Details of ICT's private schools' fee being gathered on IHC's order: Senate panel told

The information regarding all the 1,560 private schools located in the jurisdiction of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) is being collected as per the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to determine the tuition fee structure of the private schools and ensure quality education standards, the PEIRA informed a Senate committee on Thursday.

The Senate Implementation Committee met under the chair of Senator Dilawar Khan.

Briefing the committee on the issue of the excessive tuition fee charged by the private schools, chairperson Islamabad Capital Territory Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (ICT-PEIRA) told the committee that the PEIRA was actively engaged in formulating a plan to determine the fee structure of the private schools following the order of the IHC issued on February 28, 2020.

"We are in the process of implementing the court order in letter and spirit. All the required information regarding the 1,560 schools located in the ICT premises is being collected. It would be made sure that no school would function in violation of the IHC directives. The honourable court has also ordered us to review the educational standards at the private schools, their activities during holidays and relevant matters in order to make sure that no school tends to compromise the educational standards and impart quality education at reasonably affordable fees," she said.

The committee reviewed in detail the point of public importance raised by Senator Manzoor Ahmed Kakar in Senate on April 26, 2019, regarding charging of tuition fees by the private schools during summer vacations.

"It is the duty of the government institutions and all the relevant stakeholders to honour and implement the instructions, recommendations and observations made by the Parliament and its relevant committees. We would make sure that no private school is allowed to fleece the students at its will and the functioning of these schools is regulated through an effective oversight system," Dilawar Khan, the committee's chairperson said.

"[The] PEIRA needs to be fully empowered to take on any kind of foul play/malpractice involving any private school. Also, it is the duty of [the] PEIRA to be cognizant of its responsibilities and leave no stone unturned to obligate the schools to facilitate the students," he said.

The PEIRA chairperson told the committee that the PEIRA issued directives to the private schools in the light of Supreme Court's order dated May 9, 2019, regarding reduction in fees but the private schools' association challenged the PEIRA's directives in the IHC.

After the IHC's February 28 decision, the PEIRA is fully empowered to determine the tuition fees to be charged by the private educational institutions. This is a landmark development as we have been given this authority for the first time. Besides, the IHC has given PEIRA all the necessary powers to take steps for an effective regulatory oversight on the functioning of private schools," she said, adding that the tuition fee to be charged by every school would be determined keeping in view the relevant conditions at every school.

"PEIRA has not worked the way it should have in the last 10 years but now it is doing much to enforce its authority as per the law," she said.

The committee asked the PEIRA to share with the Senate panel the relevant details involving private schools including the fee structure and other information once they were finalised, and observed to compete this task on a priority basis.