The Sindh Education and Literacy Department has decided to conduct a complete audit of records, related to the implementation of the 10 per cent freeship policy, in all private schools across the province. This decision has been made in accordance with the Sindh High Court (SHC), Sukkur Bench, judgment issued on October 9, 2025, on a Constitutional Petition No 1592/2025.
The 10% freeship policy requires all private schools in Sindh to offer free education to at least 10 percent of their total students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, ensuring equitable learning opportunities across the province.
In the first phase, all schools across the province with more than one branch have been informed that district committees will visit the schools within 15 days to conduct a complete audit of the freeship quota, based on total student enrollments, and that the reports will be submitted to the SHC’s Sukkur Bench, according to a statement issued by Sindh Additional Director of the Directorate of Private Institutions Rafia Javed, Sindh Education Minister Sardar Shah and Education Secretary Zahid Abbasi.
Furthermore, the SHC has summoned the Directorate of Private Institutions Sindh, along with all relevant records on November 10. Schools not implementing the freeship law will have their registrations suspended or cancelled. Additionally, schools that have applied for registration or renewal but are not complying with the freeship law will be turned away.
Any schools that fail to cooperate with the audit committees during their visits will be considered in contempt of court. Hence, all schools have been directed to keep their records ready and present them to the committees during the audit.
In the second phase, the committees will visit the remaining private schools to conduct similar audits of the freeship quota. Guidelines and procedures for the process have already been sent to the schools, with strict action to be taken against institutions found in violation of the rules.
News Published in Express Tribune on October 27th, 2025.
