Solace at last

Rises in tuition fees became a routine without much power given to parents or students to dispute the raise

After a months-long tussle between the private schools and their patrons — disgruntled parents — the Supreme Court of Pakistan intervened to regulate the amount schools can charge for each student per year. A 20% reduction in fees was ordered for any schools charging over a Rs5,000 fee, along with a cap of annual increases at 5%. That intervention was required by the honourable court is perplexing, but the need for some regulation had become evident over time with parents facing increasing difficulties in paying school fees.

Rises in tuition fees had become routine without much power given to parents or students to be able to dispute the raise. Thus, a mediator was necessary. A parental board should be instituted at each school to give parents some advocacy power. Furthermore, exorbitant salaries drawn by self-proclaimed educators have appropriately been questioned. While strong financial standing is important for a school to provide quality resources, educators also need to impart examples of high character, which is difficult to reconcile if profiteering is the driving force behind operating a school. Providing education is a responsibility that should dutifully be undertaken with the right intentions.

On the other hand, however, by definition, private schools are providing a service that governments have failed to deliver. Quality public education remains a lofty concept. Models of public schools being run successfully are usually ones that have been adopted by private entities, frequently nestled close to posh localities. The larger picture suggests the leadership should direct its focus on the government school system and allow private schools to continue to operate without over-regulating how they run their businesses. As a caveat, the local government system is undervalued by employers and it would be worthwhile to review if the current system should continue or if the Cambridge or other system should be adopted.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2018.

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