Moalims

KARACHI: Educationists from the public and private sector discussed whether or not partnerships between the government and private educational institutions can help raise the standard of education in the country.

The consensus relayed was in the affirmative.

Govt response

MNA Dr Nafisa Shah appreciated the part communities are playing in rural areas to educate their children. However, she said there is absenteeism among public school teachers as the government lacks an efficient monitoring system. “The management system of the government has gone obsolete, which is why Pakistan needs an education reform and a public-private-sector partnership, at least for the time being.”

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Non-profit ideas

“There are about 25 million children in Pakistan that do not go to school, making it a country with one of the largest populations of out-of-school children,” said CARE Foundation chairperson Seema Aziz. “The idea here is that different parties bring their expertise together to solve a problem.” So if a private institution can help the government, it should do so by all means, she added.

Aziz said that the public-private partnership has helped transform the state of government-run schools in Punjab. However, the government did not fund those schools at all, she said.

Private sector

“However, this raises the question, why is the government not willing to pay the operational cost?” asked Afaque Ahmed, the founder and president of Karachi Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship. It costs The Citizens Foundation Rs1,155 to fund education for a child for a month, he said. “On the other hand, it costs the government roughly Rs2,500 to do the same job. Why can’t the government pay a private institution to educate children when it is completing the job at half the cost?” asked Ahmed.

“The government should bring in private organisations as they can help manage public funds more efficiently,” he said. “They can help bring in financial sustainability to the government.” He called upon the government to devise ‘fair contracts’ and make them suitable to the geo-social situation of the province. “What worked in Punjab may not necessarily work in Sindh. The devil is in the details,” he said.

Equity perspective

Jens Yahya Zimmerman, partner and managing director of New Silk Route, said from what he has gathered by leading private equity investments in different countries in the education sector, it costs twice the amount for the public sector to bring in the same results as the private sector. “Secondly, private sector makes profit while the public sector goes into deficit,” he said.

Therefore, it will benefit the public sector to collaborate with the private sector and help make public-sector education stronger.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2015.