Private schools likely to challenge PIERA in court

Author: By Qazi Ziad

ISLAMABAD: The owners of private schools, are likely to challenge the Private Education Institutions (Registration and fee Determination Rules 2016, in a court of law.

Daily Times has come to know that Beacon House, City School, Roots, Pak-Turk and other school owners have turned down the instructions given by the Private Education Institution Regulation Authority (PEIRA) and the Ministry of CADD.

The Ministry of CADD has notified the Private Education Institutions (Registration and fee Determination Rules 2016 on June 22 to implement the rules in the capital territory.

Faisal Mushtaq, the owner of Roots School while talking to Daily Times said that the Category-A school rejected the rules of PEIRA but added “we are ready to discuss the registration and pays of teachers and if the ministry and PEIRA did not care about our interests then we will protest and finally we will go to the court”.

He further said that the PEIRA chairman came from the Oil and Gas department and did not know about professional education. “He wants to impose the regulations of the oil and gas department which we rejected”, he explained. The parents of students hailed the decision announced by the Ministry of CADD and PEIRA.

“The decision of PEIRA and CADD is commendable and it should be implemented in letter and spirit” said Muhammad Zahir, father of one of the private school students.

He further said that the aforementioned school had been fleecing parents in the name of fees and other security related issues for a long time.

During the last two years, the fees of private schools have been increased manifold but they are not providing quality education. But the President Private Schools Network Dr Afzal Baber said that PEIRA violated the act of 2013 regarding the private rules. “The ministry has presented one sided rules which we don’t accept and if our interest is not taken into consideration then we will challenge these rules in court.

Secretary PEIRA Javed while talking to Daily Times said that once the PEIRA rules notification would be issued; those school owners who did not comply with the rules strict action would be taken against them.

Meanwhile Hassan Iqbal, Secretary Ministry of CADD said that if the prime minister had not taken notice, the private school owners would not have these demands because these owners had increased the admission fee manifold. “The Ministry of CADD will implement the PEIRA rules in any way”, he added.

It may be mentioned here that PEIRA has announced the Registration and Fee Determination Rules 2016, in order to bring an improvement in the environment of schools and to discourage corner-shop-type facilities. The new rules provide that the institutions seeking registration with the Authority at the primary level shall have an infrastructure capacity of a minimum of 160 students, at the middle level, a minimum of 220 students, at the secondary or ‘O’ level and a minimum of 260 students at the Higher Secondary or ‘A’ level.

The maximum permissible strength in any classroom shall be 30 students while the dimensions of the classroom have also been prescribed. The minimum qualifications for the teaching staff for each grade of instruction have been laid out. It has been made mandatory to celebrate national days including Pakistan Day (23rd March), Independence Day (14th August), Iqbal Day (9th November) and the birth anniversary of the Quaid-e-Azam (25th December).