Imran concerned at increased fees of private schools

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday regretted the unbridled escalation of school fees by private schools. He stated it was shameful that the state had abdicated its constitutional responsibility of providing education for all. Imran asked the government to divert funds from wasteful and exorbitantly-priced projects like the Metro Bus to provision of basic facilities at government schools.
“Had the government schools been up to par in providing quality education, parents would not have been compelled to send their children to private schools and be at their mercy in terms of spiralling fees,” he said in a statement.
However, Imran added, it was not just the issue of high fees that parents were confronting. “There is also the very serious issue of quality in terms of education being imparted by the private schools, including course content and trained teachers,” he noted.
The PTI chief demanded the provincial and federal governments to immediately set up regulatory boards to oversee private schools’ fee structures and services, including course content plus extra curricular activities which were so critical to developing young minds in a holistic fashion.
He pointed out that even more important was the upgradation of government schools to provide quality education equal to that being provided in reputable private schools. Imran reminded that in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, this was already in progress.