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Govt to check

money-making

trend of

private schools

ISLAMABAD: Government is considering legal and administrative measures to regulate the working of 346 private schools in the federal capital for ensuring quality education and to discourage money-making trend. "A formal proposal in this connection has been submitted to the ministry of education," said Director General Federal Directorate of Education, Mohammad Ibrahim Khan while talking to newsmen here on Sunday.

Most of the private institutions, he said have turned into money-making shops and were going unchecked.

In the federal capital as many as 32,000 children are studying in private schools and colleges of various discipline most of these hardly caring for quality education. "These schools charge exorbitant fees and funds but do not care about the quality of education they were imparting," he said.

The education ministry is likely to move a piece of legislation before the cabinet for consideration in order to regulate the working of the private educational institutions.

Ibrahim Khan said at present the private institutions are not required to get themselves registered with the education departments. "They are not following any code of conduct or rules, for maintaining quality education despite sky-high fees.

A recent survey by the Directorate of Education reveals that most of schools consist of three or four-rooms bungalows, having no play ground or any kind of recreation facilities, unqualified teachers are working on nominal salaries from Rs 1000 to Rs 2000, whereas students are charged more than Rs 500 each.

In a city of 800,000 people, he said, about 430 schools and colleges are working in urban and rural areas under the auspices of Federal Directorate of Education with as many as 184,000 children studying there.

About 7,000 teachers are employed in these schools and colleges, with the instructions to maintain quality education and extend services for character-building.

Ibrahim Khan said there is shortage of one thousand teachers in these institutions, and the directorate is taking measures to fulfil the available vacancies as early as possible.ÑAPP