By Hina Kiyani
ISLAMABAD: The Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) has submitted a detailed compliance report to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) regarding the implementation of the mandatory 10% free education quota in private schools across the federal capital.
According to the report submitted during a hearing, a total of 1,571 private educational institutions are operating across five different zones of Islamabad. These institutions collectively cater to approximately 389,000 students.
The report highlighted progress under the ‘No Child Left Behind’ campaign, which has set a target to enroll 25,000 out-of-school children. Furthermore, under the existing rules, orphans and children of martyrs are to be given priority within the 10% scholarship scheme.
PEIRA informed the court that enforcement of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2012 has commenced. So far, 500 private schools have submitted their infrastructure and student enrollment data to the authority. A monitoring committee has also been formed to verify the implementation of the free education quota. In an effort to ensure transparency, PEIRA has directed all registered private schools to submit detailed lists of students benefiting from the 10% quota for the current academic session (2025-26). Schools have been instructed to provide this data both via a manual submission and through an online portal.
The authority has warned that strict action under the PEIRA Act will be taken against schools that fail to submit the required data. Furthermore, the renewal of registration certificates for private schools has now been explicitly linked to compliance with the 10% need-based scholarship policy.
The court has taken note of the report and directed PEIRA to expedite the verification process and ensure full compliance across all private educational institutions in the capital.
