Private schools to continue protest

PESHAWAR: The office-bearers of National Education Council Pakistan on Tuesday rejected the notification of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regularity Authority (KP PSRA) about fees and other issues.

Speaking at a press conference chairman of the council Nazeer Hussain, president, Private Schools Association Ahmad Ali and others said the authority did not consult the owners of the private educational institutions before issuing the fresh orders.

They said the private educational institutions were playing an important role in promotion of quality education and the decision of baring the owners from raising the tuition fees, 50 percent discount and fixing the holidays fee at half of the original rate was an unjust act.

They alleged the government and the authority were trying to abolish the independent status of private educational institutions and take it in the government supervisions. They said the decision would result in weakening of private educational institutions as they owners would not be able to pay salaries to teachers during the holidays, buildings rent and manage other expenditures.

The owners alleged that the government has passed a law binding the private educational institutions to teach the course which was introduced by non-governmental organisations.

They proposed to the government to pay salaries to teachers of private schools and allocate 50 percent shares in the education budget to private sector so they could manage their expenditures. They vowed to continue their protest until the government withdraws the notification.