KARACHI, Feb 14: A group of private school managements has demanded of the Sindh education department to dissolve the Private Institutions Management and Quality Assurance Board (PIMQAB) at the earliest as, according to it, the body lacked any true representation of the privately managed schools.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, officer-bearers of the Federation of Private Schools Management Associations said that the PIMQAB, which has been aimed at overseeing the privately managed schools in the province, was “nothing but a body of handpicked individuals safeguarding the interests of big schools run by well connected elites and entrepreneurs “ and it should be dissolved within three days.

They announced not to accept the board, which was likely to have its first formal meeting in a week’s time, and said that the education department should form a new committee including the members of their faction of schools as well within ten days; otherwise the federation reserved the right to move the courts of law also.

The speakers of the press conference included office-bearers of the federation, Syed Ahmad, acting chairman, Prof Bazm Ansari, Aslam Khan, Sharfuzzaman.

They said that the private sector schools be also given representation in the steering committee of the Sindh education department so that uniform measures could be adopted at the forum in a convincing manner, instead of imposing abruptly taken decisions.

The speakers expressed the view that due to unthoughtful decisions and ill-advised actions of the education department, an environment congenial to education had been damaged and consequently now the students, parents and school managers were very much concerned about their future. Such decisions include repeated changes in the commencement of academic session, change of scheme of studies, composite examination for Class IX and X after two years of studies, extension in summer vacation, they noted.

They opposed the idea of resisting the private schools from collecting schools fees, pertaining to that of summer vacation, in advance from students and said that the government should refrain from the action, which was notified last year. Private schools will continue collecting fees of Classes I to X as usual and parents are required to deposit tuition fees of their wards for June and July along with fees of March and April respectively, they added.

The federation demanded of the city government to exempt the private schools running in the localities of middle and lower-income group people from all taxes and not to subject the land commercialization rules in their cases. It also requested the KESC management to charge the educational institutions under the domestic tariff.