CHINIOT: The District Education Authority (DEA) has sealed nine private schools in the city for not getting registered under the newly-introduced Punjab Private Education Providers Registration and Information System (PEPRIS).

A DE A team, headed by Deputy Education Officer (DEO) Muhammad Saeed and Assistant EOs Kashif Chookhia and Muhammad Ali, sealed Al-Noor Public School, Ahmad Education System, Prime Garden Public School, Al-Shamas Public School, Meritorious English Grammar School, Al-Ahmad School, Al-Jannat Public School and Jinnah Little Scholar School.

The DEA`a action triggered panic among the private school operators who called the action harsh.

Muzammil Hussain, secretary-general of the Private Schools Owners Association, said sealing must be the last option for the DEA, and before it, the authority should engage non-complaint schools in dialogue.

He said schools were already overburdened with high rates of electricity bills, taxes by federal, provincial and municipal governments and high costs of stationary and printing. In these circumstances, operators will be forced to close down schools instead of getting themselves into the process ofreregistration again and again.

He said these sealed schools were registered with the DEA under the old registration system and had registration certificates that had not been expired yet.

Zafar Rehan, DEA chief executive officer, said the Punjab government had introduced the online registration of private school to end schools and department staff interaction.

An applicant school can file a registration application through a mobile app or website, www.pepris.edu.pk and Rs500 is to be paid through mobile or banking apps. After After the inspection, the registration certificate will be uploaded and emailed to the school. The system has eliminated corruption and nepotism in the registration process and more than 400 private schools are registered through this online system.

He said the sealed schools were given notices and opportunities to be heard personally before taking the sealing action. He said these schools can resume activities after paying a fine of Rs2,000 each and filing an online application for registration.