20000131

Low standard, high fees

of private schools

irk parents

RAWALPINDI: Parents are worried over the low education standard and very high fees in majority of the private schools in the twin cities.

"Almost all the private schools have the same syllabus comprising foreign text books but the tragedy is that they don't have the experienced teachers specially at montessori level," said Syed Kamal, whose six years old son studies in a private school in Rawalpindi.

"The education standard in model colleges are much higher than many private schools who charge exorbitant fees from students," said Khalid Mehmood, a resident of F-10 Islamabad, while talking to APP.

"It is, however, difficult to get admission in model institutions so parents have no option but to rely on private schools," he added.

"The fees in private schools are very high but the standard is very low," he claimed and added, "in fact majority of the private schools consider education as a lucrative business so they charge high fees and keep untrained teachers on vry low salaries.

The private schools do not employ experienced and montessori trained teachers as they would have to pay higher salaries to them, said Mushtaq Ahmed.

Mrs. Faiza, a house wife said, "I don't think these expensive foreign books are of any use when the teachers are low paid, have no aptitude for teaching nor they understand problems and psyche of the students."

"We have no other option, the conditions in government schools in Rawalpindi too are hopeless. We are in a fix and don't know what to do," she said.

"The government schools charge monthly fee but in private schools you will have to be ready to contribute to a various school funds weekly," said Azam Khan, a resident of Islamabad whose son is studying in a private school.

"The education should be free for all or at least provided at minimum possible fees," he said.

"The syllabus should be similar in all the government and private institutions so that students get equal opportunities in their practical life," said Mrs. Samina Ahmed, a working woman.

"The students of good private schools speak and write better English as their syllabus is in English and on the other hand students studying in government schools have an immense talent but they could not compete with their English medium competitors as they are not so fluent in English," she opined.

All the private schools except few are set up in houses and they do not even fulfil the basic requisite of a school Ñ a spacious building with big airy class rooms and play grounds said Ali Mumtaz, a businessman. "Only model colleges in the Federal Capital have the appropriate buildings and the education standard there is also good," he said.

The authorities must take strict action against such school owners who are minting money in the name of education, said Ali Mumtaz. A school must not be recognised by the concerned education departments unless it did fulfil all the basic requirements of a school that is proper building, trained and experienced staff and good syllabus, he added.ÑAPP