The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved handing over 2,000 government primary schools across the province to the private sector. In the first phase, 500 schools will be placed under private management, while 233 schools in winter zones have already been handed over to private institutions and are actively functioning.

Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education Khalid Khan, while briefing a high-level committee, said that a proper performance evaluation mechanism is being introduced for the schools, and further schools will be identified based on the results.

According to officials, schools already handed over to the private sector have witnessed a significant increase in student enrolment.

The number of students in these schools has increased from 4,086 to 6,718, reflecting an enrolment growth of approximately 89 percent.

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The provincial government will provide each school with Rs300,000 per month to cover staff salaries and other expenses. Schools operating under private management will be required to increase student enrolment from 40 to 180 within one year, while agreements may be terminated if targets are not achieved.

Meanwhile, sources in the education department said that teachers from schools transferred to the private sector will be added to a surplus pool and posted to schools facing teacher shortages.

Officials said the move would not only help address the shortage of teachers but also contribute to improving the quality of education.