Private schools across Punjab have a new deadline: install high-definition surveillance and pass a rigorous security audit, or lose their license to operate. The Punjab School Education Department (SED) issued the directive this week, making it clear that student safety is no longer a suggestion.
Under the new rules, every private campus must maintain a 30-day recording backup from high-definition CCTV cameras covering all entry points, hallways, and playgrounds.
“We won’t compromise on the lives of our children,” Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat told reporters. He noted that several institutions had been operating with “substandard” security measures for years. “The days of schools being just a business without accountability are over.
” The mandate goes beyond just cameras. Schools now have to form “Safety Committees” that include both parents and staff. These committees are responsible for daily security sweeps and ensuring that no unauthorized person enters the premises. Perhaps more importantly, the government is now requiring a mandatory police verification for all school staff including security guards, drivers, and gardeners. For many parents, the move is long overdue.
Recent incidents of harassment and security lapses in private institutions across Lahore and Faisalabad sparked public outrage, forcing the provincial government’s hand. Private school owners, however, are already pushing back. While they don’t oppose safety, they’re worried about the cost. Installing high-end surveillance systems and hiring certified security personnel adds a massive financial burden.
“The government keeps adding requirements but expects us to keep fees low,” said one school owner in Lahore, who asked not to be named. “Something has to give.
” The department isn’t budging. District Education Officers have been told to start inspections immediately. Schools found without functioning cameras or vetted staff will face heavy fines; repeat offenders will be sealed.
The new policy also targets school transport. Every van or bus ferrying students must now have a designated attendant and a verified driver. The transport must meet specific fitness standards, a move aimed at ending the use of cramped, unsafe vehicles that have become common in urban centers.
It’s a tall order for the thousands of low-cost private schools scattered across the province. Whether they can meet these standards or if the costs will simply be passed down to parents is the next big question for Punjab’s education sector.
