MARDAN: The district chapter of Private Schools Network here on Monday rejected the cluster system introduced by educational boards, saying it was unacceptable to parents, students and educational institutions.

Addressing a news conference at Mardan Press Club, the office-bearers of the network including Nadeem Shah, Naseer Khan Afridi, Tufail Khan Mayar and Hashim Khan said that repeated experiments with education system caused mental stress to students.

They said that Private Schools Network was opposed to cheating and was willing to cooperate with board authorities. However, they said that introduction of cluster system increased problems of students instead of reducing them.

Expressing concerns over the difficulties faced by girl students, they said that distant examination centres, security concerns and travel issues caused anxiety among parents.

They questioned as to who would take responsibility for the safety of girl students.

They said that in many areas, examination centres were set 10 kilometres away from homes of students, creating difficulties for parents.

The office-bearers of the network said that security issues, lockdown-like conditions and power outages further worsened the examination environment.

Asking government and educational institutions to take notice of the issue, they claimed that cluster system was not only unconstitutional but also promoted distrust in the education system.

They also appealed to elected public representatives to address the concerns of parents and review the system so that students could be provided with an environment conducive to education.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2026