Munawar Abbas, the President of the Parents Association, has strongly criticized the private schools operating in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) for charging exorbitant fees for winter camps.

Abbas expressed his frustration over the increasing trend of private institutions organizing winter camps, which he claims are used as a pretext to collect double fees from parents.

He explained, “It is a very simple matter. We have made a short video to highlight this issue. In the winter, both government and private schools have a break of 1.5 to 2 months. Whether parents opt to participate in winter camps or not, they are still forced to pay the winter camp fees. In one month, parents will be required to pay double the regular fees.”

He further pointed out that many families in the region are already struggling with the high costs of private education and cannot afford to pay for non-essential activities.

“What are the private schools doing? On one hand, they give winter leave, and on the other, they set up winter camps in their own schools. Children are being forced to participate,” he said.

Parents across Gilgit-Baltistan have raised similar issues, expressing concerns about the added financial burden caused by the winter camps.

“The question is, why are schools on winter leave? We understand that the weather is cold, and children may fall ill due to the low temperatures. But we don’t understand why private schools are using the winter break as an excuse to collect double fees for winter camps,” Abbas said.

“On one hand, the school is closed, yet the school fees are still being collected, and on the other hand, the school is hosting a winter camp to collect even more money,” he added.

The parents body has also called on the PoGB government to intervene and address these exploitative practices. Abbas stressed the importance of protecting the future of children in Gilgit-Baltistan from the greed of educational institutions.

“We will give you some time to review this issue. I request the authorities to examine this policy. If no solution is found, we will not hesitate to take further action. We have the option to go to court, and if necessary, we can take to the streets with the students,” he concluded.