Punjab Requires 19,000 Additional Public Schools

Punjab is facing a growing education crisis, with just 38,000 government schools available for its rapidly increasing population of about 130 million people. A new report by the Population Council points to this severe shortage—along with outdated and insufficient infrastructure—as a major cause of students ping out of school across the province. The students can get the latest updates of Punjab Requires 19,000 Additional Public Schools.

To address the shortfall, the report suggests that Punjab must build nearly 19,000 new schools within the next 15 years to keep up with rising demand. It calls on the provincial government to treat education as a top priority in its upcoming budget and to allocate significant funding toward expanding school infrastructure.

Overcrowded Classrooms and Lack of Facilities Threaten Future of Education

With a population growth rate surpassing 2.5%, the number of school-age children continues to climb, placing immense pressure on the current educational system. An estimated 10 million children between ages 5 and 15 remain out of school, mainly due to the lack of nearby public education options.

An official from the Punjab School Education Department shared that the province operates approximately 21,702 primary, 7,200 middle, 8,000 high, and 800 higher secondary schools across its 36 districts. Despite this network, no new government school has been established in Lahore for over a decade, and many new residential neighborhoods across cities are still without access to basic public schooling.

The official also criticized the government’s recent initiative to outsource public schools to private operators—a move educators argue ignores the real issue of accessibility for the poor. Families already struggling with financial hardship are disproportionately affected when public education becomes less accessible.

Rana Liaqat Ali, General Secretary of the Punjab Teachers Union, condemned the outsourcing approach, stating that it sidesteps the pressing need for more government schools. He welcomed international attention on the issue and urged the government to act decisively for the future of the province’s children.

Rana also stressed the importance of expanding higher education facilities, such as public colleges and universities, to accommodate increasing student numbers. He expressed hope that the forthcoming provincial budget will reflect a renewed focus on education through targeted investment in school construction and upgrades.