Private schools hike fees across province

Owners also demand annual, transport fees

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LAHORE:

A large number of private schools in Punjab have increased their fees and charged a hefty annual fund from the parents of their students with the start of the new year.

According to parents, the school owners have increased the fees by Rs1,000 to Rs2,000 per month and collected up to Rs20,000 in annual fund in violation of the government rules for the sector.

Some big chains of schools have also imposed transport charges on the students after an order of the Lahore High Court to provide the facility to them.

The parents complained that the district education authorities and provincial ministry of school education appeared helpless to check the fee hikes.

The schools across the province reopened on January 13 after prolonged winter vaccinations.

The private schools ordinance bars them from charging any amount except the tuition and exam fees. However, the managements of a number of schools sent notices asking the parents to pay the annual charges.

Following a Lahore High Court order, Big chains of private schools in the city have started giving the transport facility to their students but have also sent notices to the parents to pay an additional amount of up to Rs30,000 for transport fund.

The Punjab government has initiated moves to outsource its schools but the education ministry has not taken action against the private schools charging additional fees.

A member of Punjab Assembly had had also submitted an adjournment motion over exorbitant school fees. He said no one was willing to take action against a powerful mafia of private schools. A government employee, Murad Ali, said the private schools were still selling books and uniforms despite court orders and now they had again increased their fees.

He said the school where his three children studied had increased its fee and demanded thousands of rupees in annual fund. He said the government was outsourcing its schools despite being unable to adequately regulate the private institutions.

Sources in the education ministry said the issue had been brought into the knowledge of the Lahore District Education Authority.

Punjab Teachers Union Secretary General Rana Liaqat Ali said, "We had already been opposing the outsourcing of schools because we understood that private schools would not be under control." The said the people were already facing a price hike of essential items and the increase and new fees would leave education beyond the reach of more people.

However, the president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Mangement Association, Kashif Adeeb Jawadani, said the private schools were increasing their frees in accordance with the law and receiving annual charges as per their policies.