LAHORE: Punjab government on Saturday issued notices to 744 institutions in a day to get registration within three days or face legal action, including fines of up to Rs4 million.

The government has launched a crackdown on unregistered private schools and academies after roofs at two tuition centres in Lahore collapsed and 15 students lost their lives and several others were injured.

Punjab Minister for School and Higher Education Rana Sikandar Hayat issued directions to launch the operation and said that no private educational institution would be allowed to operate without registration, while making students’ safety the government’s top priority.

District Education Authorities (DEAs) across Punjab have started issuing final notices to schools and academies operating without valid registration under the Punjab Private Educational Institutions (Promotion and Regulation) Ordinance, 1984.

Chief Executive Officer of the District Education Authority, Lahore issued a notice which states that every privately-managed school must be registered with the district registering authority before commencing operations. It says institutions found operating without registration are liable to legal action under Section 11 of the ordinance, with fines ranging from Rs300,000 to Rs4 million.

The notice, based on records available on the Punjab Education Private Registration Information System (PEPRIS), says the institutions concerned are operating without valid registration and directs them to submit registration applications within three days, failing which proceedings under the ordinance will be initiated.

Minister Hayat said the government would no longer allow educational institutions to function outside the regulatory framework.

“Students’ safety is our foremost priority. Protection of lives comes first; only then will permission for education be granted,” the minister said, adding that there would be “zero tolerance” for violations.

He said registration was mandatory for every private educational institution under the Punjab Private Educational Institutions (Promotion and Regulation) Ordinance, 1984, and operating an institution without registration was a punishable offence.

According to the School Education Department, official records show that hundreds of private schools across Punjab are still operating without registration despite the legal requirement.

The minister directed all unregistered schools and academies to immediately apply for registration, warning that DEAs would initiate strict legal action against institutions failing to comply within the three-day deadline.

Minister Hayat also announced that a building fitness certificate had been made mandatory for all schools, saying no educational institution would be allowed to operate without it. He directed all institutions to obtain the certificate and instructed education authorities to ensure compliance before allowing schools to continue operations.

He further directed DEAs to strictly enforce the orders and asked relevant officers to complete the exercise and submit implementation reports.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2026