Parents in a quandary as schools up tuition fee

LAHORE: An increase in tuition fee of various private schools across Lahore has stirred a wave of anger and concern among parents and students, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Private schools including Beaconhouse School System (BSS), Lahore Grammar School (LGS), Salamat School System, Lahore College of Arts and Science (LACAS), Resource Academia and City School have increased their fee by 10 to 20 percent for the new academic year.
Parents have expressed their disapproval over the increment, saying that the gap in educational quality between government and private schools left them with no option but to bear the increment. Schools had already increased the fee on account of security measures few months back and now this recent increase was forcing some parents to even withdraw their children from private schools, said parents.
Mrs. Ikhlas, a mother of an O-levels student at LACAS, said she was paying Rs 9,000 a month as tuition fee which had increased from Rs 7,500 in the preceding year. Three to four thousand was spent on transport while a tutor costs more than Rs 10,000, she said, adding that only ministers or business tycoons could send their children to schools with modern education facilities and the only alternative for her was to send her son to a government school.
A mother, who is also a teacher, said “We know that fee increases annually but additional charges for school events are not acceptable. Schools are blackmailing parents who have no other option.”
Taha, an O-level student at Beaconhouse Defence Campus, said he used to pay Rs 15,000 per two months and from this academic year the fee had increased by Rs 2,500.
Usman Qureshi, a father of two studying at LGS, said that the fee had been mounting since the date of admission. He said that expensive stationery, outdoor trips and parties were not a part of the fee and had to be paid separately.
Parents also showed concern over the government’s performance and said that Punjab Education Foundation was formed to enhance private-public partnership in the education sector but it was focusing only on smaller cities. They said that previous regime’s slogan of “Parha Likha Punjab” was also a political stunt and nothing was materialised.
They added that current government’s Danish schools project had become controversial and the dream of modern education at low cost seemed a far cry.
‘WHAT CAN WE DO?’: School authorities termed this fee hike as the need of the hour because of increasing electricity prices and security measures. They said that the increment in teachers’ salaries was also the reason of fee hike.
LGS Model Town campus admin officer said, “Fee increment from 15 to 18% is a routine matter, and parents were made aware at the time of admission.”
BSS Regional Director Ali Raza told Pakistan Today that considering the rate of inflation that was over 20% they had only increased the fee by 10 to 12%.
He said that the school’s admin had never increased the dues in the middle of an academic year and it was only done last year for security arrangements. He said that big cities were more vulnerable to the economic crunch and they had to arrange for expenses.