PRIVATE education has often been denounced for it being too expensive for the common man. This has made public-sector education institutions the only choice for the middle class. But it seems, the relevant authorities in Pakistan are bent upon depriving the vulnerable segments of society of a chance to acquire higher education.

The University of Karachi used to be an affordable choice for many in the city, but that is not the case anymore. Thousands of enrolled students are suffering from an unprecedented rise in admission and tuition fee.

To make matters worse, the university administration has arbitrarily, and perhaps illegally, imposed a huge penalty of Rs30,000 on students who were late in paying their semester fee. Those who fail to pay this hefty sum are given an impression that their enrolment can also be cancelled.

This is not only outrageous, but also immoral and unethical as it is a clear case of harassing students and their parents. It is obvious that most of the students who were late in paying their tuition fee belonged to lower middle class families that are going through a lot of problems owing to the state of the national economy. Do they deserve to be penalised like this by a public-sector university?

Considering the state of education in the country, it is high time those at the helm of affairs started treating the critical education sector like a service rather than a money-minting venture.

Saad Ali
Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2024