PHC seeks govt response for non-compliance

Failure to set up private schools regulatory authority

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday sought reply from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary and secretary education for not complying with the court order to set up regulatory authority for controlling the affairs of the private educational institutions in the province.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel sought explanation from the two officials in a writ petition filed by president of Peshawar Bar Association, Amjad Ali.

The petitioner’s lawyers, Zahidullah and Abdullah Qazi, submitted before the bench that despite the court’s orders the provincial government was yet to make legislation for setting up the regulatory authority to control the affairs of private educational institutions.

They argued that the private educational institutions were running their affairs like “unbridled horses” and were raising school fee every year and collecting thousands of rupees from the parents in the name of different charges. Despite the summer vacations, the lawyers said, the private educational institutions were collecting tuition fee for June, July and August in advance.

They pointed out that separate authorities had been set up in Punjab and by the federal government to control and regulate the affairs of the private educational institutions. They argued that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government despite the court’s direction had failed to regulate the private educational institutions. They said this was a cause of worry for the parents who are paying much higher charges for educating their children.

On February 19, 2013, a division bench of the high court had expressed displeasure over the delay in enactment of the laws by the provincial government on key issues. It had directed the government to expedite the legislation process for setting up a private schools regulatory authority.

The bench had observed that the provincial government had assured that the bill pertaining to the setting up of regulatory authority had been referred to a committee of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and would be passed soon by the House.

It may be added that the provincial government had prepared the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Authority Bill, 2012 and tabled it before the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, but neither the previous nor present government could pass the bill.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government initiated the process to set up the regulatory authority in 2013. The Education Department proposed a draft bill and got it vetted from the Law Department, but it has yet to get it passed from the assembly.