ISLAMABAD: Ruling in favour of private schools in the federal capital, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday dismissed an earlier notificationagainst increase in fees by private schools, supportingtheir decision to raise tuition fee.
The IHC’s Justice Amir Farooq heard the case and gave a brief verdict in the school fees hike case.
The high court heard the application submitted by private schools and nullified the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority’s (PEIRA) September 2015 notification.
The private schools took up the case with the help of senior advocates such as Asma Jahangir, Shahid Hamid, and Malik Imran Safdar, challenging the PEIRA notification in the IHC.
The court in its brief ruling, also ordered the PEIRA to take suggestions from private schools before introducing new rules.
In September last year, parents of schoolchildren took to the streets in protest against the increase in fees by private schools. This prompted the government to spring into action and issue the notification against the fee hike.
The PEIRA notification had directed the private schools in the capital to not only reverse the decision to increase fees of students, but also to refund the extra fees taken from students.
“All private educational institutions are directed not to increase any fee/ charges/ funds in 2015. Any increase in fee/ fund/ charges, already charged by private educational institutions shall be refunded/ adjusted in the subsequent challans/bills,” the notification had said.