ISLAMABAD: Private educational institutions may not be able to maintain social distancing due to small classrooms and congested buildings if the government decides to open the schools during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In view of the issue, the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) on Saturday offered to the private schools that it can provide them grounds and open areas for holding educational activities.

The offer was made by Deputy Mayor Zeeshan Naqvi at a webinar ‘Private schools: challenges and responsibilities” jointly organised by Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) and DTNTV.

Deputy mayor asks private schools to form joint platform to work with Peira

Mr Naqvi also suggested that a joint platform, having representation of parents, civil society and other stakeholders, should be established to work with the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (Peira), Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and other stakeholders.

“Despite representing different organisations and institutions, we all are parents and it is our collective responsibility to play a role for the betterment of children. MCI is available for any possible support and I also suggest that private schools need to facilitate students and parents at large,” he said.

Senator Sitara Ayaz and Peira Deputy Director Zafar Iqbal were among the speakers.

Devcom-Pakistan Director Munir Ahmed conducted the webinar.

Senator Ayaz urged the regulatory authority to take stakeholders on board for consolidated recommendations to the government to provide relief to the students and parents and schools.

“We all are going through a miserable phase where we need the government support besides shouldering each other. Despite hue and cry, we see no plan of action,” she said.

Munir Ahmed said Peira was much weaker in communicating with those who approached it.

Citing his own experience, he said the Peira chairperson could not respond to an email and dozens of calls in four days.

“Unfortunately, positive impact of policies and actions is hardly seen on the ground whereas parents wish to get quality education for their children. Congested premises, mediocre teachers, heavy fees, no playgrounds and grooming and many money-minting tactics are the major issues to be addressed,” he added.

Zafar Iqbal spoke about the scope and mandate of Peira and said a set of recommendations had been prepared and submitted to the ministry of federal education.

The recommendations included a relief package for all types of schools, teachers and students.

A national conference, he said, was expected on July 8 to review the emergency situation and post-Covid-19 scenario for the private education system and public educational institutions.

One of the parents, Rabia Amin, said many schools had no discount policy even for one of three children of a single parent.

Books, notebooks and uniforms are provided by schools but at very high prices without any check by the regulatory authority.

Private Schools Association chief patron Dr Ifrahim Satti said private schools were catering to 40 million students and most of them were low-fee institutes that were facing financial crunch.

Without a relief package, he added, over 20pc schools would shut down their doors when 50 million children were already out of school in the country.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2020