ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has taken a major step against private schools for forcing the parents to buy high priced stationary and uniforms with logos.
Following growing complaints from parents, the commission has issued show-cause notices to 17 major school systems.
The notices have been issued on the allegation that schools are abusing their market power by imposing mandatory purchase of notebooks, workbooks and uniforms with logos.
According to the inquiry report, several schools have entered into secret agreements with specific vendors, after which parents are forced to buy only those expensive items that the school tells them.
Cheap copies and uniforms available in the general market are no longer acceptable to parents because schools consider them a violation of admission policy or guidelines.
The report said that copies with logos were being sold at a price 280 per cent higher than the market price.
The commission said that conditional sales are a violation of the Competition Act and affect both parents and small businesses.
Private school systems have thousands of campuses across the country and millions of students are studying, so the impact of these policies is very wide.
Parents are also unable to change schools as the cost of new admissions and travel difficulties are major hurdles.
The commission has ordered all the concerned schools to submit a written response within 14 days. If found to be in violation, the Competition Commission can impose a fine of up to Rs 75 million.
The commission’s action addresses the growing complaint that private schools are not just selling education, they have also created a lucrative market for parents.