Karachi schools continue charging summer vacation fees

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Despite Supreme Court (SC) orders, some schools in Karachi issued fee vouchers for June and July to students on Monday, reported ARY News.

Sources relayed that a few schools of Karachi deliberately ignored and refused to pay heed to SC orders pertaining to June and July’s school fees.

It is pertinent to note that on Dec 13, the SC ordered private schools to cut their fees by 20 percent and return the 50 percent of the amount they received during summer vacations.

Parents of students are still burdened with the excessive amount of fees charged for a period when their children don’t even attend school. They were handed the aforementioned vouchers along with January fee challans.

Last week, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar ordered to file a case against private school owners refusing to cut down monthly fees after court orders.

Hearing the case at the apex court, the CJP remarked that private schools had now started to protest after the court ordered cut in fee ‘increased manifold’ by the schools.

Private schools lawyers, deputy auditor general and Federal Broad of Revenue (FBR) chairman had appeared before the bench.

‘We have an idea that the private schools are now reacting to the apex court decision,” he added.

Supreme Court Bar President, Amanullah, who was present in the court, said the schools had now started disturbing students.

In his statement, secretary law informed the court that apart from 22 schools, all others had refused to cut down fee. He said the order was imposed on schools receiving more than Rs 5,000 fee.

The counsel of a private school said all institutions were implementing the court orders. ‘Our director has also arrived to the court today.’

“Why your owner didn’t make it to the court,” the CJP asked.

He said when owners appear before the court, the situation gets settled. “We summoned the owners of sugar mills and the issue was resolved subsequently.”

He said the court would further explain in its order that the fee directives were issued to schools seeking more than Rs 5,000 as monthly fee.