Private schools refuse to abide by SHC ruling on tuition fees

KARACHI: Private schools have refused to abide by a Sindh High Court (SHC) ruling to not increase monthly tuition fees, sources within the education department informed Geo News on Thursday. 

The Sindh High Court, earlier, ruled against private schools and barred them from increasing tuition fee by over five per cent.

A three-judge larger bench comprising Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Ashraf Jehan announced their verdict which was earlier reserved in June.

The private school's management told the education department that it intends to challenge the SHC's decision in the Supreme Court within three months’ time as the expenses incurred by schools doesn’t allow them to minimise the fees.

Sindh education dept orders private schools to return extra fees

SHC had ordered private schools to not increase fees by more than 5%

A full bench of the SHC heard identical petitions against increases in tuition fees by private schools in violation of the Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinance 2001.

Petitioners Bushra Jabeen, Arshad Fawad, Mohammad Shariq Feroz and 600 other parents have challenged the increases in tuition fees by four private schools in violation of the ordinance.

They said their children were studying at the private schools situated in KDA Scheme, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Qasimabad and the schools’ administrations had increased the tuition fees by 12 to 60 per cent in violation of the law.

The petitioners’ counsel contended that private schools could not be allowed to make a profit from their own choice as education was included in the basic necessities of life like food and health care, and the government had authority to stop the private schools from profiteering.