Numerous private schools across Punjab have significantly raised their fees and introduced substantial annual charges at the start of the new academic year, leaving parents burdened with additional expenses.
Parents report that monthly fees have increased by Rs1,000 to Rs2,000, while annual charges of up to Rs20,000 have been demanded—actions that contravene existing government regulations.
Several prominent school chains have also introduced transport charges following a Lahore High Court directive requiring them to provide transport facilities to students.
Parents expressed frustration over the inability of district education authorities and the provincial school education ministry to curb these unauthorized fee hikes.
Kashif Adeeb Jawadani, president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association, defended the fee increases, claiming they were in line with legal provisions and institutional policies.
Schools in the province resumed on January 13 after an extended winter break, only to issue notices for additional payments upon reopening.
Under the private schools ordinance, institutions are prohibited from charging fees beyond tuition and examination costs.
Despite this, many schools have defied the law by collecting annual charges. In compliance with the court’s transport facility order, some prominent private school networks have begun offering transportation services but are demanding an additional Rs30,000 from parents under the pretext of a transport fund.
The Punjab government has proposed outsourcing public schools but has yet to address the issue of private institutions imposing excessive fees.
A Punjab Assembly member recently submitted an adjournment motion highlighting the unregulated fee hikes, describing private school owners as a powerful and unchecked group.
Meanwhile, Punjab Teachers Union Secretary General Rana Liaqat Ali reiterated opposition to outsourcing schools, arguing that privatization would weaken government oversight.
He emphasized that rising educational costs, coupled with increasing prices of essential commodities, risked making quality education inaccessible for many families.
