RECENTLY, I read an article in Dawn where the Chief Justice of Pakistan mentioned the idea of nationalising the expensive private school system.

Although, for an average family it is difficult to pay the hefty tuition fees demanded by private schools, their children at least get quality education in return. Previous experiences show that the nationalisation of educational institutions resulted in the total collapse of the education system.

When the government nationalised schools in 1971, the education system crumbled and is still recovering. Incompetent people were given jobs based on nepotism, bringing about the downfall of state-owned institutions.

The same thing happened in certain industries: PIA and Pakistan Steel are classic examples. Instead of nationalising private schools, the government should focus more on improving the quality of education in public schools.

Since the government has taken notice of the painfully high fees, it is time for them to come up with a fee formula once and for all – a formula acceptable to both to parents and school owners. As the saying goes “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Mansoor Ismail Nami
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2018