LAHORE: The Punjab School Education Department has announced that schools will now observe two weekly holidays, effective August 15, when schools reopen.
The decision to implement Saturday and Sunday as the official holidays was made to alleviate the workload on teachers, according to the authorities.
Additionally, the School Education Department has introduced new school timings. For single-shift schools, the schedule from Monday to Thursday will be from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM. On Fridays, school hours will be from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
The introduction of the two-day weekend and the revised school timings aim to reduce the stress on teachers, allowing them more time for rest and lesson preparation.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has unveiled a significant initiative to outsource the management of 5,800 public schools to private organizations, aiming to transform the province’s education system.
This move is designed to leverage private sector expertise and resources to address longstanding challenges in the public education sector.
According to the provincial minister, this new strategy seeks to bring innovation, creativity, and specialized knowledge into the education sector.
The selected private partners will take on comprehensive responsibilities for the schools, including managing daily operations, developing curricula, training teachers, assessing student performance, and maintaining school infrastructure.
The provincial government plans to support these public-private partnerships with funding and additional resources to ensure their effectiveness.
The goal is to enhance the quality of education by utilizing the expertise and resources of the private sector.
The minister highlighted that strict monitoring and evaluation procedures will be implemented to uphold accountability and ensure that the partners adhere to high standards.
Many of the schools identified for outsourcing have faced significant challenges, including severe teacher shortages and a lack of rigorous academic standards.
In some cases, these schools have struggled with inadequate teaching staff and outdated facilities.
Instead of closing these underperforming schools, the government has chosen to collaborate with private individuals, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other entities to utilize the existing infrastructure and drive improvements.
The minister explained that by involving private entities in the management of these schools, the government hopes to introduce new approaches and modernize the education system.
The private partners are expected to bring valuable experience and knowledge in various areas such as curriculum development, teacher training, and educational technology, which can significantly enhance the overall quality of education.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
