Voucher scheme: Private school owners protest to demand funds reimbursement

PESHAWAR: The All Private Partners School Association on Monday staged a protest demonstration to ask the government to release the funds to them for imparting education to the students admitted under the voucher scheme through the Elementary Education Foundation.

The protesters were led by the provincial president of the association Zafar Iqbal. The owners of the private schools from Mardan, Charsadda, Kohat, Swat and other parts of the provincial participated in the protest outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly building to press the government for acceptance of their demands. A large number of schoolchildren, including girls, were also present on the occasion.

The protesting principals, owners and schoolchildren carried placards inscribed with slogans against the Elementary Education Foundation. The office-bearers of the association, including Zafar Ali, Amir Rahman, Mohammad Ihsan, Ishtiaq Tanoli, Shamsul Hadi and Noorul Hadi addressed the protesters.

The protesting school owners said the government had launched the voucher scheme in 2014 to enroll out-of-school children.The scheme, they said, ran smoothly for a few years, but then the government stopped paying the funds for tuition fees, uniform and books, which caused financial problems for the school, where the children were enrolled. They said the government had signed an agreement with the private schools in the province to impart education to the out-of-school children.

The speakers maintained that under the agreement, the government was supposed to pay Rs500 monthly tuition fee to the private schools for each student. They said the government had promised to pay Rs3,500 annually to the private schools for providing books and uniform to each student.

The schools were supposed to receive the money every three months, the protesters said, adding the government had not paid a single penny to them for the last four years. They alleged that the government was using delaying tactics to release the money to them, which had added to their woes.

The speakers asked Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Shahram Tarakai and managing director of the Elementary Education Foundation to look into the matter and release their outstanding dues.

A heavy contingent of the police was also deployed to maintain law and order. The police baton-charged the protesters to disperse them. Some 25 teachers were arrested and taken to the police station. Some of the protesters were also arrested. The protesters had blocked the one lane of the Khyber Road to traffic.