QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution demanding that all private educational institutions in the province align their curricula with the Balochistan Textbook Board and cease charging tuition fees during winter and summer vacations.
The resolution was tabled by Syed Zafar Ali Agha, a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) MPA from Pishin, during a session chaired by Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai. It received broad support across the house, with no opposition raised.
In this regard, Agha expressed concern over the disparity between private school curricula and the official syllabus of the Balochistan Textbook Board. He warned that such inconsistency was contributing to the decline in student performance and learning standards across the province.
He also pointed out that many private institutions prioritise non-academic activities, which he said undermines the core purpose of education. Agha particularly criticised the widespread practice of collecting advance tuition fees during the three-month vacation periods.
The resolution calls for strict provincial enforcement to ensure all private institutions adopt the Balochistan Textbook Board’s syllabus, prohibit fee collection during school closures (December to February in colder regions and May to July in warmer areas), and ban non-educational activities that distract from learning. So far, Provincial Minister Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani informed the House that the government is rolling out a uniform national curriculum.
Furthermore, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti criticised mismanagement in higher education, particularly at the University of Balochistan. He assured that no government school will be shut down in the coming year and that 3,200 have already been reopened.
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The assembly also discussed land allotment controversies, with Speaker Achakzai directing the Revenue Department to submit detailed records of forest land allotments in Ziarat since 2010.
