Moalims

The owners of private schools boycotted a consultative meeting convened by the district administration to review quality of education, fees and facilities in private sector schools here in Nishtar Hall. The consultative meeting was convened in collaboration with Consumer Protection Council (CPC) district Peshawar in wake of growing complaints regarding increase in fees and missing of other facilities.

The reason, behind the walkout/boycott of the owners of schools was stated to be delay in the arrival of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Peshawar, Riaz Khan Mehsud to the function and second was the hooting of parents over them. The parents have declared them as mafia and demanded action against them.

Besides, Deputy Commissioner Peshawar, Riaz Khan Mehsud, Chairman, Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (BISE) Peshawar, Mohammad Shafi Afridi and chairman, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), some owners of private schools and parents of the students of private schools attended the meeting at large.

The parents of the students in their speeches were unanimous in demanding the establishment of a watchdog to monitor the standard of education and facilities in private educational institutes across the province. They said that private schools are not only exploiting parents, but also the teachers working with them. The situation has become grave and school owners have become a mafia. They were of the opinion that only the PTI led government and politician like Imran Khan could dare to take steps for their regulation. In his speech, Chairman, BISE, Peshawar, Mohammad Shafi Afridi said that private educational institutes have registered robust growth and 50% children are enrolled with them. The issue of fee is mostly related to elite schools, which are charging exorbitantly. He identified the fee structure, quality of education and lack of regulatory authority regime for private schools as top problems of the private sector educational institutions.

News Reference