PESHAWAR – The second phase of school privatisation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has begun, as the provincial government approved the handover of more than 1,500 public schools to private organisations.
The move aims to improve education quality, enrolment, and school governance in low-performing districts.
The decision covers primary, middle, and selected high schools in the southern districts, tribal areas, Malakand Division, and Hazara Division. Officials in the elementary and secondary education department said that private education providers will manage operations, introduce performance benchmarks, and strengthen academic delivery.
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The plan affects over 4,000 teachers and support staff. Authorities are considering several options for staff adjustment. They may declare some employees surplus and send them on leave. Others may receive compensation before removal. Officials have outlined seven transition models and will adopt one soon.
This latest development follows the earlier pilot phase of school privatisation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In that phase, the government selected 180 schools in nine districts, including 145 primary and 35 high or higher secondary schools. They grouped the schools into 35 clusters, with each cluster containing one high or higher secondary school and four to five feeder primary schools.
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The government allocated 1 billion rupees in the current fiscal year to fund the project. Authorities plan to launch the new model with the next academic year starting in September.
Most teachers in these schools work on temporary contracts, although some permanent staff are also included. The government says it does not plan to downsize. Instead, it wants to reform underperforming schools through strategic public-private collaboration.
By expanding school privatisation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial leadership aims to tackle long-standing educational challenges and raise standards in underserved regions.
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