The Peshawar High Court’s Abbottabad Bench has suspended the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s notification to privatize public schools, halting the policy until further notice.
The court has directed the KP Chief Secretary, Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education, and all Deputy Commissioners to submit detailed reports explaining the rationale behind the privatization plan.
The suspension came in response to a petition filed by advocates Dr. Muhammad Ishaq Zakariya and Sardar Shuja Ahmad, who argued that outsourcing school management to private organizations violates the constitutional right to free and quality education.
During the hearing, the bench noted that education is a fundamental public service and warned that privatization could limit access for children from low-income families. The court ordered the provincial government to avoid further action until the case is concluded.
Petitioner Dr. Zakariya hailed the decision as a victory for education rights, urging the government to focus on improving infrastructure, hiring qualified teachers, and ensuring transparency instead of commercializing the education sector.
