LAHORE: The Punjab government has announced that the private schools will withdraw recent fee increase and now they cannot go for hike without its prior approval.

At a press conference here on Tuesday, Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood said the government would ensure that theprivate schools withdraw this year`s fee hike.

`The private schools can no longer increase fee without provincial government`s approval. They will also refund the increased fee they have charged from the students this year,` he said, pledging their last year`s fee structure would be restored within two months.

He said a committee headed byeducation special secretary would implement the government`s decision.

The minister said a special committee would be constituted in every district to look into the feerelated affairs of the private schools.

He said a three-year audit of the private schools would be carried out and a new fee mechanism would be evolved in the light of its report.The parents of private institutions` students had been holding protests in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi against the exorbitant raise in the fees.

They said the schools` administration increased fees every now and then without any reason. Since there had been no check on them from the government, private schools were fleecing the parents, they said.