Parents continue protest against school fee hike

KARACHI: Irked by recent hike in fees of private schools, parents continued their protest against the education mafia, with slogans of “no fee till low fee.” Refusing to pay the exorbitant fees, a good number of parents gathered outside a prominent private school in Karachi, demanding of the administration to withdraw abrupt increase of upto 70 per cent in monthly charges. “We were already paying Rs.22,000 tuition fees per month and now the schools have sent us fee vouchers of Rs.38,000,” a lady spoke to Samaa correspondent. The parents said they have been forced to pay even generator charges in the fees despite summer vacations. On Wednesday, parents and members of civil society protested outside Karachi Press Club, carrying placards and banners reading different slogans like “No Fee Till Low Fee,” “Stop Treating Parents Like ATMs,” “Increase In School Fees is Killing of Education,” “No Educational Terrorism.” Yesterday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed the provincial governments to resolve the issue of exorbitant fees of private educational institutes. The Prime Minister expressed concern over the exorbitant tuition fees of private schools and stressed making it affordable for general public. He also decided to convene a consultative meeting of the four chief ministers on the issue. The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Education to resolve the matter at the earliest.  – Samaa/APP