Partial opening of classrooms opposed

Private educational institutions owners’ ready to go on war path

ISLAMABAD:

A representative body of private educational institutions on Wednesday warned of protest if schools and colleges are not allowed to go fully functional from September 15, the officially announced date for reopening of classrooms.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of private educational institutions (JAECE) said its members would stage a sit-in at Islamabad’s D-Chowk against the partial resumption of educational activities in schools.

Government should announce complete opening of schools, said JAC office bearers including its Convener Chaudhry Nasir, Secretary Malik Azhar, Deputy Convener Muhammad Usman, and Media Coordinator Abrar Ahmad Khan at a presser at National Press Club on Wednesday.

They warned the government of countrywide protests if any decision was taken to allow partial resumption of academic activities in classrooms.

JAC office bearers said that the coronavirus situation across the country has improved now. Therefore, the government should announce the reopening of schools wholly for all classes.

The action committee criticised that the lockdown restrictions on several businesses were lifted but the schools remained ignored. They expressed that even the parents of the students have started demanding reopening of schools.

The officials added that thousands of people have become jobless due to the closure of hundreds of private schools while the institutions have now started receiving notices for paying taxes and utility bills.

The committee demanded a waiver in utility bills and taxes for the financial year 2020-21. The officials said that the power tariff of private educational institutions must be brought under the residential slab from the commercial slab.

The committee convener also called for the financial assistance of teachers through Ehsaas Cash Emergency Programme.

Further, JAC demanded a package for private educational institutions from the government as well.

It iterated about the cooperation with the government on its decision of 20% concession in school fees due to the pandemic situation.

JAC Secretary Azhar asserted that the parents were being facilitated in every way due to the coronavirus situation.

Convener Nasir took a strong exception to reports of receiving 80% monthly fees from students. He claimed that the private schools charged only around 25% fees keeping in view the difficulties of the parents.

JAC office bearers questioned why educational institutions couldn’t be reopened under standard operating procedures when shopping malls and tourist spots could.

“Not sending children to school had far more serious repercussions than the coronavirus,” Nasir said adding, “We kept children engaged in education through online classes.” The officials said that the public educational institutions did not have enough funds to resume activities.

Moreover, JAC extended its support for uniform curriculum policy and expressed that they would cooperate with the government in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2020.