend the Punjab Private Educational Institutions (Promotion and Regulation) Act to support the development and expansion of private schools alongside its existing regulatory provisions.
Other proposed reforms include extending the validity of school registrations to four years, facilitating the registration of unregistered private schools, revising registration fees, and simplifying the process for obtaining building fitness certificates.
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