Outsourcing, increasing school dropouts and policy failures are plunging the education system into a deep crisis
RAWALPINDI:
The year 2025 has proven to be extremely disappointing for teachers and educational institutions, with the education system in Punjab, including Rawalpindi, appearing to be completely paralyzed.
Throughout the year, teachers remained in the streets to protest policies that undermined public education.
In 2025, approximately 5,800 schools and 71 middle schools were handed over to the private sector, while an outsourcing program of a total of 10,500 primary schools in three phases continued. Due to privatization and inflation, school dropout rates have increased, with almost 700,000 children leaving school after being outsourced.
The number of street children in Punjab has seen an alarming increase, reaching nearly 30 million.
The situation is expected to worsen further as schools and colleges in rural areas are also sold off, leading to more dropouts. In many public schools, the number of students enrolled has fallen to less than 100.
Around 14,000 teachers and teaching assistants have not been regularized, while more than 46,000 surplus teachers have been transferred to schools far from their homes.
Under the pretext of appointing school principals on merit, the promotions of nearly 25,000 senior teachers under the continuing education quota were also blocked.
Despite their professional skills and long teaching experience, teachers’ jobs have been jeopardized by the “teacher license” requirement. Starting in 2026, teachers will have to take a test to obtain a teaching license.
A total of 120,000 teaching positions in grades 14 to 20 remain vacant, including 74,000 primary, elementary and secondary teaching positions. The vacancies also include 3,661 grade 17 principals, 1,173 grade 18 officers and almost 900 grade 19 and 20 positions.
Due to the outsourcing policy, the number of educational institutions decreased from 52,000 to 38,000. Upgrading of Quran teachers, computer laboratory managers, laboratory assistants and laboratory attendants could not be carried out.
Over 5,000 teachers have been issued show cause notices and FIRs registered against them for refusing to perform duties related to the socio-economic registration survey.
Nearly 1,500 schools renovated in the afternoon were closed due to financial constraints. Around 32 teachers’ organizations and their 61 groups also failed to have their demands accepted during the year.
Teachers and non-teaching staff received no relief, while pensions saw a record reduction.
Due to difficult transfers and politically motivated attachments, many primary schools were either left vacant or forced to operate with just one teacher.
Leaders of the Punjab SES Teachers’ Association, including Nadeem Iqbal and Muhammad Shafiq Bhalowalia, Punjab Educators’ Association President Malik Amjad and Punjab Teachers’ Union General Secretary Rana Liaquat Ali, termed 2025 as a year focused solely on introducing policies. They said six policies had been implemented but all had failed.
They demanded the formulation of a national education policy, an end to privatization, new recruitments for vacant positions and an end to elections and polio and dengue investigation tasks given to teachers.
They warned that until teachers enjoyed economic security and professional respect, the education system would remain in ruins.
Meanwhile, Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar said that due to effective education policies, the government school board exam results were excellent this year.
He said teachers were provided with scooters, easy loans and laptops, and claimed outsourcing would improve the education system.
