• Educational institutions are bound to give free education to 10 per cent students under govt policy
• Private-school sector facing ‘financial crisis’, says association

KARACHI: The Sindh government has taken notice of some private schools not following the education policy laid down for them and are issuing challans to parents for uniforms, stationery, annual fee, registration fee, exam fee and other additional charges and fees.

On the other hand, the private-school sector in Sindh says that it is facing an “unprecedented crisis” due to the government’s policies, which could lead to a major breakdown in education sector in the province.

In a recent circular, the School Education and Literacy Depart­ment’s Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions, Sindh, clearly ordered the schools to stop this practice as charging any other fee than admission and tuition fee is illegal.

In case of non-compliance with the order by any institution, action under Sindh Privately Managed Educational Institutions (regulation and control) Ordinance 2001 and Rule 2005 will be initiated against it.

Additional Director, Private Institutions Sindh, Rafia Javed told Dawn that they had formed committees for visiting private schools and collecting data on them to check if they were adhering to their education policy, which is in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), which also includes student-teacher ratio, free education to 10 per cent students besides not overcharging parents.

“We have also issued directions to all our regional directors in Sindh to do the same. Schools that are found to be violating the policy rules will be fined and warned. Schools, which still fail to obey the rules despite being issued a warning, will lose their registration.

“We recently found 55 schools, which were not providing free education to 10 per cent of their students. They were all issued notices following which 30 schools mended their ways and also submitted their records to the department,” she informed.

“The 25 schools which have still been unable to do so have been issued final warnings by us. If they still don’t obey orders their registration will be cancelled and the Examination Board will be notified about them following which the commissioner’s office will be asked to seal these schools,” she said, adding that the department’s teams were visiting schools and holding meetings with the collected data every Thursday.

Private schools oppose govt policies

On the other hand, the private-school sector in Sindh says that it is facing an “unprecedented crisis” due to the government’s policies, which could lead to a major breakdown in education in the province.

Syed Danish-Uz-Zaman, Chairman, Private Schools Management Association (PSMA) told Dawn that the government’s 10 per cent free ship policy, which requires private schools to admit 10 per cent of their students without charging fees, has resulted in “significant financial losses” for schools.

“To make matters worse, the government has only allowed a five per cent yearly fee increment, which is insufficient to keep pace with inflation and rising operational costs,” he said.

Furthermore, the government has stopped issuing registrations to schools citing inadequate space.

“This move has put the future of hundreds of schools at risk, affecting thousands of students and employees. The government’s policies are suffocating private schools in Sindh,” said Mr Zaman.

“We are on the brink of collapse, and if the government does not revisit these policies, the education sector in Sindh will face a major breakdown,” he added.

“The PSMA warns that if the government does not take immediate action, the consequences will be catastrophic. Thousands of students will be left without access to quality education. Hundreds of schools will be forced to shut down, resulting in significant job losses,” he warned.

“We urge the government to reconsider the 10 per cent free ship policy and its implementation. Allow a reasonable fee increment to keep pace with inflation and operational costs,” he suggested.

“Resume issuing registrations to schools without conditions for expansion and relocation. The future of education in Sindh hangs in the balance. We request the government to take immediate action to address this crisis and ensure the long-term viability of private schools in the province,” the PSMA Chairman concluded.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2024