Islamabad, Jan 26: As the new academic year begins in Punjab, numerous private schools have significantly increased fees and imposed annual charges, leaving parents grappling with financial strain.Parents report hikes of Rs1,000 to Rs2,000 per month.
Schools are demanding up to Rs20,000 in annual fees, despite regulations prohibiting such charges beyond tuition and examination costs. Following a Lahore High Court directive mandating transport facilities, prominent schools are charging Rs30,000 per student under the guise of a “transport fund.”
Parents have expressed frustration at the lack of action by district education authorities and the Punjab School Education Ministry to curb these unauthorized fee hikes. Notices demanding additional payments were issued immediately after schools reopened on January 13, compounding financial pressures for families.
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Kashif Adeeb Jawadani, president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association, justified the hikes, claiming they were in accordance with institutional policies and legal frameworks. However, critics argue that these increases blatantly contravene the Private Schools Ordinance, which limits fees to tuition and examination costs only.
Government Response: Inaction and New Challenges
The Punjab government’s efforts to regulate private schools remain inadequate. While it has proposed outsourcing public schools, little progress has been made in addressing unregulated fee hikes in the private sector.
- Punjab Assembly Action: An adjournment motion was submitted by a member to highlight the unchecked fee increases, labeling private school owners as a “powerful, unregulated group.”
- Teachers’ Opposition to Privatization: Punjab Teachers Union Secretary General Rana Liaqat Ali warned that outsourcing public schools could weaken government oversight and exacerbate access issues for low-income families.
With rising educational costs and soaring prices for essential commodities, many families face the possibility of being priced out of quality education. Critics argue that the unchecked power of private institutions is threatening to widen the educational divide in Punjab.
Parents are calling for immediate government intervention to regulate fees and enforce existing laws. Without decisive action, the growing financial burden could make quality education an unaffordable luxury for many families across the province.