Increase font size Decrease font size Reset font size

Over 300 parents move SHC against hike in private school fee

By Ishaq Tanoli 2015-10-07
KARACHl: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday restrained the management of a private educational institute from taking any coercive action against dozens of students for the recovery of exorbitant tuition fee.

A two-member SHC bench headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah also put the chief secretary, education secretary, director education, administrator of Generations School and others on notice for Oct 13.

Over 300 parents moved the SHC impleading the management of Generations School and other education authorities as respondents.

The petitioners submitted that their children were studying in different standards at the SITE and North Nazimabad campuses of the school, whose management increased the tuition fee for different grades.

They said that they had not paid the excess fee and the school`s management was forcing them to pay it.

The parents further submitted that they wanted their children to get quality education, but it had become very difficult for them to continue the education of their children due to the exorbitant increase in the school fee.

They argued that the increase in the fee was in violation of the Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinances of 2003 and 2015 as Section 6 of the two ordinances said that the fee structure should be fixed with the prior approval of the government.

The petitioners recalled that the government had issued certain directives against the increase in the tuition fee, but the management of private educational institutes was not acting upon them.

They asked the court to restrain the school management from taking any action against their children for the purpose of recovering heavy fee and direct the school management to comply with the provisions of the related ordinances while increasing the tuition fee.

The bench directed the management of the school not to take any coercive action against the students for the recovery of the increased tuition fee till the next hearing.