LAHORE: The Punjab School Education Department has revised its policy for building fitness certificates for private educational institutions, allowing them to obtain the certificates from Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC)-registered civil engineers or engineering firms.
According to a revised notification issued by the department, No. SO(ACAD-I)3-4/2023(P-I), dated July 17, 2026, private schools may now secure building fitness certificates from PEC-registered civil engineers or engineering firms, in addition to the existing option of the Communication and Works (C&W) Department.
The department has also withdrawn its previous instructions issued on May 7, 2026.
The revised policy has been introduced to ensure the safety of students and staff while addressing problems faced by private schools in obtaining building fitness certificates. Delays in securing these certificates had held up the registration and affiliation process of hundreds of institutions.
The matter had been consistently raised by All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association (APSCA) leaders, including Central President Dr Malik Abrar Hussain, Central General Secretary Ashraf Haraj, Patron-in-Chief Punjab Qazi Zahoor-ul-Haq, Punjab General Secretary Sajid Ilyas Chaudhry, and Divisional President Irfan Muzaffar Kiani, with the support of other school associations across Punjab.
APSCA and other school associations thanked Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, and the Secretary, School Education Department Punjab for approving their long-standing demand.
