PESHAWAR: Owners of the private schools on Tuesday warned that they would extend their protest against the `unjust` new fee structure if their demands were not met by the authorities.

They demanded that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Act, 2017, be either abolished or amended with their consultation.

The private educational institutions remained closed for the second consecutive day.

National Education Council chairman Nazar Hussain told a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club that the protest was not against the decision of the Peshawar High Court on fee concession and instead, it was against the unilateral policies imposed on the private education sector in the province.

He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Act, 2017, was an authoritarian law and therefore, it should be either done away with or amended in the consultation with private school owners.

Mr Hussain said the highcourt had issued orders the increase of only three per cent in tuition fees charged by private schools though the law allowed an increase up to 10 per cent.

He said there were several contradictions in the court`s orders and the law, which should be cleared immediately.

`If the fresh fee structure is enforced, then the private educational institutions will not be able to pay the building rents and staff salary, he said.

The NEC chairman asked the government to pay salary to teachers of private schools during the summer vacation like the teaching staff of its own educational institutions in the province.

He said it was the prime responsibility of the government under Article 25-A of the Constitution to provide free education to the children.

Mr Hussain said if the provincial government was serious about giving relief to parents, it should launch a voucher scheme for deserving students to ensure provision of quality education to them in private schools.-Bureau Report