LAHORE: The Parent Action Committee (PAC) on Wednesday announced that they would launch another protest drive against the private educational institutions over increase in fees without explanation.
PAC founder Kashif Ismail, Advocate Zubair Ahmed Chaudhry, Zaheer Butt and Ms Zarghona jointly spoke at a news conference at the Lahore Press Club (LPC) against the private educational institutions over what they said undue increase in fees and a lack of facilities for the students.
They also announced that they wouldhold protest outside the press club on Thursday (today). They demanded that the federal and provincial governments introduce the Private Educational Institution Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) all over the country on the pattern of the one already established in the federal capital.
Mr Ismail told the press conference that the Lahore High Court (LHC) had stopped the Punjab government from taking any action against them in 2015. He said the private schools had taken undue advantage of the stay order and had been increasing the school fees every year.
He said they had approached the chief education officer and also lodged com-plaint in the Chief Minister Complaint Cell but no action had been initiated against the private educational institutions for increasing the fees. He said the parents were again launching protest against the private educational institutions and they would also appear before court on the next hearing on Nov 13.
Some parents allege that the administrations of schools harass the children.
`The school administrators have first expelled the students from classrooms and forced them to sit in the library and later alerted parents to take away their children for not submitting increased fees, Mr Ismail added.
He said the government lacked capacityand capability to increase the number of schools, therefore, it should introduce a system to regulate the private schools.
Ms Zarghona said the government should take measures to regulate fee structure of the private schools. She said court also should pass directions to the government and the private schools administrations not to harass the children and stop demanding additional fees till a decision.
Advocate Zubair Ahmed Chaudhry said they had submitted two petitions in court and also got stay order to not give additional fees. He said the court had restrained the private schools administrations not to expel the students but they had not provided any relief.