KARACHI, Feb 4: While the Sindh government is busy in framing new rules for private educational institutions, the teachers and parents of the students want that their points of view be also heard before a final decision is taken.

Sources in the education department said that in line with the latest amendments in the Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulations and Control) Ordinance, 2001, work pertaining to the framing of rules had begun.

The bill for amendments in the ordinance was introduced by Sindh Education minister and passed by the Sindh Assembly in early December, which had recently been accorded assent by the governor, added the source.

The department was trying to get some more rules prepared and implemented at the earliest. Under the fresh amendments, the power to register private schools had been taken away from the district education offices. Now the education department, which has been identified as the new registration authority, is considering setting up a cell for registration and monitoring of the private schools, said an official of the department.

There have been numerous grievances about fee structures, books, curriculums, remuneration of teachers and other staff, and facilities, including the school-buildings. The government, under the legislation, is working towards a procedure to be followed for settlement of disputes arising between parents and staff or teaching and non-teaching staff with the private school management.

The Sindh education department has already started discussing the mode of registration and other controlling measures with the different groups that manage private schools, it was further learnt.

The 3,000 private schools which have been registered afresh can be categorized as: the six to 8 chains of private schools governed by well-off quarters having connections with the ruling elite or business groups; about three dozen run by community oriented organizations; and those run by welfare bodies, educational trusts or individuals.

Complaints are rampant in the case of all the three categories, said a veteran academician, adding that educational officials themselves had never moved to check the "fishy" business and always preferred to wait for any complaint on behalf of the students or their parents, teachers or others concerned persons.

In the meantime, officials at the district level are of the view that the city government should be made more effective and provided with tools in the shape of rules against the private schools that fleece people. They could also be delegated certain judicial powers, said an official.

Parents of the school-going children said the administrations of private schools were more resourceful and influential than the education department officers, parents and teachers, as cases of violation of rules, which were sometimes initiated by the officials, were stifled halfway since the "management's had many ways to do so".

Shrinking number of teaching days, prescription of costly books by foreign writers, congested and unhygienic classrooms, inadequate premises, lack of medical care in case of emergency and over-charging by transporters are some of the parents' many concerns. They believe that there is a nexus between the publishers and school management's with regard to the introduction of books other than the textbooks approved by the government.

Parents do not indulge in school affairs nor oppose the management's as they fear victimization of their wards while the officials fail to prevail over the administrations as they have got their own reasons to play low. "We have to arrange for admissions of the children of our high-ups, political patrons and their associates at private schools and as such playing by the book remains a far cry," said sources in the education department.

While demanding for their involvement in the rule-framing drill being carried out by the Sindh Education department, parents seek a true and meaningful monitoring of private schools. They said setting up of an independent regulatory body could be a way out of the persisting "extortion mechanism" as observed at many of the private schools.

In order to eliminate the problems, a parent-teachers body should be installed at every institution, which should consider the demands, including those relating to fee, placed before it by the management. If approved, the demands should be forwarded to the proposed regulatory body, which should invite public views on different issues pertaining to schools before approving the fee structure.

Some teachers of private schools opined that school management should be made to fix their pay scale at par with their performance and at least in the style of the government school teachers. Schools should be made to fix the salaries of their staff in proportion to the fees charged by them, a lady teacher said.