Despite tall claims, Directorate of Sindh Private Education Institution (DSPEI) could not initiate crackdown against illegally run private educational institutes to ensure quality institution. Many private educational institutes, it is observed, registered with Government of Sindh (GoS) had established other campuses, however, did not regularise them with DSPEI.
The government had launched many so-called campaigns against the administration of such school but failed to achieve desired results, a source in DSPEI told Business Recorder on Saturday. According to the census of the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS), there were some 11,865 registered private institutions in the province, out of which 73 percent were established in Karachi, 12 percent in Hyderabad region and 15 percent in other parts of the province, he said.
He said that according to the Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinance, 2001, no institution could be established or keep running except in accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance. Any person intending to set up or continue any existing institution should apply to the registering authority, he said adding that every institution or its branch running under the same management or same name at different premises should also be registered separately.
He was of the view that the basic purpose of registration was to maintain the fee structure of an institution with prior approval of the government and the institutions to provide and maintain required infrastructure including classrooms, laboratory, library, playground, canteen and safe drinking water facilities to the students.
Talking to Business Recorder Professor Mansab Siddiqui, Director DSPEI, said the department had started registration of all illegally run private educational institutes and invited administrations of such institutes to avail one window registration facility. The owners of illegally established school were directed to register their schools and campuses with the government till July 31, he added.
The education department had also decided to launch crackdown against the administration of such schools. After the expiry of the deadline, the directorate would charge Rs 500 per day fine and defaulter could be awarded with six months' imprisonment, he said. He said that to ensure registration of all illegally run private educational institutes and to facilitate them, DSPEI had decided to establish its regional offices in three districts of Sindh.
He also directed the management of registered private institutes to renew their license before the deadline. "The EDOs (Education) have been directed to send details of all registered elementary, primary, lower secondary, secondary and higher secondary schools to the Directorate," he added.
Previously, he said, the records of the registered schools were kept with the concerned EDOs, but after the establishment of Directorate, the process of centralising details was in pipeline that would be completed very shortly. He said the registration and renewal fee of the institution was only Rs 1,000 for urban and Rs 500 for rural areas. He asked the authorities concerned in Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) and Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) help the government to point out such educational institutes.