PM orders sealing of schools not refunding or adjusting extra fee

Islamabad
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered the sealing of the capital’s private schools, which have yet to refund or adjust in the next bills the extra fee they charged lately.
Almost a week has passed after the Capital Administration and Development Division notified freeze on private school fee during the current year, Islamabad’s privately-owned educational institutions have yet to refund or adjust in the next bills the extra fee charged by them lately.
According to parents, the city’s elite schools, where their children are enrolled, have yet to inform them about fee refund or adjustment.
“The prime minister has directed PEIRA (Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority) to address the grievances of parents (on fee) on immediate basis. He directed the relevant authorities to seal the schools that are not complying with the orders of CAAD and PEIRA,” said a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s House.
According to the statement, in line with the prime minister’s directions, PEIRA has constituted a grievances cell to address the complaints submitted by parents being harassed by the management of private schools on fee issue.
“Such parents can register complaints on phone number 051-9101743, cell number 0300-8758839, fax number 051-9101800 and email address javed_peira@hotmail.com,” the statement said adding the prime minister directed the PEIRA to address the grievances of parents on immediate basis.
The PEIRA has been under fire over failure to regulate the city’s private schools, most of which increased fees unprecedently on their own of late prompting public outrage and the subsequent intervention by the prime minister.
Administratively overseen by the Capital Administration and Development Division, this self-financing body
was established in 2006 to register and regulate private schools and colleges in
Islamabad.