PESHAWAR, Oct 20: Leasing out Peshawar Public School and College to ILM (Institute of Learning and Motivation) Schools, Pakistan would amount to depriving the students belonging to low income group from gaining quality education.

The students parents, mostly low grade government employees, have opposed the proposal, floated by ILM, requesting the NWFP government to lease out Peshawar Public School and College for 44 years to ILM, Schools Pakistan. They described it as a conspiracy to keep the poor students away from gaining quality education.

A number of parents, who approached this agency with valid documents, told if the school was privatised they would not be able to pay the monthly fees which would certainly jump from Rs.450 to Rs.1700 a month.

They also brought with them receipts which showed the monthly education fees being charged by ILM, Schools Pakistan is Rs.1700 for junior section, Rs.1900 for senior section and Rs.2300 for College section.

Similarly, the monthly fees of Peshawar Public School and College, is Rs.450 for junior section, Rs.500 for senior section and Rs.650 for college section.

According to the gazette, third position was grabbed by the student of this school in the SSC 2001 exam throughout the board while the students showed 100 per cent pass result in Fsc result this year. On the other hand in all eight students who appeared in SSC exam from ILM School of which 6 were declared successful showing a 75 per cent pass result.

Peshawar Public School and College was established by NWFP government in 1979 in the public sector under a board of governors and supervised by the provincial education department.

The purpose of establishing this institution was to provide modern education facilities to the people of the province. The school is a semi government institution and functions with grant-in-aid from the NWFP government and its resources in shape of fees collected from students.

The parents totally rebuffed the allegations of ILM, Schools that the standard of education of the school was declining day by day and termed it totally baseless and concocted. They said, their kids showed good results in SSC exams and its performance could be gauged from the previous five years results of SSC and Fsc.

This is the only educational institution imparting quality education to the students at reasonable fee, affordable by low income group.

It is to be mentioned here that Chief Executive ILM Schools, Pakistan Ms Tahira Mehboob has sent a proposal to the Chief Secretary NWFP on September 20, wherein she suggested to lease out Peshawar Public School and College Warsak Road to ILM Schools, Pakistan for a period of 44 years in the larger interest of public and better education prospects for the people of the Province.

The Chief Secretary has referred the matter to provincial secretary secondary and higher education on September 26, for seeking his comments on the subject. In order to get the factual position, the secretary secondary and higher education has invited comments from the principal of the school, who submitted a three page written reply to the high ups, totally opposing the idea of privatisation of the school to ILM Schools, Pakistan by referring to some solid grounds.

The principal in his reply stated that Chief Executive of ILM School, Pakistan has taken a very unrealistic and dark picture of the school which he said is 100 per cent untrue and unfounded. ILM has made its presumptions on mere speculations, he claimed.

He said, right from its establishment, the institution has been showing excellent results and its boys excelled in SSC and Inter exams. He said, how an institution which is imparting quality education and showing excellent results, could be declared sick.

The real assets of an educational institution were its students who are taught by the highly qualified teaching staff holding master degrees in respective subjects plus B.Ed and M.Ed with vast experience in the teaching field, the principal added.

He said, this school has been selected by the Federal Government as one of the renowned institution for imparting quality education. With regard to financial position, he said, it was quite sound and the institution was functioning within its means.

Concluding, he said, why should such an excellent institution providing quality education to over 2,000 students, delivering excellent results and laying no financial burden on the provincial government, should be privatised.—APP