Private schools federation urges authorities to pursue balanced education reforms, warning that harsh regulations could further deepen Pakistan’s education crisis.
LAHORE: The All Pakistan Private Schools Federation (APPSF) has urged the government not to use the recent Kahna tragedy as grounds for a nationwide crackdown on private educational institutions, saying the incident stemmed from administrative failures rather than deficiencies within the private education sector.
In a statement, APPSF President Kashif Mirza appealed to the Prime Minister, chief ministers, Parliament and the Field Marshal to protect the constitutional right to education and avoid policies that could undermine private schools.
Mirza said Pakistan already faces a severe education crisis, with more than 28 million children out of school, warning that stricter regulations could push millions more out of classrooms. He emphasized that Article 25A of the Constitution requires the state to provide free and compulsory education to children aged five to sixteen.
The federation called for increasing education spending to five percent of GDP, rehabilitating over 36,000 deteriorating government school buildings and ensuring that new education policies are developed in consultation with stakeholders and aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Mirza highlighted the role of private schools in educating millions of students and providing employment to hundreds of thousands of teachers and staff. He urged the government to adopt risk-based regulations tailored to different categories of institutions instead of imposing uniform standards.
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