Daily Times

Measures proposed in a bill passed by the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa assembly last month to regulate private schools fail to meet the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s rather radical rhetoric on the education sector.

For instance, the bill’s provision for categorisation of private schools based on education standards and facilities remains a far cry from PTI chief Imran Khan’s claims of ending class-based system of schooling in the country. One wonders how the PTI-led government intends to end class-based system of education with legal sanction to existence of private schools with different standards of education and facilities. Still, one hopes that the ruling party comes up with some bare minimum standards to be followed by all schools – regardless of what category they fall under.

The original draft of the bill passed in the last week of May had sought to establish a regulatory body empowered to shut down schools found violating terms and conditions including a cap at annual raise in tuition fees. Sadly, an amendment made last week has stripped the regulatory body of this power. This dampens hopes that the watchdog may be effective in ensuring that schools abide by terms and conditions set for them under the law. The amended draft provides for punitive action against violators, but it does not specify in detail what such action may be. Nonetheless, the bill should be applauded for defining a broad scope for regulation of schools –supervision of curriculum and scheme of studies, academic schedules and co-curricular activities all fall under the proposed regulatory body’s domain.

Diverse interests have been taken into consideration by giving representation in the body to private schools, parents and educationists. But there remains an obvious conflict of interest in the designation of the elementary and secondary education secretary as the head of regulatory body. Before last week’s amendment, the minister had been designated as the head. By replacing the minister with the secretary who should be answerable to the former in any case – the amendment has made only a cosmetic change. What is the point of an autonomous regulator if it is to be headed by the serving education secretary?

Education of future generations is too crucial a duty to be left entirely to be catered by private interests. Sadly, private interests have over time only gained ground in the sector – with state institutions across the country failing to deliver good quality schooling. Against this backdrop, public sector oversight has become all the more important. Yet, let it also be highlighted that the state remains under a constitutional obligation to ensure that good quality education is available to all school-age children. Thus, regardless of who manages affairs of our schools – private or public actors – what should be fairly obvious is that schooling of Pakistani children cannot just remain business as usual. *