Registration of about 115 campuses of Beaconhouse, City School suspended

KARACHI: The registration of about 115 campuses of two private school systems – the Beaconhouse and The City School – was suspended for charging excessive tuition fee in defiance of the rulings of the Supreme Court and Sindh High Court in this regard.

According to a notification issued by the provincial education department, the registration of the schools will remain suspended unless they return extra-charged fee to parents or guardians of children studying in these schools.

The Director of Private Schools Sindh said it had time and again written letters to both the school systems calling for implementation of the verdicts regarding fee hike but no avail. If the court orders are enforced within seven days of the suspension, their registration will be restored and upon failure, the schools will be sealed in presence of a judicial magistrate.

Meanwhile, Director General of Directorate of Inspection of Private Schools Mansoob Hussain Siddiqui said the two schools were often issued reminders to enforce the top court’s order, but all in vain. He, however, clarified that the suspension of the schools’ registration won’t affect educational activities.

It merits mention here that the SHC had last year dismissed the petitions of some private schools calling for increasing tuition fee by more than five per cent.

The court had directed the education department to enforce the restricted increase in fee.

It ruled that the provincial education department was obliged to enforce Sub-rule 7 m(3) of the Rules 2002 that bound the private institutions not to raise their fee more than 5pc within an academic year and further requiring them to revise fee structure with prior approval of the government.

The court observed that private schools business methods is based on the open market principle of – you get, what you pay for – which is a shameful admission in respect of the noble profession of imparting education.