Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) educational institutions have increased their tuition fees.

According to the fee slips of OPF schools and colleges available with Daily Times, the institutions have increased fees by as much as 77 percent. Parents have voiced strong reservations over the fee hike.

The OPF educational institutions were established in 1979 under the Emigration Ordinance 1979. Initially, they had the mandate to give scholarships, stipends or grants to the children of the emigrants for studies in the field of science, technology, art and management in Pakistan and abroad. However, later these institutions started enrollment of children whose parents were not working abroad.

Currently, the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) is responsible for overseeing all OPF educational institutions and private sector schools and colleges.

As per PEIRA rules, no private or semi-government institution is allowed to have monthly fees above Rs 8,350 for matriculation and Rs 12,525 for FA and FSc and O and A Levels.

According to the fee slips, OPF Girls College F-8 Islamabad has raised fees for matriculation students to Rs 14,840, with Rs 13,640 as tuition fee and Rs 1,200 as student fund. It is a 77 percent increase as compared to last month. The OPF increased the fee for grade five to Rs 14,640 per month. Similarly, the management has also increased the monthly fee for each student of class IV to Rs 13,076. While talking to Daily Times, a parent, Siddique, said that they had requested the management to take back the fee hike. “However, they have refused to do so,” he said.

“Even though OPF educational institutions are semi- government, there seems to be no check or balance on their activities. Even PEIRA has also failed to regulate them,” he said.

According to the details, the OPF has 24 educational institutions throughout the country, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and two in Islamabad. The institutions in the capital are: OPF Girls College, F-8/2 Islamabad, and OPF Boys College, H-8/4, Islamabad. Beside this, it has 22 secondary and higher secondary level educational institutions in various other parts of the country.

According to official information, more than 17,000 students are enrolled in various grades in all OPF institutions. The fees have been hiked from grade I to graduation. In this way, OPF will collect additional billions of rupees from the students.

The PIERA rules state that if schools want to raise their fees beyond the prescribed limit, operators have to provide justification to PIERA, which in turn will determine its fees.

PIERA Chairman Hasnat Qureshi said that the management of the OPF had not consulted them before increasing their fees. “We have written to them to justify the non-compliance” he said.

Another senior official of the PIERA said that OPF educational institutions’ registration had also expired in 2015. “Currently, they don’t have any valid registration,” he said.

When contacted, OPF Board of Governors Chairman Barrister Amjad Malik said that the fees for only local (none-emigrant) students had been increased in line with rules and policies. “Each school may operate in line with local requirements,” he said.

He added that OPF always looked after the best interest of overseas Pakistanis. “The board provided 50 percent concession in fees to expat workers’ children in 2017. Scholarships, internships as well as e-learning initiatives are also provided,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, October 9^th 2017.