Parents say schools not giving 20% fee waiver

Many of the private schools operating in the federal capital have not yet provided a 20 per cent discount in fee charges for April and May in the wake of the closure of schools because of the third wave of Covid-19, as per the directives of the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) and the relevant ministry.

The 20 per cent reduction in the fee of private educational institutions charging a fee above Rs 8,000 was announced by Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood in response to the demand of the parents facing economic hardships and notified on May 3.

The schools were supposed to adjust the 20 per cent reduction in fee charges from June onward. However, only a few schools complied with the orders in letter and spirit.

Saqib Ali, a parent of three children said: “The school management gave a discount of only five to 10 per cent to only those parents who insisted repeatedly to send the revised fee after adjusting the discount", he said while talking to APP.

Shaista Amin, a parent of two children studying in the top-notch school in F-7, said, “No one told us about the discounts being offered from the school management. When I asked them for the discount they only reduced Rs 1,000 out of Rs 16,300 after a long argument, saying they could do no more and even this was a favour the school management was doing them.

The head of the school system is a renowned educationist, influencer and contributing largely to the cause of providing quality education to millions of children, “How could he be so insensitive and unaware about the economic hardships of parents caused by the unusual circumstances during COVID-19".

Aslam Butt, a father of two school-going children said, "It is difficult to bear education expenses of the children during the prevailing price hike situation in the country.

The expenditures of physical classrooms cannot be compared with the digital ones at all". "I have been paying Rs 17,000 per month for a two-hour virtual class of each child with no utilization of schools resources at all.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2021.