KARACHI, Aug 10: Various private schools continue to fleece parents by charging exorbitant admission fees and annual charges at the beginning of the new academic year.

Moreover, operators of school vans have also raised their charges on the plea that petrol and diesel prices have increased manifold during the last three to four months.

A number of parents complained that although the officials of the Sindh government’s directorate of private schools and institutions often claimed that they would take drastic action against those schools found violating schools’ registration terms and conditions, their complaints pertaining to exorbitant admission fees and the so-called ‘annual charges,’ which they had lodged with the directorate officials, had so far remained unheeded.

Referring to the private schools’ registration rules and regulations, which clearly state that schools can charge admission fees at the time of giving fresh admissions to students, but the fee must be equivalent to three months’ tuition fee of the relevant schools’ higher classes i.e. Class VIII in the case of a middle school and Class X in the case of a secondary school, some parents complained that a number of private schools were openly flouting these rules by charging amounts much higher than the three months’ tuition fee.

Meanwhile, complaints pertaining to the so-called ‘annual charges’ being demanded from the managements of different private schools of the city continue to pour into newspaper offices.

A number of parents said that some private schools, which previously used to charge this illegal fee either at the time of half-yearly or annual examinations, were now asking them to pay the annual charges at the beginning of the new academic session.

They said that on the one hand, the private schools were fleecing parents by charging exorbitant admission fees and the annual charges and, on the other, school van charges had also been increased considerably, thus creating immense difficulties for the citizens, especially when prices of all essential commodities had gone beyond their purchasing power.

They urged the provincial education department’s directorate of private schools and institutions to take drastic action against the schools, which were openly violating the schools’ registration rules and regulations.

They also regretted that although a number of private schools were openly violating the relevant rules and regulations, the provincial directorate of private schools/institutions, had so far not cancelled the registration of any school.

Meanwhile, Sindh Minister for Education and Literacy Pir Mazharul Haq said that the private schools would not be allowed to charge excessive tuition fees from the students, PPI adds.

He was speaking at a seminar of private schools held here at a local hotel.

He said that the Pakistan People’s Party government had always worked for the betterment of the education sector.

The minister said that the government would, however, encourage establishment of educational institutes in the private sector and might hand over buildings of government schools not functioning any more to the private sector for the promotion of education in the province.