PESHAWAR, March 11: An ordinance promulgated by the NWFP government in 2001 to supervise and regulate the functioning of private educational institutions is yet to be implemented.
The NWFP governor promulgated the North-West Frontier Province Registration and Functioning of Private Educational Institutions Ordinance on Oct 15, 2001, to curtail the growing trend of establishing private schools without fulfilling prescribed rules.
There were about 6,000 private schools in the NWFP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with an estimated one million students, an official of the provincial education and literacy department said.
“But the private schools mint money and their standard of teaching and other facilities is unsatisfactory,” he said.
An educationist said the NWFP government had no time to regulate the functioning of private schools and institutions but its functionaries and ministers were attending functions arranged by these schools.
The ordinance set criteria for fee structure, syllabus, uniform, pay-scale and qualification of teachers besides library, laboratory, playground and other facilities required for establishing a school.
“Some institutions claiming of having services of foreign qualified teachers and providing the best educational environment are functioning in three-room apartments,” a retired university teacher said.
The ordinance prohibits schools, colleges and universities from using names of reputed national and international institutions unless they are authorised branches of those institutions. However, many schools, colleges and universities in the province are luring people by using names of famous national and international institutions.
Despite charging high fees, 90 per cent of these institutions do not have libraries, laboratories and playgrounds.
There are no service rules or job security. The situation in rural areas is worst.
Officials say that some 50,000 teachers and other staff was associated with private schools but they are not given appropriate salaries.
Owners of the schools also sell uniform and stationery to the students at higher prices than the market, they say.
