A private school owner has waived Rs4 million school fees from April to September of this year amid coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking in 24NewsHD TV channel’s 24@9 programme on Wednesday morning, the owner and principal of Lahore-based Muhammadiya High School informed about the development.

Farrukh Shah said, “I feel honoured but for me it’s nothing. As a Muslim, our religion guides us to help others in the testing time.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHqykevIX8E&feature=youtu.be

“When the pandemic hit the country we did not know how far it will go. And when it started to hurt almost everyone in March and April, I feel bad when other schools started sending fee vouchers to the parents,” he added.

He said 500 children have been benefited from the fee waive.

Principal Farrukh Shah said, “Education should not be treated as a business. Those who were running the educational institutions like business were hit badly amid the coronaries. When you open a school in small rented houses with no standards at all, then you surely face the heat of the crisis. I mean this is not how schools should be run.”

The 24@9 programme’s segment also discussed the school dropout ratio challenges and parents’ affordability to pay hefty school fees.

Farrukh Shah said, “We will also provide free-of-cost books and schoolbags worth Rs5,000 to each student when schools will reopen.”

He clarified that he waived Rs4 million school fees of students but he was not able to pay the salaries to his schoolteachers. “I seek the help of philanthropists to pay the salaries of teachers in my school,” he added.