• Concerns over Anti-Corruption Establishment’s procedure to be addressed, Sardar Shah tells delegation
• Says effective framework will be devised for students’ freeship data verification

KARACHI: The Grand Alliance of Private Schools Associations has withdrawn its strike call for January 9 after Sindh Education Minister Sardari Ali Shah gave the delegation assurances that their grievances, particularly regarding the procedure for verifying “freeship” student data, would be addressed.

Under the freeship rule, private schools are bound to provide free education to 10 per cent of total enrolled students.

A delegation of the alliance had called on the education minister on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Anti-Corruption Establishment Chairman (ACE) Zulfiqar Ali Shah, School Education Secretary Zahid Ali Abbasi, Director General Private Schools Muhammad Afzal, private school associations representatives Anwar Ali Bhatti, Syed Tariq Shah, Syed Shehzad Akhtar, Danish-uz-Zaman, Nasir Zaidi, Haider Ali, and others.

The delegation expressed serious concerns over the procedure for verification of freeship student data in private schools across Sindh, stating that there are multiple apprehensions regarding the verification process being carried out through the ACE.

The delegation maintained that there is a clear difference between investigation and data verification, and that complaints have emerged from certain areas regarding inappropriate treatment of school administrations and parents in the name of data verification.

On the occasion, Education Minister Sardar Shah said that the concerns raised by the schools alliance were valid and that due to the absence of a clear and coordinated mechanism for data verification, private school administrations had faced difficulties. He stated that the government respects court decisions and that an effective framework would be devised for freeship data verification to address the concerns of all stakeholders.

During the meeting, consensus was reached on establishing a coordinated and transparent verification mechanism through the ACE, in collaboration with the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions, ensuring that the concerns of school administrations and parents are fully addressed and that no one faces undue hardship.

The education minister appreciated the positive role played by private schools in promoting education in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2026