An association of private schools in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced a two-day strike against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Authority (KP-PSRA) over what it said were “incomprehensible laws”.
Private schools in the province would remain closed on April 23 and 24 (Monday and Tuesday).
Talking to reporters, Hub of Private Education (HOPE) Peshawar President Wasifullah said private school administrations were in no way against reforms, but the same should not damage the cause of education under the guise of reformation.
The announcement of the strike has added to the troubles of the PTI-backed government in the province, which is already being reprimanded by the Supreme Court of Pakistan chief justice for not delivering on its campaign promise of turning the fortunes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa around.
While conducting a suo motu hearing in Peshawar on Thursday, the chief justice of Pakistan had taken provincial chief minister Pervez Khattak to task over his government’s failure to implement education and health reforms in KP in the last five years.
The current strike by private school administrations would only exacerbate and amplify problems for the PTI government. Continuing his objections, Wasifullah said KP government’s actions would force the private sector to shift resources to other provinces, which would eventually affect the education sector in the province. He demanded the government categorise institutions first in order to implement its policies.
He proposed discounts propotional to school fee, saying schools charging highest fee should give the highest discount while the ones charging lowest fee should be spared of offering discounts.
A school that provides quality education in a rural setting for a fee of Rs 1,000 a month cannot be expected to give discount to four or five siblings, Wasifullah said, adding that policies as such would only result in school owners being forced to shut down schools.
He claimed that the PTI government had no real policy regarding education reforms and was trying to implement haphazard reforms as the end of its tenure was approaching.
There are no reviews yet.