FREEDOM AND LIMITATIONS IN SCHOOL CHOICE: A NARRATIVE OF PROFESSIONAL MIDDLE CLASS PARENTS

Abstract

This research examines the freedoms and limitations faced by professional middle-class parents in choosing the schools for their children. It highlights the choices and restrictions faced by them in the selection of schools for their children in the current multiplicity of school system in Pakistan. The main objective was to explore about the freedoms and challenges encountered by professional middle-class parents in selection of their children’s school. The study is Qualitative. The data for the study comes from in-depth interviews with 16 respondents both male and female in Islamabad. The respondents were selected through purposive sampling technique and were from diverse field such as medical, banking, teaching, and ministry. Most of the professional middle-class parents considered this multiplicity of school systems as a blessing. Parents considered it as a big challenge because of variety of fee structure and variation in quality education. The Professional middle class parents mostly selected school on the basis of religious education, affordability, quality of education, and distance from home.