Private schools bound to provide free education to 10pc students, SHC told

The private schools in Sindh are bound to provide free education to 10 per cent of their total students, the education department informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday.

The court was hearing identical petitions filed by rights activists and an organisation seeking implementation of the Sindh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2013. Filing interim report on the matter, the education department submitted that the department had conducted a meeting with the stakeholders for effective implementation of the law.

The SHC was informed that private schools were bound to charge tuition fee as per the private school registration law. In case the private schools violated the law, their registration was liable to be cancelled, the education department said.

An official of the department submitted to the court that a meeting was held to discuss issues such as free compulsory education, schools’ infrastructure, curriculum, governance, accountability and exorbitant fees. The SHC was informed that it was decided in the meeting that all the private schools were required to charge fee according to the law and provide free education to 10 per cent of their students.

A provincial law officer informed the SHC that another meeting would be convened to make decisions with respect to effective implementation of the law. A division bench, headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, directed the education secretary to file a detailed report on the implementation of the Act by November 22.

The court had earlier directed the secretary to submit a report on availability of basic amenities and proper facilities of water and electricity at schools in the province. The education secretary was also directed to submit compliance of section 6 of the Act which provides establishment of a school within such areas or limits as may be prescribed as a school where the facility is not established within a period of two years from the commencement of the Act.

Disqualification plea

During a hearing on the plea regarding disqualification of Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Sohail Anwar Siyal, who served as the Sindh home minister during the last PPP government, a counsel for the petitioner argued that the PPP MPA had concealed his Iqama and foreign job before the Election Commission of Pakistan at the time of filing of nomination papers.

Petitioner Allah Bux Khan Unar submitted that Siyal had concealed his employment in the United Arab Emirates since 2014 and obtained full time salaries from a private firm.

It was argued that that Supreme Court had already declared that a legislator could be disqualified on the basis of concealing facts about his assets and income at the time of filing of nomination papers. The petitioner requested the SHC to disqualify the PPP MPA from the membership of the Sindh Assembly under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

After hearing the arguments of the petitioner’s counsel, the SHC adjourned the hearing till November 16. Many petitions were filed with the Sindh High Court before the general elections to disqualify PPP leaders Faryal Talpur, Nasir Hussain Shah, Sohail Anwar Sial, Manzoor Wasan and Mir Nawab Ghaibi Sardar Khan Chandio from contesting elections as they had allegedly concealed UAE based Iqamas and other properties in assets declaration before the ECP.

The petitioners included Moazzam Abbasi, Mohammad Zubair, Mir Punhal Khan Talpur and Mumtaz Ali Chandio. They submitted that after concealment of facts, the PPP leaders were neither righteous nor sagacious in terms of Article 63 of the Constitution and liable to be disqualified from holding public offices of MNA and MPA.