SHEIKHUPURA
The private schools are keeping the poor children away from quality education as they charge heavy fee and other charges like stationary, paper money, annual charges and now security charges with the start of new academic session.
A large number of parents said that providing education for their children at the private schools has now become a dream, as they are unable to pay heavy fees and other charges to the private schools. They said some private schools of the city increase their fees in the name of security and for the installation of barriers after ignoring the order of the apex court and Punjab government.
They said most of the private schools appoint low qualified teachers who have no teaching experience. One of the parents, Rasheed, while talking to this scribe said a private school situated at Hirn Minar Road forced the children to purchase books from the school at higher rates. He added they also charged high rates for notebooks and the parents are facing extra financial burden. Asif, father of another student, said, “It is so easy for us to buy notebooks from local stationery shops at cheaper rates but the schools are forcibly giving notebooks for minting money.”
When contact, the executive district officer (education) admitted that the private schools were putting an extra financial burden on the poor. He said he had already received several complaints against the private schools in this regard.
On the other hand, a large number of parents appealed to the government to improve education standard in the government schools so they could stop sending their children to the expensive private schools. They appealed to the education high-ups including DCO Sheikhupura Rashid Kamalur-Rehman to take strict action against the those fleecing the parents.