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ISLAMABAD, Jan 30 (APP):National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education, Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture on Thursday in its meeting reviewed various issues relevant to the education sector.
The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Dr. Azim Uddin Zahid Lakhvi at Project Coordination Unit (PCU) Islamabad.
During the meeting, the committee deferred consideration of three legislative proposals: “The Reservation of Special Seats for Deserving Persons in Universities Bill, 2024”, “The Westminster University of Emerging Sciences and Technology Bill, 2024 and “The Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2024”, to next meeting of the committee.
However, the committee recommended the Ghurki Institute of Science and Technology Bill, 2024. The agenda regarding expelling of workers from NFC Institute Multan was deferred to next meeting of the committee.
The committee lamented the predicament of the ministry that hundreds of teachers are imparting education for more than a decade on daily wages in different colleges of Islamabad on just Rs. 37000/- per month. Though some teachers have been regularized but that is too little and too late.
The committee was apprised by few teachers that among those regularized have not been issued posting orders even after the lapse of one year. The committee emphasized that there must be no omission or cherry picking in the regularization process.
The PEIRA was directed by the committee that no private school should charge the parents more than the prescribed fee or extort money from them under the garb of functions, uniform or other paraphernalia. Also to ensure the standardization of teachers and their adequate salaries commensurate with their qualifications.
The committee raised serious concerns regarding the safety of children during pick-and-drop services in private schools, unregulated fee structures of private educational institutions, the operation of single-room private schools, and the lack of uniformity in curriculum.
Emphasizing the need for stricter regulations, the committee has recommended the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) to take immediate and decisive action. It called for the implementation of transparent and accountable mechanisms to ensure compliance with safety standards, fee regulations, and curriculum guidelines across all private educational institutions.
PEIRA reported that the number of registered private educational institutions has reached 1,509 in 2025. These include 340 primary, 507 middle, 365 secondary, 231 higher secondary, 10 technical, and 56 non-formal institutions. Student enrollment across these institutions stands at 392,279, with a gender distribution of 45% girls and 55% boys.
In addition, PEIRA has established a dedicated Complaints Cell to efficiently address public grievances through multiple channels. Citizens can lodge complaints directly with PEIRA via surface mail, email, or in-person visits. Additionally, complaints are received through the Pakistan Citizen Portal (PMDU) and forwarded by intra-governmental forums, including the Ombudsperson.
To ensure a transparent and effective resolution process, PEIRA has developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for complaint handling.
The authority diligently processes all grievances, providing maximum relief where applicable based on authenticity and jurisdiction.
To date, over 8,000 complaints have been successfully addressed, reinforcing PEIRA’s commitment to responsive governance in the education sector.
The committee was briefed on the Actions to Strengthen Performance for Inclusive and Responsive Education (ASPIRE) program.
In a significant effort to enhance education outcomes in underprivileged districts, the Federal Government is providing financial grants to provincial governments, fostering collaboration on key education reforms.
By the end of this year, provinces will have received PKR 24 billion to support targeted interventions aimed at improving education indicators.
Under this initiative, provincial governments have complete ownership and autonomy in designing and implementing educational activities tailored to their needs.
The ASPIRE program, with a budget of USD 200 million, is set to conclude in June 2025. Additionally, a three-year funding commitment has been secured with the Ministry to ensure the sustainability of these reforms.
The committed emphasized and recommended that the ASPIRE program be implemented in under privileged and low literacy districts of the provinces.
The meeting was attended by MNA’s including Dr. Azim-ud-Din Zahid Lakhvi, Anjum Aqeel Khan, Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Ms. Zeb Jaffar, Ms. Farah Naz Akbar, Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Ms. Mussarat Rafique Mahesar, Abdul Aleem Khan, Ms. Sabheen Ghoury, Dawar Khan Kundi, Mr. Usama Hamza, Fiaz Hussain, Muhammad Aslam Ghumman, Ms. Samina Khalid Ghurki, Chairman HEC and other officers concerned.