LAHORE: Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has enrolled his son in a government school in Kasur, where he studies alongside the children of teachers and school staff. The move highlights Hayat’s commitment to improving the public education system in Punjab.
Sharing the news on X, the minister said his decision reflected the principle of equality in education. “I am proud that my son studies alongside the children of our Naib Qasids and teachers,” he wrote. The announcement was widely praised on social media, with many calling it a step toward “leading by example.”
This decision comes as part of the Punjab government’s broader efforts to strengthen public education. The province has allocated Rs661 billion for education, representing 24.4 percent of non-development expenditures, along with Rs148 billion for development—an increase of 127 percent compared to the previous fiscal year.
Alhamdulilah My Son Goes To a Sarkari Mayari School,
Our Naib Qasids Son Also Goes to the same school,
My Sarkari School Teachers Children Study With my Kid & Im Proud of This.Did Your children Ever go to a Sarkari school?@ImranRiazKhan 😂🙏
While You Were Busy Making Shahana… pic.twitter.com/99IcIzDrsW— Rana Sikandar Hayat (@RanaSikandarH) October 22, 2025
Earlier, a special inspection team led by Minister Hayat discovered large-scale irregularities in school enrollment records.
Investigations revealed 1.8 million fake or “ghost students,” which cost the government around Rs50 billion annually. Inspections in districts including Okara, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, and Mianwali uncovered missing facilities, falsified data, and misplaced staff.
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Following the findings, several officials were suspended or dismissed, and school principals were warned against manipulating records.
The government has now announced a series of reforms: Rs10 billion will be used to provide missing facilities within 90 days, nearly 600 damaged school buildings will be repaired, thousands of new classrooms will be built within a year, and 1.1 million out-of-school children will be enrolled through the Punjab Education Foundation.
Experts believe that the key issue in Punjab’s education system is not a lack of funds but the manipulation of data. “As long as the system survives on fake numbers, the children of Punjab will continue to suffer,” said an education official, stressing the need for accountability and genuine reforms.
