The Punjab education department has granted permission to associate schools in the state to continue functioning and fulfil norms within the grace period of two years.
Stating this here on Friday, education minister Sikander Singh Maluka said the decision was taken at a high-level
meeting of department officers and the representative of associate schools.
"The associate schools which fulfil the desired conditions and are being run in buildings of 500 square yards or more can continue functioning," he said, adding that if any inadequacy in infrastructure was found, affiliation of the school concerned would be cancelled.
The minister said the cases of schools operating in area less than 500 square yards would also be considered sympathetically. He said district education officers had been instructed to furnish a report regarding these schools till April 5.
Maluka said eligible associate schools could start admission for the 2013-14 academic year.