Lahore: Punjab’s Caretaker Information Minister, Aamir Mir, emphatically denied rumors suggesting the handover of government schools to private educational institutions. Speaking on Sunday, he affirmed that the Punjab government has not taken any steps towards privatizing government schools and urged the public to refrain from spreading false information.
Minister Aamir Mir clarified, “No government school has been transferred to any private educational institution, and there has been no decision to privatize government schools.” He also took the opportunity to commend the dedicated efforts of the Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, who is tirelessly working to enhance the conditions of government schools across the province.
The minister’s statement emerged amidst a backdrop of widespread protests by thousands of government school teachers throughout Punjab. These educators have been expressing their disapproval of the proposed privatization of public schools in various ways, such as boycotting classes, locking classrooms, and staging rallies and sit-ins. They have vehemently rejected amendments to leave encashment and pension rules while demanding group insurance upon retirement.
In response to these demonstrations, the police have taken a stern approach, leading to the arrest of more than 100 teachers and students. Tear gas and batons have been employed to disperse the protesters, who have threatened to escalate their agitation if the government does not address their concerns.
The privatization controversy was ignited by the Caretaker government’s decision to transfer 1,000 public schools in Punjab to a non-governmental organization (NGO) as part of a public-private partnership program. While the NGO claims to provide quality education to underprivileged children, it has faced allegations of mismanagement and corruption from teachers’ unions.
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader, Munis Elahi, had accused Punjab’s Caretaker Chief Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, of treating government school infrastructure as personal property. Elahi criticized the chief minister, alleging that he was allocating valuable properties and facilities to privately favored institutions in the province. He underscored that the constitution and the law do not permit such actions by the interim provincial government, warning that unauthorized privatization could lead to increased fees and illegal profiteering in the education sector.
