Moalims

The promulgation of an ordinance that has put a restraint on private schools from overcharging parents is a welcome piece of legislation. Under the ordinance enacted by the Punjab government on Tuesday, all kinds of schools, including those for special persons, can annually increase their fees by only five percent and, in special cases and with permission, eight per cent. The much-needed legislation has brought some respite for inflation-stricken parents. Under the ordinance, schools have been barred from raising their fees without prior approval of the authorities. The enforcement of this law will help mitigate the suffering of parents at the hands of private schools. Due to the poor standard of education in government schools, parents are forced to send their children to private schools that charge heavy fees. It has been the practice that almost all private schools raise fees without intimation to parents or concerned authorities. It is very unfortunate that the sacred work of imparting knowledge has become a commercial activity. In the name of schooling, private schools employ different tactics to fleece parents. They have introduced multiple heads to collect more and more money throughout the year. These include stationery funds, examination funds, security funds, increase in annual fees etc.

The irresponsible attitude of the managements of private schools forced the government to step in and introduce a legislation to address genuine concerns of parents. To some extent, the provincial government is also responsible for the suffering of parents. The government needs to understand that education is the backbone of modern society. It is not only the engine of economic prosperity, improved public health and high quality of life but also a means of achieving great intellectual feats, democracy and world peace.

The government needs to improve the standard of public sector schools so that parents could send their children to government-run schools with confidence. Public sector schools must be offered incentives so that they could compete with private schools on an equal footing. It is the responsibility of the government that it should fulfill its duty of providing education to the masses through the public sector. Moreover, stern action should be taken against all those schools that are found involved in charging exorbitant fees from students. It is unreasonable to burden parents who already face many difficulties in meeting their children’s other needs. The arrangement of the school fee of a single child is nightmarish and if there are three or four school going children, it becomes a very difficult task for parents to arrange this huge money every year. While this intervention by the Punjab government is welcome, a proper monitoring system should be there to check such malpractices by private schools.

News Reference