ICT private schools warned against breaking new fee rules

Islamabad

The watchdog for private education in the federal capital, PEIRA, has warned privately-owned schools in the Islamabad Capital Territory against violating new rules on tuition fee.

Changing the existing rules, the PEIRA overseen by the Capital Administration and Development Division has enforced the Private Educational Institutions (Registration and Fee Determination) Rules 2016.

Under the new rules, which have taken effect forthwith, the PEIRA formally stopped all private schools in the ICT totalling around 1,150 from increasing tuition fee at will and announced it would implement a transparent criteria for the determination and fixation of the rate of fee charged by the educational institutions based on cost methodology and objective rationalisation and criteria and financial model as set out in the rules.

In future, the PEIRA will carry out performance evaluation of registered institutions on a two-year basis and award a rating category A, B or C based on factors clearly spelt out in the Rules.

“This categorisation will evolve into certification for the quality of education that a particular PEI provides and will serve not only as a matter of honour and prestige for the PEI and its students but also a potent signal for the parents at the time of selection of a school for their children.”

According to the new rules, a school with the capacity of 500 or more students from Montessori to higher secondary level, air-conditioned classrooms, an average teacher salary of Rs50,000, and Rs1,000,000 monthly commercial rent for the building, can charge up to Rs8,350 monthly for matriculation, FA, FSc, and Rs12,525 for O’ and A’ levels. The ceilings are inclusive of all charges.

They claim to provide relief to parents and also protect the interests of school operators and investors by incorporating a five-year average return-on-investment of 20 per cent.

Now once the new rules stand enforced, the PEIRA has formally asked all ICT private schools to adhere to them.

“All private educational institutions functioning within the territorial jurisdiction of ICT are instructed to ensure compliance with the Private Educational Institutions (Registration and Fee Determination) Rules 2016 and formulate the respective monthly fee schedules in accordance with them for the upcoming session 2016-17,” read a PEIRA letter sent to schools separately.

The regulator warned any deviation or non-compliance of the new rules and charging of fee in excess of what had been mentioned in the rules without its determination would lead to appropriate administrative and legal action.