Punjab school outsourcing phase 4: 6,460 more schools, 600 high schools included
The fourth phase takes the total past 20,000 schools and, for the first time, reaches high schools. Admissions at the affected schools close on 31 October, and teachers' unions are planning protests.
Punjab's School Education Department has approved a fourth phase of outsourcing government schools, covering 6,460 schools and, for the first time, 600 high schools, ProPakistani reported on Tuesday. The other 5,860 schools in the phase are primary and middle schools.
The province has already handed 13,600 schools to private operators in the first three phases. With this round, the number of outsourced government schools in Punjab rises to about 20,060.
Punjab school outsourcing phase 4 in numbers
| Schools | |
|---|---|
| Phase 4 total | 6,460 |
| High schools (first time) | 600 |
| Primary and middle schools | 5,860 |
| Already outsourced, phases 1 to 3 | 13,600 |
| Total after phase 4 | about 20,060 |
According to the report, the department has also decided to close schools with up to 100 students enrolled. It has not been published which schools fall in that group.
Admission deadline: 31 October
The department has told government schools to keep admissions open until 31 October and to stop taking new students from 1 November. School heads have been told to finish the admission process by the deadline.
For parents, the practical step is simple: if you want a child admitted to a government school this session, apply at the school by Saturday 31 October and ask the head which documents it needs. Our age calculator gives the child's exact age on any date, which schools ask for at admission.
Why teachers are protesting
Teachers' and pensioners' groups have condemned the decision and want it withdrawn. Punjab Teachers Union central president Sufi Ramzan Inqalabi, Education Pensioners Association secretary Shafiq Bhalwalia and former Headmasters Association president Dr Sagheer Alam said outsourcing had pushed up the number of children leaving school.
They warned that putting high schools in the programme could make many girls in rural areas drop out, and asked the government to protect high schools because of their large campuses and facilities. They also fear the next step could declare regular teachers surplus and replace them with daily-wage staff on fixed lump-sum pay.
The groups said they would hold protests together with non-teaching staff associations. No dates have been announced.
What happens next
The department has not yet released the district-wise list of the 6,460 schools. Once it does, parents can check whether their child's school is affected.
The outsourcing comes alongside the Punjab school census 2026-27, which runs in government schools until 31 October. We will add the school list and any change to the admission deadline when the department publishes them.
Frequently asked questions
- How many schools are in Punjab's fourth outsourcing phase?
- 6,460 government schools: 600 high schools, included for the first time, and 5,860 primary and middle schools. 13,600 were outsourced in the first three phases.
- When do admissions stop at Punjab government schools?
- The School Education Department has told schools to keep admissions open until 31 October 2026 and stop taking new students from 1 November.
Reader comments 0
No comments yet. Say something useful.