Fact-check: Punjab education minister did not announce a blanket ban on tuition centres

After the roof of a tutoring centre collapsed in Lahore last month, killing 14 children, a graphic circulating on social media claims that Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat announced that all tuition centres operating in the province would be shut down.

The claim is misleading. The minister did not make any such statement. He has, however, spoken about closing unregistered tuition academies that fail to meet government requirements.

Claim

On July 1, a Facebook user shared a graphic claiming that Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said all tutoring centres operating in residential areas would be closed.

The user criticised the alleged decision, saying that tuition centers provide a source of income for many women.

Fact

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has not announced the closure of all tuition centres. Instead, he has said that unregistered academies will be shut down if they fail to obtain a fitness certificate from September onward.

The minister told Geo Fact Check via messages that he had not made any announcement about banning all tutoring centres.

While speaking to the media on July 3, he said that academies across Punjab without the required fitness certificate should be closed. He also confirmed to Geo Fact Check that the registration of tuition academies falls under the jurisdiction of the relevant deputy commissioners and that a detailed survey of these centres is currently underway.

Noor ul Huda, the minister's public relations officer, also denied the viral social media claim that the minister had announced the closure of all tuition centres.

Geo Fact Check also found no media interview, press conference, or official statement in which the minister made the claim attributed to him.

Verdict: Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat did not announce the closure of all tuition centres. His remarks were limited to unregistered academies that fail to obtain the required fitness certificate.

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