PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Authority (PSRA) has framed the much-awaited fee structure for the private schools, which will be proportionate to the norms and standard of education offered there.

The fee structure and norms and standards have been approved recently by the board of the authority, PSRA managing director Tashfeen Haider told Dawn. The norms and standards are proportionate to the fee being charged by the private schools, he said.

He said that fee structure and norms and standards were formulated for ensuring provision of a conducive learning environment to the students and academic rigour in the school for fixation of fee.

Less than Rs2,000 monthly fee would entail the norms and standards of the same category, while higher fee would require higher norms and standards. The private schools charging less than Rs2,000 monthly fee must be registered with the PSRA and affiliated with the education boards in case of high and higher secondary schools. Such schools should provide 10 square feet space to every student in the classroom and staff room for the staff.

Standards formulated for ensuring conducive learning environment for students

The physical facilities to be ensured by the schools entail waiting area, each section/class should have separate room, number of classrooms should not be less than the number of sections, examination space (may be arranged in class), one teacher for 40 students, drinking water classroom should be equipped with teaching materials and gender-wise washrooms must be provided.

Similarly, furniture should be provided to all students and staff members, proper ventilation of rooms be ensured besides electricity (lighting, fans), play area, national flag, portrait of Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Muhammad Iqbal and notice board. Library of each school should have 300 books for middle, 500 for high and 700 for higher secondary schools.

There should be a science lab having required apparatus for all subjects for secondary and higher secondary level and computer lab with minimum of 10 computers for middle schools.

Under the fee structure, a school can increase fee by 10 per cent annually and is bound to give 20pc sibling discount in the monthly fee. Besides, the fee will be increased once during the academic session.

All teaching staff must be qualified at least BA /BSc teachers for SSC level and MA/M.Sc for HSSC level for every subject while the principal should be at least BA-BEd.

Minimum salary and allowances of a full-time teacher for a particular level with a year of continuous service shall not be less than four times the monthly fee of the single student of the highest class charged by the institution for that level.

Salary will be calculated with the highest fee of the level to which the teacher is teaching (highest fee of Class-12 for the college teacher; highest fee of Class-10 for high schoolteacher). Also, no school can teach unapproved books.

The school shall not teach any subject or matter, which is against the ideology of Pakistan or Islam. The schools should also have annual calendar, monthly plan, weekly plan, timetable, student diary, student performance reporting system.

According to the norms and standards, the private schools should have at least one security guard on the gate, seven feet high boundary wall and security cameras.

The private schools charging monthly fee of over Rs2,000 and less than Rs3,500 would have to provide additional facilities, including first aid box, sick room and multipurpose hall, a librarian, hygienic canteen and at least one BEd child psychologist.

Besides the above facilities, the schools charging monthly fee of Rs3,500 up to Rs6,000 are required to give more additional facilities, including activity room and fire extinguisher while the computer lab should have networking and internet access and a qualified computer instructor.

Similarly, the schools charging from Rs6,000 to Rs10,000 monthly fee are bound to provide more facilities, including security alarm, clubs/societies like Green Club, etc, separate exams for boys and girls, etc.

The schools charging monthly fee between Rs10,000 and Rs15,000 have to provide more facilities like biometric attendance, SMS portal and online counseling system.

Besides, the schools charging Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 have to provide additional facilities like 1,000 books for primary and 1,500 for high and higher secondary schools classes in libraries.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2020