Undue increase in school fees unacceptable, says Shehbaz

• Punjab CM says private schools will have to withdraw fee hike as parents of school going children laud PM for taking notice of issue

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that private schools would not be allowed to increase fees at any cost.

Addressing a meeting at the Civil Secretariat through video link, the chief minister said private educational institutions would have to take back the increase in fee at all costs.

The chief minister made it clear that undue increase in fees in the name of education was unacceptable. He said the law would take its course against those private educational institutions not taking back the increase in fees.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Punjab Chief Secretary Khizar Hayat Gondal, Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood, the secretary schools, DCO and officials concerned from Civil Secretariat attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, parents from all sections of society have lauded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for taking notice of exorbitant fees charged by private schools and have urged his government to take steps to check undue profit being made by them.

Basharat, mother of Mehroz, a student from a private school near Mughalpura, said the monthly fee of her son was Rs 6,300 and it was being hiked every year. She said a family like hers with limited income, was unable to pay such a high tuition fee.

Shahbaz Ali, father of a student studying at a well-known school, said he could barely manage sending all his children to good private schools. He said he wanted to send his children to the government school in his area, but teachers there were unable to give individual attention to every pupil.

Saeed Ali, who had come to pick his child from a school in Shadman area, said the private schools were looting people not only through high fees, but also through selling uniform and books at exorbitant rates.

Lauding the step taken by the prime minister, these parents said it would be a great gift by the PML-N government for general public. Several parents also stressed upon the government to ensure a uniform curriculum for both public and private schools.

Dr Ehsaan Zafar, the provincial president of the Tehreek-e-Mohsenan-e-Pakistan, appreciated the fact that Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif was struggling for improvement in the education system. He however opined this vital sector needed complete revamp for good education across the board.