ISLAMABAD: The Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (Peira) has issued notices to over 1,000 private schools for not submitting compliance reports.

Sources said these schools had been granted registration with the direction to ensure availability of missing facilities, including infrastructure shortfall, lack of classrooms, deficiencies in libraries, laboratories and teachers.

The schools were required to submit compliance reports after bridging the gaps, which were pointed out during approval of the registration process.

“We are not saying that these schools are operating without meeting standard criteria. May be they have plugged the loopholes, but these will be clear once they submit compliance reports,” said a source in the regulatory authority.

Says schools were granted registration with direction to ensure availability of missing facilities

In addition to the registered schools, there are around 200 schools which are operating in Islamabad without having any registration while around the same number of schools in the past got registration, but did not get it renewed. In many private schools, teachers are still getting less than the minimum wage set by the federal government.

“Peira has issued notices to 1,087 registered private schools and colleges in Islamabad asking them to submit compliance reports on all major and general observations conveyed to their management at the time of registration/renewal of registration,” read a press release issued by Peira. It said that school management had been asked to submit compliance reports within 15 working days from the date of the issuance of notices.

It said that Peira Chairman Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah had constituted monitoring committees which shall make surprise visits to these institutions to check the level of compliance by the institutions, on already conveyed major and general observations. Monitoring reports of these committees shall act as a benchmark for renewal of registration or these institutions.

Dr Mallah said these measures on account of monitoring and compliance shall help to attain academic and quality assurance in the private educational institutions for ultimate betterment of the students at large.

Sources said that due to weak regulatory check, many upscale schools were not complying with Peira’s directive regarding fee. Supreme Court had directed that the fee of 2017 was the benchmark and afterward no school can increase the fee by more than 8pc annually. As per Peira’s rule, schools can increase five per cent fee annually from their own and in case of a further 3pc increase they will have to get permission from the regulatory authority after fulfilling a set criteria. But, in any case, schools can’t charge more than 8pc annually.

However, in Islamabad parents often complain of being charged more than 8pc by many schools.

Dr Mallah said that the regulatory authority will ensure fee regulation. “We will protect rights of parents and teachers. We will also strengthen private schools as our main mission is to ensure affordable quality education,” he said and added that schools will also be provided due support.

“I have activated a complaint cell at Peira and parents are advised to register complaints in case schools increase the fee by more than 8pc per year.”

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2026