Sindh bans private schools and colleges from expelling students due to unpaid charges
A ban has also been imposed on collecting money from students for extracurriculars.
In a positive development, the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions Sindh (DIRPIS) has imposed a ban on private educational institutions (schools and colleges) from asking parents and students to buy textbooks, copies, uniforms, and other stationery items from certain outlets.
Similarly, now, educational institutions won’t be able to expel students because of unpaid charges without informing DIRPIS.
DIRPIS imposes ban on educational institutions
A ban has also been imposed on collecting money from students for extracurriculars. Private schools will also not be able to change uniforms without approval, and won’t be allowed to give ‘physical’ punishment to students.
Institutes have been forbidden from collecting fees from parents on a yearly, quarterly, biannually and bimonthly basis. Hence, they can only issue vouchers on a monthly basis, and can in no case collect advance fees. Only those parents who are willing to submit fees for more than a month will be issued bimonthly fee vouchers. The authorities of the institutes will also have to display the fee structures on notice boards.
According to Rule 13 of the Sindh Educational Institutions Act 2005, private institutions will be asked to issue a 10% fee concession to deserving students and award a scholarship to the top-performing pupils.
The recent developments have been a result of protests by the All Sindh Parents’ Association (ASPA) against illegal practices of private schools and colleges. Among many other demands, the protestors also demanded that they should be allowed to pay the fee in ‘US dollars’ rather than Pakistani rupees.
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