School becomes a luxury

Parents face significant difficulties due to inflation

Quetta: As the new school year approaches, parents in Quetta are facing serious challenges as a result of inflation and rising educational institution fees. Every parent appears to be concerned about the country’s recent wave of inflation. Thus, while people are recalculating and cutting back on their monthly household expenses, rising educational institution fees have forced parents to change their children’s schools.

Muhammad Ali, a resident of Saryab, stated that his three children were enrolled in a well-known school in the city, with a monthly fee of 11 thousand rupees for each child. This fee was raised by another two thousand rupees two months ago.

”I was told that this fee includes electricity usage charges as well. However, my daughter told me a few months ago that the school’s fan was not working properly in the hot weather in the classroom,” he noted.

”I talked about it at home about how the costs are skyrocketing and how we should start looking for a new school,” he explained. He went on to say, ”Children made so much noise that how can we suddenly get admission in another school?”

He stated that it has become difficult for him to explain to his children that he cannot afford to pay the additional school fees with his Rs 55,000 salary.

As a result of rising inflation and soaring fees, parents are being forced to consider alternative school options.

Another resident, Ahsan Ullah, stated that he had recently transferred his children from one school to another in Quetta.

”My daughter attended this school for many years, and no one ever asked why she was suddenly leaving. I’ve moved the kids to a different school. The monthly fee has been reduced from Rs 21,000 to Rs 9000. It seems that someone has lifted a very heavy burden from my shoulders,” he said, adding that the reduction in education expenditure also affected the quality of education.

Although there is a difference, Ahsan questioned whether there was any other solution. The issue here is that there is no competition in Quetta for private schools.

”Children used to get good grades even after attending government schools in our day. However, because the conditions in government schools have become deplorable, it has become necessary to educate them in private schools.

Nobody wants their children to study while others take advantage of them,” he continued. Mansoor Ahmed, a resident of Shahbaz Town, used to send his children to a private school in the city, where the fees, according to him, have gone through the roof.

Mansoor Ahmed claims that there are additional costs besides tuition fees. There are functions at school where the students socialise, and they must then attend social gatherings such as birthday parties. All of this costs money, and these additional expenses and fees cannot be covered. When Mansoor approached school administration about fees, he was told that the dollar rate had increased, causing the land rent to rise and resulting in the fee increase. He stated that there is a new addition every month. It was previously stated that new books would be required for each session.

”We told them that there were books of the same course at home for the older children and that the other two children would use them, so they said no, the course was slightly different. Then it was suggested that they take the uniforms from the same location where they take the books.

These books and uniforms are not included in the tuition,” Mansoor explained. He mentioned that he attempted to explain to the children through discussions, but they asserted that they didn’t know where they would get admission after studying for half a year, what their friends would say, and so on. They are correct, but I have also presented my case to you. The school fees must be calculated in accordance with the legal structure. I fear that if I objected to these things and did not pay the fee, the children would be expelled,” he expressed.

Shahnawaz Ali, a resident of Nawan Killi, stated that his five children’s monthly school expenses total 21 thousand rupees. ”You should also include the cost of the school van, which is 10,000 rupees,” he informed.

Many parents are unable to pay that amount, which can be used to estimate inflation, and as a result, people’s problems will worsen. According to social activist Razia Sultana, after the COVID-19 situation, the fee structure in private schools increased by nearly 50%, but they are not held accountable by any government institution or court. She asserted that the secretary of secondary and higher education should have a mechanism in place to check private school fees.

”Now there is another bomb of inflation on parents in terms of course books, schools’ other stationary items, and schools’ pink mango days,” she added, adding that our salary is insufficient to cover it, despite the fact that the condition of government schools is also known and their politics on allowance demands during school time. She demanded that the government take immediate action against these individuals.