LAHORE: Punjab Minister for School Education Murad Raas on Tuesday directed the owners of private schools to cut 20 per cent of school fees as the current closure had been declared summer vacation.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar had constituted a two-member team led by Mr Raas and Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat to hold a meeting with the owners of the private schools to discuss fee-related issues after the closure of schools over the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, both ministers held a meeting with the owners of the private schools at the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board Office (PCTB). School Education Department Secretary Sheheryar Sultan, District Education Authority’s Pervaiz Akhtar and owners of the private school chains also attended the meeting.

The ministers said the government had closed all the schools due to the coronavirus pandemic but the closure was later declared summer vacation. They said the private schools should rationalise their fee structure and give 20pc cut for the months of April and May to address the concerns of the parents. They also directed the owners to ensure that no teacher should be fired from the job due to lockdown or closure of schools.

Owners to respond after consultation

The government was addressing the private school fees issue because a majority of schools were insisting and writing to the parents to pay the monthly tuition fee of their children in order to cover their operational costs despite the fact that schools had been closed in the wake of lockdown enforcement to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

The parents are being warned by several school administrations to pay the fees or their children will not get any academic support in the form of revision package and will also not be allowed to attend classes in future.

The Parents Action Committee (PAC) members said schools were already not implementing orders of court on fee and had not issued result cards to their children due to nonpayment of the fees. “We are being warned that if we fail to pay fee, our children will not be promoted to next class,” said one member.

They said they were also receiving messages from the school administrations about submitting fees during these lockdown days or face action in case of default. They said the schools were not giving any relief in the fees despite the fact that their children were not attending classes. They demanded that the government bring action on schools demanding full fee in the lockdown situation.

However, the owners of the private schools present at the meeting sought 48 hours from the committee to submit their response after consultation. The committee gave time to the owners and would later announce unanimous decision about the school fees.

Mr Raas told the participants that the world was facing a big challenge of coronavirus and everyone should have to play his role in facing the current situation. He said the schools were closed till May 31 and they were taking measures to complete the current academic year.

“We all should have to draft a joint strategy in this difficult time to bring betterment in the lives of the public,” he said.

He said the government had nothing to do with fee cut but they wanted to give relief to the public.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2020