Private schools blatantly violating PHC orders, PSRA notification

PESHAWAR: In a blatant violation of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) orders and subsequent notification by the Private Schools Regulatory Authority (PSRA), a majority of the private schools, especially the elite ones and the bigger chains, are collecting a hefty amount of charges in the name of admission fee, annual charges and others.

The PSRA has been unable to implement its notification as well as the court orders.

The authority is well aware of the concerns of the parents but is unable to take action against the schools.

A senior official of the authority told The News that they had the authority to impose heavy fines, seal the delinquent schools and cancel their registration. But they were reluctant to do so for the fear of the closure of the schools and thus a waste of the time of the students.

Also, most of the parents are unaware of the court orders and the PSRA notification and they are forced to pay the illegal charges. Those aware of the court orders and the PSRA directives are forced to pay the charges because they don’t have other good choices for getting their children educated.

Fed up with the unbearable charges collected by the school management from students, some parents had moved Peshawar High Court against the Beaconhouse School System and the Peshawar Model Schools and prayed to stop these schools from collecting huge amounts in the name of annual charges, security fees, registration and admission fee. The court in its verdict had directed all private schools to stop charging parents with fresh admission fees, annual fees as well as capitation fees.

The court had also directed the PSRA to issue a formal notification for the purpose.

The PSRA in its notification stated: “It is hereby reiterated that charging an admission fee, annual fee and capitation fee is not only a clear violation of KP-PSRA Regulation 2018 but shall also be violative to the above-quoted judgement of Peshawar High Court and any violation on the part of a delinquent school may invoke contempt of court proceeding as well as other punitive measures.”

However, the schools concerned didn’t pay any heed to the court orders as well as the PSRA notification and continued collecting the fees.

Most of the complaints are received against the elite schools such as Beaconhouse School System, the City Schools, Bloomfield and the bigger chains like Peshawar Model School and others.

Peshawar Model School has 30 branches - 18 schools, 11 colleges and one university - in the province where more than 30,000 students are enrolled. They are collecting Rs25,000 per student in the name of annual charges, registration fees and security fees.

The PSRA specifically directed the management of the school to stop collecting the capitation charges from students.

A letter to the school management stated: “I am directed to convey to you that many complaints are coming to PSRA against your institution regarding charges of various amounts in different heads. ... You are, therefore, directed to refund the amount taken from students in these heads under intimation to the authority within seven days. In case of noncompliance, a fine of Rs10,000 will be imposed on each violation under the law.”

The school management, however, did not take any notice of the PSRA directives and continued with the collection of the funds.

The school management has filed a review petition in the court and they use the same as a pretext for collecting the funds.