High Court took notice of private schools built in congested localities and do not offer playgrounds
A hearing bench of Peshawar High Court (PHC) has announced a ban on the opening of new private schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the reports, High Court ordered ban until the private education watchdog formulates a policy for regulating the issues related to privately-owned educational institutions, including proper premises, tuition fee, annual fee and management.
High Court further stated that the provincial government should not accept any application to open a new private institute until private school monitoring authorities articulate a proper plan of the prerequisites for opening new schools.
Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Ijaz Anwar Khan also summoned the concerned authorities to keep a check on schools’ premises, fees, and management.
The bench ordered the regulatory authority to formulate a uniform policy regarding annual and tuition fee and ensure private schools don’t charge students fee more than that.
The bench showed anger over those schools that charge more than 50% tuition fee during vacation and increase the fees every year. “The annual increase as made is totally unjustified because there is no raw material used. The annual increase under no circumstances should be more than three percent per annum.”
It is high time to check the overall activities of the private institutions and for that matter we are of the view to put complete ban on any fresh/ new opening of the school right from playgroup/ primary level to the intermediate level, unless and until the regulatory authority so constituted formulated the policy, law and regulations to the extent.
“The building in which the school is to be operational must have the area of the playground, assembly premises/ hall, furniture, libraries, washrooms, water facilities, laboratory; and tuition fee, annual fee, canteen, etc. its management and charges,” asserted the bench.
It further remarked, “The regulatory authority shall formulate the uniform policy regarding the fee including annual and tuition fee and charging extra then that shall be banned completely.”
The bench directed the private schools’ watchdog to define appropriate rules, regarding the textbooks, syllabus, school-uniform, teachers’ qualification and salary, the strength of students, and co-curricular activities offered, for the privately owned schools.
“The continuation of schools in the residential premises is highly deplorable and as such the regulatory authority and the BISEs are advice to chalk out the program for shifting the same to non-residential side,” the court said.
The Court took notice of private schools that are built in congested localities and do not offer playgrounds and wider classrooms to the students.