Private schools directed to implement freeship law

Survey finds at least 10% students in 1,154 private schools enjoying free education

KARACHI:

At least 10 per cent students, both boys and girls, are getting free education at over a thousand schools surveyed by provincial government officials.

Moreover, many students enjoy 25 to 50 per cent discounts at private educational institutions, said a report of Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions (DIRPIS).

The directorate working under the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) has set out to enforce the law that mandates scholarships and free-ship for 10 per cent students at private educational institutions.

As per the Sindh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2013, all private schools are obliged to reserve 10 per cent of the total seats for deserving students to provide them free education.

Acting on the instruction of the provincial education minister and secretary school education Sindh, the officials of DIRPIS inspected a total of 1,154 schools in Sindh. The inspection revealed that of 252,273 male and female students enrolled, 25,735 students receiving free education. Additionally, students in these schools are receiving a discount of 25-50% on their fees.

DIRPIS has forwarded the initial report to Dr Fouzia Khan, the focal person of the education secretary.

Meanwhile, DIRPIS Additional Director Rafia Javed has stopped renewal of the registration of 54 schools for failing to implement the Free-ship and Scholarship Act.

These schools have been explicitly informed that they will not receive their registration certificates unless they comply with the law by offering a 10% freeship to deserving students and establishing a school-management committee.

Consequently, all private schools have been instructed to strictly adhere to the 10% freeship and scholarship law. Failure to do so will lead to the cancellation of their registration, and in the next phase, they may also face fines.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2024.