Correct Answer:
B. Provincial governments
The 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, passed in 2010, brought about significant changes in the distribution of powers between the federal and provincial governments. A key aspect of this amendment was the abolition of the Concurrent Legislative List, which previously allowed both federal and provincial governments to legislate on certain subjects, including education.
With the removal of the Concurrent List, education was entirely devolved to the B: Provincial governments. This means that provinces now have the primary responsibility for formulating education policies, curricula, and managing educational institutions within their respective jurisdictions.
- A: Federal government is incorrect because the amendment *devolved* power *from* the federal government to the provinces, making education a provincial subject.
- C: Local bodies, while playing an implementation role, are not the primary legislative or policy-making authority to which education was devolved; that authority rests with the provincial governments.
- D: Private sector refers to non-governmental educational institutions and is not a governmental tier to which powers are devolved.