Education ministry forms inspection committee for private schools
Karachi: The provincial education and literacy department has constituted a 16-member inspection committee to check fees structure at the private schools and ensure that the Sindhi Language is being taught.
According to an official notification issued by the department, the committee, headed by the advisor to the Sindh chief minister, Rashid Rabbani, will submit their recommendations on the fees structure in private schools within 30 days.
The committee will inspect private schools and check their fees structure, particularly because of the high increase in fees witnessed recently. The committee will also ensure that the Sindhi Language is being taught as per the law at private institutions and will submit a report for each school they visit.
The department has warned that those members who do not participate in these consecutive visits risk being excluded.
The members of the committee are the advisor to the Sindh chief minister, Muhammad Ismail Dahiri, Special Assistant to the CM Waqar Mehdi, MPAs Dr Salim Hingoro, Humera Alwani, Farzana Hanif Baloch, and others, Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Saeed Ghani, Pir Abdul Rasheed, Shaukat Ali Shah, Khalil Qureshi, Suhail Ansari, Lal Bux Bhutto, Najmi Alam and Salman Abdullah Murad. The director of a private institution, Mansoob Hussain Siddiqui, will act as secretary of the committee.
Private Schools Management Association (PSMA) Chairman Sharafuz Zaman said that the Private Institutions Regularization Act of 2001, amended in 2003 and 2005 discusses fees structure. It allows the constitution of a six-member inspection committee, for which 2 members will be from the private schools' association, 2 from the directorate of private institutions and 2 from civil society. It is beyond any reasoning why political persons have been taken into the committee, as they do not have any role to play. As far as fees are concerned, every private school is legally bound to approach Directorate of private Institutions for final approval.
The management of private schools will not stop any member of the committee from entering their premises but it should be made clear that if any hurdle is created, then all private schools will be shut down, warned Zaman.
The ministry of education should have constituted a committee for public schools to see why students are not provided free books and essential facilities such as potable water, lavatory facility and playground, commented Zaman.
The PSMA is concerned about the formation of a private schools inspection committee because its legal role is not defined in the Private Institutions Regularization Act of 2001. Private schools have contributed much to the promotion of education, added Zaman.
Neither can the committee issue directives to private schools as per the law nor will private schools approach the committee seeking approval for an increase in fees because this matter is legally fixed by private schools and the directorate of private institutions, argued Zaman. Daily Times
.............
