Private schools, balking at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government's bid to regularise the private educational institutions through a regulating authority, observed strike on Saturday. It should be mentioned here that the provincial government decided to table during the next session of the Assembly a bill regarding formation of Private Schools Regulatory Authority, meant to streamline the educational system ensuring the timely payment of salaries to teachers and maintaining check and balance against wilful increase in students' fees.

Talking to media here, Provincial Education Minister Sardar Hussain Babak said that anyone that is running education as business, will have to abide by the rules and regulations, adding the educational institutes would be registered as well as monitored in accordance with the proposed bill. The regulatory authority is intended to determine the salaries of the teachers at private educational institutions, control the monthly and admission fees of students and transport expenses.

According to the bill, the teachers' appointment and termination of their jobs will take place only after consultation with the Education Department. However, All Private Schools Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President, Zakir Shah rejected the bill and announced to keep all 25000 private institutes closed in protest. However, some private schools continued the academics in Peshawar despite the boycott announced by the provincial private schools association. The school management's said they are on token strike, as they cannot compromise on children's education.

Copyright News Network International, 2012