SHC seeks fee details from 2005 onward from private schools

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday asked private schools to submit details of fee structure from the year 2005 onward, as it resumed hearing of pleas filed by parents against exorbitant school fees.

Expressing annoyance at the failure of some schools to abide by its orders prohibiting unreasonable fee hikes, the court sought details of action taken against the schools in question.

Tell us what action has been taken against which schools and when, the court asked the counsel representing the private schools.

Upon being told that some private schools were collecting fee for up to four months in advance, the court asked how the lower-middle and middle classes would afford to pay the combined fee.

“Parents are worried, who will listen to them?” the court questioned.

The private schools’ counsel informed the bench that some of the schools’ licenses had been suspended and they had been ordered to deposit the additional fee with the Supreme Court registrar.

The Sindh High Court summoned a collective response from the director-general of private schools detailing the fee structure and any unapproved hikes from the year 2005 onward.

The court warned of strict action if any excesses were found in the fee structure charged by private schools, and said it would initiate contempt proceedings if its orders were not obeyed.

The hearing was then adjourned till December 3rd.

The court, on September 3rd, 2018, had barred private schools from increasing their tuition fee by more than five per cent. A three-judge larger bench comprising Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Ashraf Jehan had ruled any increase of more than five per cent in the tuition fee charged by schools to be illegal.

Private schools can’t raise tuition fee by more than 5%, rules SHC

Three-judge bench says an increase of more than five per cent in tuition fee is illegal

The court had also barred private schools across Sindh from charging late fee surcharges and additional fees onto existing school fees.

Last week, the Sindh government had suspended registration of The City School and Beaconhouse over their failure to comply with court orders over the fee hike.