Increasing access to education- Outsourcing government schools to Education Management Organizations (EMO)

Background:

Article 25-A of the constitution of Pakistan states that ‘the state shall provide free and compulsory education to children aged five to sixteen subject to the provisions of law’. In compliance of this responsibility, the Sindh Government passed the Sindh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education 2013. Provision of universal education access is a mammoth task which cannot be undertaken by the government itself. Any successful intervention in the education sector will require coordinated efforts from the public and private sector, particularly with regards to improving access to education.

The Public-Private Partnership model has emerged as a lucrative model for education reforms in Pakistan. Aligned with this paradigm shift, the Education & Literacy Department has initiated a model of outsourcing management of public schools to private organizations in partnership with USAID.

Objective:

To outsource the operation and management of eligible public sector schools in the province of Sindh to EMOs from the private sector on a public-private partnership basis

Scope:

Marginalized areas of Sindh

Overview:

Under the government of Sindh’s PPP Act 2010, the Education & Literacy department will contract credible Education Management Organizations (EMOs) from the private sector to manage and improve the functioning of public schools by introducing innovations, modernizing the education system, addressing management gaps, maintaining, and upgrading the school building and facilities, and cooperatively working along with teachers, schools’ staff, school management committees (SMC), surrounding communities and local tiers of ELD.

The remuneration of EMOs will be based on their respective performance. Performance based payments have been linked to KPIs to ensure maximum accountability. This project has robust measures for transparency with regards to awarding contracts and tracking performance for maximum efficacy.

The key objectives for the reform to improve the education sector in Sindh include:

  • Improving the functioning of public schools through innovation and modernization of the education system;
  • Reducing inefficiencies and addressing the management gaps in public education through well managed partnerships;
  • Delivering better quality education to the children in the province of Sindh;
  • Encouraging greater private sector investment in the education sector, in particular in the rural and less developed areas of the province of Sindh; and
  • To meet the key performance indicators as set out in individual contracts under which public schools shall be outsourced to private sector.

Impact:

A total of 110 schools across Sindh are to be handed over to EMOs in the initial stage

Implementing Partners:

USAID, PPP-Node