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Thursday March 28, 2024

PM forms committee on private schools fee issue

Watchdog freezes capital’s private schools fee to Aug 31 level By Fakhar Durrani

By our correspondents
September 17, 2015
ISLAMABAD: In order to resolve the issue of undue fee hike by the private schools permanently, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has formed a committee on the cabinet level to form rules and regulations and chalk out a plan for coordinating with the provinces to regulate the private schools. The committee will also look into the matter of Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA).
Dr Musadik Malik, Spokesman to the Prime Minister, while talking to The News, said the prime minister had taken notice of the issue and directed the authorities concerned to take immediate measures to resolve the problem.
“The prime minister has directed to chalk out plans to coordinate with the provinces for regulating the private schools and has also ordered for evolving a reasonable and transparent mechanism. We are bringing reforms in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and for this purpose the prime minister has already directed to look into the matter of the PEIRA,” Dr Musadik Malik said.
He said the Standing Committee on Cabinet was working on bringing reforms in the PEIRA whereas new rules and regulations had also been evolved, which are transparent and progressive.
On the other hand, Transparency International has requested the Sindh High Court chief justice to take action against the undue fee hike by the private schools.
In its letter, the Transparency International says that the Punjab chief minister has taken notice of the protest and has declared that this year private schools will not be allowed to raise fees arbitrarily.
The letter further says, “In Sindh, according to the Private Educational Institution (Regulations and Control) Ordinance 2001 and as notified by the Government of Sindh vide Notification No: SO (ACD-II)9-6/2005, following rules are mandatory for all private education schools and colleges”.
According to the Section 7(3) of the Private Educational Institution (Regulations and Control) Ordinance 2001, the fee may be increased up to five percent only of last fees schedule subject to proper justification and approval of the Registration Authority.
Similarly, the Section 10 says that minimum salary and allowances of a full time teacher with twelve months of continuous service shall not be less than four times the monthly fee of the single student the highest class charged by the institution.
Whereas, the Section 12 of the ordinance says that parent and teachers associations shall be formed by every institution.
The Section 13 of the ordinance says that at least 10% students in the institution shall be granted full free scholarship. However, since 2005 not a single school is abiding by this law.
The letter further says that a few VIP private schools have filed petitions D-375 of 2005, D-813 of 2005 and D1704 of 2005 in 2005 in the SHC through their heavyweight lawyers.
According to this letter, the Sindh High Court has given a stay order and since 2005, in many cases of Clifton and Defence, these private institutions have increased fee up to 500 percent, and also taking extra charges in the name of admission fee, annual fee, examination fee, summer vacation fee, etc. The TI requested the SHC chief justice to vacate the stay order, and let the cases proceeded on priority basis.
Muhammad Saleh Zaafir adds: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to convene a meeting of four chief ministers here in the federal capital to discuss the issue of exorbitant school fee of private schools and recent increase in it.
The meeting will ensure affordable fees in the private schools to provide relief to parents.
The PM House sources told The News that the prime minister had directed the provincial governments to resolve the issue of exorbitant fees of private educational institutes to address the agony of parents. He expressed concern over the exorbitant tuition fees of private schools and stressed making it affordable for the general public. The prime minister directed the Ministry of Education to resolve the matter at the earliest.
Jamila Achakzai adds: The PEIRA has given private schools two weeks to ‘resolve the grievances of parents’ on the surge in fee, says an order issued by PEIRA Member (Academics) Imtiaz Qureshi.
Besides, the PEIRA has also ‘frozen the monthly fee to the level of the August 31, 2015 until the resolution of the issue’.
Also, the private schools have been stopped from expelling any of their students on non-payment of fee for the time being.
The development comes after the prime minister had taken notice of the parents’ protest against an unprecedented hike in fee by private schools in Islamabad.
The city has over 1,100 privately-owned educational institutions, which stand virtually unregulated at the moment due to the absence of the top boss of the self-financing PEIRA, which is overseen by the Capital Administration and Development Division.
Online adds from Karachi: The Sindh Education Department has issued notices to Karachi’s 30 private schools.
According to media reports, the Directorate Private Institutions has noticed 30 major private schools seeking details of recent hike in tuition fees.
The directorate has called a meeting of schools’ administration on Friday (September 18) and has issued a form for institutions to provide three-year details of monthly fees collected under the head of computer education and security.
Separately, Sindh Education Minister Nisar Khuhro has taken notice of the situation and has called a meeting today (Thursday) on registration policy of schools.
On the other hand, parents and members of civil society members continued their protest outside the Karachi Press Club, urging the government to rein in the school mafia. Reports said only five percent of the total private schools in Karachi are registered.