HE state`s retreat from several critical sectors has left the field open for cartels and commercial elements to move in and make incredible amounts of money at the people`s expense. Sectors like health, security and education are today dominated by private players willing to offer their services to anyone who can afford them.

For those with deep pockets, the police`s ineffectualness matters little as they can hire armed guards, while if one wants quality medical care, the only option is expensive private hospitals, which can cost an arm and a leg. The same is the situation with the education sector: private schools are the only refuge for parents who want to give their offspring a relatively decent schooling. Private institutions have a captive market and owners realise this, exploiting the situation by raising fees arbitrarily. But over the past few days, parents in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad have held several protests demanding an explanation for this as well as a reduction in fees.

The protests have attracted the attention of the prime minister, who will reportedly take up the issue with the provincial chief ministers soon. The administrations of Sindh, Punjab and Islamabad have also been jolted into action. The contention of some private school owners that fee hikes are a problem only of the upper-middle class is disingenuous, as steep rises affect nearly all income brackets. There should be a shortand long-term approach to handling this problem. In the short term, the provincial governments need to monitor fee hikes regularly to ensure institutions are not fleecing parents. However, the real solution to this lies in the rehabilitation of public-sector education.

Parents must be convinced of the fact that sending their children to state schools will not dim the students` future prospects and that they will be given quality education. Considering the state of public schools, this is a Herculean task, yet it must be undertaken if parents are ever to be freed from the clutches of exploitative elements.