PESHAWAR: Some private elite schools of the provincial capital have jacked up monthly fee in violation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Regulatory Authority Act, 2017, insist parents of the students.

They said they’re shocked by the sudden fee increase as they’d expected relief after the intervention of the Peshawar High Court and the recently-established KP Private Schools Regulatory Authority to regulate private schools.

According to a circular issued by the KPRA on Aug 9, 2018, the KP PSRA Regulations, 2018, states, “As per KPPSR Act 2017, up to 10 per cent annual increase in tuition fee once in an academic year can be made provided that prior approval of the authority shall be obtained.”

Regulator promises strict action

According to parents, the Leaner High School, Hayatabad, has increased fee by 50-100 per cent in the name of ‘changes in fee structure’.

“The monthly fee has been increased from Rs6,000 to Rs10,000,” claimed a parent, whose daughter is enrolled in the school.

He also said the school had also increased the fee of his two sons enrolled in third and sixth grades from Rs4,400 and Rs5,500 to Rs6,800 each.

The school displayed a notice on its main gate, saying, “No visitors/Appointment will be entertained regarding concession in fee policy of management board decision. Anyone having objection with regard to the management board has the right to apply for school leaving certificate. Any offensive act against the sanctity of institution will be taken as a threat and might have legal repercussions.”

In a statement, the parents said the school had increased fee 50-100 per cent without reason.

They claimed that the school management didn’t serve any notice in advance on parents about such fee increase.

The parents said since the school session had begun in May 2018 and it was not the right time to increase of fee.

They said the school’s administration declined their request for a meeting on the matter.

When contacted, a representative of The Leaner High School denied fee increase and insisted that the school had introduced a ‘new fee structure’.

He said the school had been shifted to the new building located in commercial area having all facilities.

“Now, we have air-conditioned classrooms and therefore, fee has to be increased for meeting expenses,” he said.

The parents claimed that the Bloomfield Hall School had also increased monthly fee 20 per cent to charge students Rs6,000 each in the name of ‘other charges’.

A parent told Dawn that his son was enrolled in the O’ Level course of the school, whose three months fee went up from Rs45,000 to Rs62,100.

However, the school’s administration denied fee increase.

When contacted, PSRA managing director Syed Zaffar Ali Shah declared fee increase in question a violation of the law and said such schools would be dealt with an iron hand.

He said the authority had sought explanation from the Bloomfield Hall School on the matter within three days as the recent fee increase went against the law.

The PSRA chief said action would be taken against the Leaner High School Hayatabad and other such schools in few days.

“The categorisation of private schools by the PSRA is in final stage. No school can change its fee structure until finalizing the categorization of the private schools,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2018