The PPRS Project was launched in 2008-09 and the first two phases have seen establishment of 300 new private schools across 10 districts of rural Sindh. The Project is supported by the World Bank and European Union through their results-based loans to the province. Through the Project per-student subsidies are provided to private entrepreneurs to set up and operate coeducational primary schools in underserved rural communities in disadvantaged districts. The schools also receive in-kind benefits in the form of teacher training, textbooks, and learning materials. The third phase of the Project was recently launched which will add 700 additional schools to the PPRS portfolio.

At the request of the Government of Sindh, a rigorous impact evaluation was integrated into Sindh Education Foundation's innovative pilot public-private partnership initiative, ‘Promoting Private Schools in Rural Sindh’ Project.

The impact evaluation was carried out across 100 Project schools by a team comprised of researchers from the World Bank, Columbia University, and the RAND Graduate School. The impact evaluation followed an experimental design, allowing the team to identify the average causal effect of the program on school participation and achievement. The research findings show remarkable contribution of the Project in terms of increasing access to and the quality of educational models. PPRS schools have drawn nearly all young children into school increasing the share of children that go to school by 29 percentage points. Moreover the cost-effectiveness of the PPRS Project in increasing school participation is one of the highest amongst all rigorously evaluated programs in the developing world. The current cost of the program is roughly Rs. 7,000 per student per year. Importantly, the Project has produced large gains in child achievements especially in learning of Mathematics and local language. The students from PPRS Project schools out-performed not only the out-of-school children but also the students enrolled in other local schools in the vicinity when tested.

With this milestone achievement, PPRS Project adds yet another feather in SEF’s cap. The results are highly encouraging and evidence that with support from grassroots and the Government alike the initiative will continue to grow from strength to strength.