Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar, on Thursday, informed the National Assembly that the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) is actively monitoring private schools in the capital to ensure transparency and accountability in fees, uniforms, textbooks, and related services.
PEIRA enforces strict oversight on private schools’ fee in capital: Wajiha Qamar told NA
ISLAMABAD, Apr 02 (APP):Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar, on Thursday, informed the National Assembly that the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) is actively monitoring private schools in the capital to ensure transparency and accountability in fees, uniforms, textbooks, and related services.
Responding to a calling attention notice regarding high tuition fees in the metropolitan, she explained that schools could raise fees by 1–5 percent annually at their own.
Any increase above that, up to 8 percent, required meeting 28 evaluation checkpoints covering infrastructure, facilities, libraries, and other quality standards. Only schools meeting these criteria could request higher fee increases, she informed.
In the last academic year, complaints were received against several schools for raising fees by 10–12 percent, exceeding limits.
Complaints filed through an official portal and the Prime Minister’s complaint cell led to prompt action, and the excess increases were reversed, restoring fees to the approved limit, she added.
She also clarified rules on uniforms and textbooks. Schools only needed to share specifications publicly, without mandating a specific vendor, allowing parents to choose based on affordability, she said.
Examination fees for boards like Cambridge or Oxford were charged directly by the boards and were separate from school fees, she said.
Annual trips and extracurricular activities were voluntary, requiring parental consent and payment. PEIRA’s upgraded Education Monitoring Interface (EMI) system provided real-time data to ensure transparency, the minister said.
Open courts (Khuli Katcheri) and other complaint mechanisms let parents report issues, ensuring fee and operational concerns were addressed promptly, she apprised the house.
This framework demonstrated Islamabad’s commitment to protecting parents’ interests while maintaining quality in private education.
