Loud Thinking June 07, 2014 at 12:43AM

Mian Nawaz Sharif Sahab kindly step in to stop the loot and plunder of parents by the private schools…!

Enough is enough.

Kids asked to bring Rs6000 for parents’ day, Rs3000 for sports gala

A “Pakistan Observer” news.

Friday, June 06, 2014 – Islamabad

—What will be your reaction as parent of four or five kids all studying at private school(s), when each of them comes to you and demands Rs6000 as Parents Day charges. Still more, how will you digest hard (and of course bitter) pill when you come to know that delay of a week or two in payment of your kids’ fee has cost you Rs5000 extra? Most of the ‘high profile’ private schools turning a deaf ear to the murmurs of protest by the parents keep raising fees under various heads.

Besides charging annual tuition fees, they keep demanding huge amounts under one pretext or the other and there is no one to check them. Perhaps, those who can fix it enjoy fee relaxation or their kids study abroad. Thus entire burden is shifted to common families. Pakistan Observer in a survey grabbed a number of summer vacations fee slips/receipts of the junior class students of some of the high-profile schools. Interestingly in the fee receipts of June-Aug 2014, (usually schools are closed these months due to summer vacations) “generator charges” have been included.

Talking to Pakistan Observer a number of mothers complained against the private schools’ unfair arbitrary decisions of raising fees and including extra charges in the regular bills. Fee raise has become an everyday matter, said one of the distraught mother of a class 2 boy. They (the private schools) have already charged three-month (June-Aug 2014) tuition fee that varies from Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000. However, in the same receipts besides exorbitant tuition fees and unfair “generator charges,” various heads are given under which huge amount s are charged. These are: Advance Tax: Rs8000, Parents Day: Rs6000, Generator Charges: 900 and many similar expenses, she said. Another interesting addition is that of “Miscellaneous.” One can ask what is left in this head to charge from the already drained charge, she said. About the stationery charges she said a school of very famous nomenclature has strictly asked the students to return the books to them after they move over to new grade. “We have asked them again and again why our kids need to return the books to them despite the fact we have paid stationery charges. However they have no reply to this,” said she.

“We have to pay a total of around Rs55,000 to Rs60,000 fee every three months,” said the distraught mother. Most of the parents with limited means, drain away all their savings on excessive school charges, said another mother. “I know a number of families where mother of a private school going child has to work along with her husband only to be able to share the financial burden,” she said.

However, the situation worsens when some families have two or more kids, said a lady teacher. “Many couples that live in Islamabad have to work day and night without thinking of their own rest or respite. They are chasing one dream, one goal i.e. to give their children the “best” education,” said the lady teacher who teaches at a famous private school of the federal capital.

She admitted the private schools are more of business houses than centres of learning and excellence. According to her, every teacher in the private school she teaches— from principal to the staff members—is directed by the administration to impose maximum fine on students. “We are compelled to carry out the orders,” she said adding “when some of us resisted they were plainly told that they could lose their jobs.”

Pakistan Observer when tried to contact principal of a private school, she assigned the “duty” to her vice-principal (VP). When this scribe inquired of the VP why heavy fees under bizarre heads were being charged from students, she said Advance Tax was refundable while the Parents Day is a mega event of colourful activities. Usually, we hold various stalls and arrange food for the guests as well as the students and teachers on this occasion. It is therefore we have to charge some amount from students as well to meet our expenses, she said. When she was asked why the school did not look for other sources of income rather than putting burden on already financially-pressed parents, she refused to speak further saying she had to attend a meeting.

On the other hand, officials of the Ministry of CADD and Federal Directorate of Education are least bothered about the private schools’ affairs. An office-bearer of the Association of Private Schools of Islamabad on condition of anonymity said the association receives huge funds as support from these private schools. This makes us obliged to them and you cannot expect from us to move against our benefactors, he said.

According to a senior retired teacher, giving best education to children is every parent’s top most priority. Even middle class families’ first choice is some English-medium private school of repute. Until a few years ago, even the low-income families could afford to send their boys or girls to some prestigious English-medium school. However, the situation has entirely changed for last couple of years. Now even well-off families are not able to afford the school (private) fees, he said.

Tags: My Views