The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Policy Board of the Sindh government on Tuesday approved the outsourcing of 750 public schools across the province to private parties under a 10-year agreement.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah presided over the 53rd meeting of the board.
According to an official statement, the schools fall under the Sindh Secondary Education Improvement Project (SSEIP), the Sindh Early Learning Enhancement through Classroom Transformation (SELECT) programme and the Peoples Schools initiative.
The programme covers 453 SSEIP schools, including 401 under additional financing and 52 under original financing. It also includes 295 SELECT schools and two English-medium Peoples Schools.
The schools have a combined capacity of 345,940 students and a current enrolment of 188,852. Private operators will be responsible for teachers’ salaries, non-teaching staff, operational expenses, uniforms, stationery and other essential services. The government will provide the funding.
The board also approved the formation of a Technical and Financial Evaluation Committee. It authorised open national competitive bidding through the e-PADS platform, using Quality and Cost-Based Selection.
In other decisions, the board approved a revised joint venture model for the Dhabeji Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and bridge financing of Rs2 billion for the Ghotki-Kandhkot Bridge. It also cleared several initiatives to strengthen Karachi’s infrastructure, expand industrial investment and introduce modern digital facilities.
Sindh introduced the Education Management Organisation (EMO) model in 2015 under the Sindh PPP Act 2010. It began with 106 schools rebuilt by USAID after the 2010 floods.
