About 12000 schools in Sindh are running according to their own rules. Despite several warnings by the provincial government they are collecting summer vacation fees. The education minister and secretary have been directing schools not to charge summer fees for a few years now but all in vain. Parents are forced to pay this amount as they would prefer keeping their children in private schools instead of getting them into a public school. If parent’s refuse to pay summer fees they are enforced to pay it by tactics like the school withholding exam result of their child/children.

Middle class parents want quality education for their children so that when they grow up they can have a better future. Managing school fees is already a burden for them while paying the summer fee for 2 months in advance is an added expense for them.

All Private School Management Association, Sindh Chairperson Khalid says “Where are we supposed to arrange teachers’ and other staff salaries as well as other expenses from if we can’t charge advance fee? Most schools start renovation of their buildings in the summer vacation so we need money in advance for these costs,” 

Private school owners support their views on charging summer fees by blaming the government. According to them private schools manage their own budget and expenses without any support from the government. Some schools have even reported that sometimes parents resist summer fee payment and take their children from one school to another.

K-P Education Minister Atif Khan has said that schools will only be allowed to charge 50% of the fees during summer vacations. This sounds like a reasonable demand.

On one end parents do not want to pay a fee if their child/children are not going to school and wish to use that fee for something else e.g. entertaining their children, taking them out to a different city or simply for activities that will keep them busy during summers. On the other hand schools need to pay their teachers, rent of school buildings, school security etc. Here are a few recommendations to address these matters:

• One solution can be that schools charge half of the fee i.e. 50% of the total amount for the summer break. This way schools will be able to pay all dues while parents won’t feel that burdened.
• Another solution can be that schools can have summer schools that run for a few hours only twice/thrice a week. They can charge for these classes and not charge any summer fee. It’s up to the parents if they wish to enroll their child/children or not.

The government needs to provide more support to schools. If the government provides buildings to private schools at a subsidized price or provide rented buildings at a nominal rate, not only will schools benefit from this facility but parents will also be able to afford private schools. If the government cannot provide quality education via public schools they can at least offer some kind of contribution to private schools as educating the nation is the government’s responsibility.