About

Mission

The purpose of the ASPA All Sindh Parents association is to help build and sustain community among the parents, students, faculty, administrators, staff, and alumni of the school and educational governmental or non-governmental departments

The Parents Association assists parents in developing an effective partnership with the school to achieve the best possible educational experience for the students.

The Parents Association recognizes that the entire educational system with in the province, with its economic, cultural and ethnic diversity, is enriched by the variety of talents, resources, and backgrounds that each parent brings to the school.

Vision

Quality & affordable education for all

Team

Khalid Mahmood – President
Rizwan Ali – Vice President
Hamoodurab Jaffri – General Secretary
Salman Anwer – Joint Secretary
Jawad Peeran – Finance Secretary

About ASPA

The Association envisions a world where the rights of all parents of children studying in any Private School of Sindh are realized, where every child is guaranteed to have proper education and equal chances to participate in extracurricular activities through the use of combination of the platforms of private and State mechanisms and where Parents are united for their rights established under the prevailing and relevant laws.

The Association shall be committed to develop and strengthen a platform for all the parents of Sindh whose children are studying in private schools through unconditional and positive support with the view to build up good relations between ‘school – parents and the office of Directorate of Education’ that also include addressing the policy lacunas. It shall ensure and establish that every child gets proper education and attention at the School and should become a citizen who can contribute to the society. Hence, its target beneficiaries are the parents of such children as well the children themselves.

The Association will carry out various functions. Such work includes, but not limited to:

to carry out research on the children who study at the private schools of Sindh;
to promote research and development in context of parents’ and their student children rights in accordance with the prevailing laws;
to contribute to policy development and to capacity building of private institutions by way of assisting them so to develop an integrated system;
to bridge between parents, school and directorate of education;
eyeing on school’s behavior whether they are following prevailing laws;
suggesting relevant authorities for updated and appropriate syllabus;
holding inter-school programs and activities to provide healthy environment and for the talent hunt;
creating awareness among parents by using medias all sorts of mediums including social media;
helping parents who are facing problems of any kind related to the education of their children;
working for the implementation of parents and their childrens’ rights provided under the prevailing laws;
fund raising for the development of educational activities including offering scholarship and funds for fee for the needy students;
Advancing education whether by teaching, producing material, or by conducting or commissioning research (and publishing the results of such research);
Raising public interest and cultivating a sentiment in favour of poor students by the use of publications, the internet, the media and public advocacy provided that this does not extend to promoting directly a change in the law or government policy or the administrative decisions of government authorities;
to establish a platform that can to provide parents and their student children full support in every aspect of education;
to provide facilities to student for education and sports at national and international level, etc;
to develop partnerships and linkages with local, national, regional and international bodies, networks and platforms of advocacy to present situation of students in Pakistan and to represent Pakistan in global advocacy campaign for parents and their students children related matters;

Why ASPA (fact sheet)

Parents started the campaign in 2015 after receiving 20-25% enhanced fee vouchers from different schools.
Schools were of the opinion that if the parents cannot afford, they should take their children out and try another school.
Parents approached the school(s) but after failed talks with the school(s) management, parents approached SHC in October 2015 and filed several petitions (5812/2015 and others) against the unjustified fee hike of private schools.
School had also filed a petition challenged the law being ultra vires.
On 17 February 2016, The SHC reserved its order. SHC then issued a note that their attention has been withdrawn towards 3 petitions which were filed at SHC in 2005 in which the same law was challenged and those petitions are currently pending in review. Further, that before deciding the parents’ petitions, those review petitions are required to be decided by the bench where these old petitions are pending.
In around August / September, one school approached SC requesting them to direct SHC to decide the matter as soon as possible.
SC passed directions to SHC to decide the matter within one month.
On the orders of SC, the SHC asked the counsels of old petitions what if they decide the present petitions now and the review petitions will be decided separately to which the said counsels agreed.
On 7th October 2016, SHC allowed parents’ petitions and dismiss schools petition which was filed in 2015 challenging the existing law on ultra vires grounds.
Schools filed appeal in SC against SHC orders dated 7^th October 2016.
SC remanded back all petitions to SHC ordering them to decide the old petitions first; and then decide the latest petitions in light of the judgment of the old petitions with further directions that the stay order passed by the SHC initially will remain status quo and schools cannot take any action against the interest of children and that these petitions should be heard on daily basis to decide them preferable before summer vacations.
Now, the petitions have been heard and the judgment has been reserved.

Somehow, and we take it as a miracle that we have taken the bar to fight for the rights of parents not only to make education affordable for them but also for the rule of the law. We need support of all parents and stake holders, political parties and media to play their due role for the betterment of education in Sindh so as for Pakistan.

Mission

Vision

Team

About ASPA

Why ASPA (fact sheet)

About ASPA

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