Private schools de-sealed after intervention

Schools were de-sealed after successful talks between the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association and the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) over a dispute on a 10% commercialisation fee.

RDA Director-General Kinza Murtaza ordered the de-sealing of all schools that were previously sealed. Both sides agreed to continue negotiations and establish communication.

A 26-member delegation led by the association’s Punjab chapter resident Abrar Ahmed Khan met with the DG at his office. In the meeting, the heads of the educational institutions that were sealed were also present.

Khan told the meeting that the private sector was providing education to 60% of the children in the country.

Changing the commercial status of buildings was the prerogative of the building owners and the school owners had no involvement in it, he added.

He asserted that they were running educational institutions while fulfilling all legal requirements and declaring the educational process illegal was not appropriate in any way.

The RDA DG listened to all the reservations and stated that they didn’t want to disrupt the educational process in any way. “We are aware of the impact on children's education which is why RDA has always shown leniency regarding educational institutions and has set the commercialisation fee at only 10% for them,”

The DG said that the Authority realised the importance of education and set a 10% commercialisation fee for private schools. She put her weight behind regular meetings till the resolution of the issue.

“School owners should meet with building owners to convince them and start a series of meetings with the RDA officials. On this occasion, DG Kinza issued orders to de-seal educational institutions based on their undertakings.

Delegates appreciated the DG's action, calling it a pro-education decision and thanked her.