ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: An estimated 80,000 students are prone to exploitation by some 500 private educational institutions in the federal capital, as they are functioning without any regulatory mechanism of the federal education ministry.

According to sources in the education ministry, the information about unregulated private educational institutions in the federal capital would be placed before the Senate standing committee on education, which meets here on Tuesday (today).

The sources said the chairman of the committee, Senator Rozina Alam, had sought details from the education ministry about jurisdiction and control of the education ministry over the private schools.

They said the documents to be presented before the Senate committee would point out the discriminatory control mechanisms in the country, as the provincial governments through their respective education departments regulated the private educational institutions while the federal education ministry had failed to do so.

A number of private educational institutes, charging excessive fees, in the federal capital are owned by the families of politicians and bureaucrats. About control of private educational institutions in the provinces, the sources said provinces had enacted control over the private educational institutions through various ordinances.

The Punjab government promulgated an Ordinance in 1984, "The Punjab Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinance 1984" and later amended it in 1995.

Similarly, Sindh promulgated "The Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinance 2001" which was later revised in 2004. The NWFP promulgated "The NWFP Province Registration and Functioning of Private Educational Institutions Ordinance 2001."

Balochistan promulgated an ordinance in 1962 under the title, "The Balochistan Registration of Unrecognised Educational Institutions Ordinance 1962." The sources said although education was on the concurrent list of the Constitution, the textbooks were developed and printed throughout the country by the provincial textbook boards after obtaining clearance from the federal education ministry.

Senators including Rozina Alam Khan, Mrs Tahira Latif, Dr Nighat Agha, Tanveer Khalid, SM Zafar, Prof Muhammad Saeed Siddiqui, Nighat Agha, Roshan Khursheed Bharucha, Dr Muhammad Said, Maulvi Agha Muhammad, Sajid Mir, Prof Ibrahim Khan and Education Minister Lt-Gen (retired) Javed Ashraf have been invited to attend the meeting.