Punjab Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat announced on Friday that unregistered tuition academies across the province will be closed with immediate effect. The directive mandates that educational institutions operating without mandatory building fitness certificates will be sealed to ensure student safety.
The decision follows recent building collapse incidents in the Baghbanpura and Kahna areas of Lahore, which claimed the lives of 15 children.
The minister visited the Baghbanpura site to inspect the structural damage and offered condolences to the family of a child who lost his life in the tragedy.
Investigations revealed the collapsed school lacked both a building extension no-objection certificate and the required fitness certificate. Although an assistant education officer requested the documents two weeks prior, the administration failed to provide them, claiming the building owner was away on Hajj.
The government has identified nearly 760 unregistered tuition centres in Lahore for immediate closure.
All academies across the province must now secure official registration and a Building Fitness Certificate from the Communication and Works Department before schools reopen in September.
The province-wide crackdown also targets home-based tuition centres operating without official authorization, making them liable to closure and heavy fines. The School Education Department reiterated that government school teachers remain strictly prohibited from operating or teaching at these private academies.
Education authorities have urged parents to verify the registration and structural safety status of institutions before enrolling children. The government plans to streamline the formal registration process while encouraging citizens to report non-compliant buildings directly to the authorities.
