Khyber Pakhtunkhwa private school law amendment revealed

An investigation has revealed a criminal amendment to the private school laws in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Under the original Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Authority Act issued on June 9, 2017, Section 22(4) granted the authority the power to seal or close any private school that failed to register or committed negligence.

However, on June 23, 2017, the provincial government allegedly made a criminal change to this notification, removing the provision for sealing or closing schools and replacing it with only monetary fines. Sources indicate this amendment was made to protect the private educational institutions owned by local leaders, including former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Mushtaq Ghani, who are reportedly involved in the private school business.