KARACHI:
Tensions between private schools and the Sindh government over the verification of free education lists eased on Tuesday after an in-depth meeting between the Grand Alliance of Private School Associations and provincial education authorities. The alliance had announced a strike on January 9 to protest the audit process, citing concerns about harassment of school administrators and parents during inspections.
Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, accompanied by Chairman Anti-Corruption Institute Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Education Secretary Schools Zahid Ali Abbasi and Director General Private Schools Muhammad Afzal, held the meeting with representatives of the alliance including Anwar Ali Bhatti, Syed Tariq Shah, Syed Shehzad Akhtar, Danish-ul-Zaman, Nasser Zaidi and Haider Ali. The discussions focused on verifying data on free education in private institutions and the challenges faced by schools and parents during the process.
Minister Shah acknowledged the concerns of private schools, emphasizing that while the court’s directives must be respected, the verification process must be transparent, structured and fair. He assured that the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions would work closely with schools to resolve all issues and ensure that parents and students are not subjected to unnecessary inconvenience or humiliation.
The minister also praised private schools for their significant contribution to education in Sindh, noting that alongside the government, private institutions provide education to millions of children, while meeting their financial obligations such as taxes, rent and utilities.
Following the assurance of a coordinated and transparent verification mechanism, the Grand Alliance of Private School Associations announced the immediate withdrawal of the strike, affirming its commitment to cooperate with the government to safeguard the rights of students while respecting judicial directives.
The resolution ensures that verification of free education data will continue, but with clear guidelines to protect the dignity of school administrators and parents, fostering a cooperative environment for education providers and authorities.
Earlier, the Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi had denounced the raids carried out by the Anti-Corruption Institute (ACE) in private schools to check the lists of students benefiting from free education.
By law, private schools must provide free education to at least 10 percent of meritorious students in their institutions.
However, recent raids by the ACE to check the facility have led to strong backlash.
Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Monem Zafar Khan on Tuesday said it was extremely disturbing that parents of children receiving free education were being summoned to schools and their videos and photographs were being recorded.
This is a completely unethical and illegal practice that seriously threatens the dignity and self-respect of these parents and subjects them to humiliation and a sense of inferiority in society – something intolerable in any civilized society.
