SHC orders private schools to halt charging children anything except tuition fee

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday heard a case pertaining to exorbitant charges in monthly school fees of private academic institutes in the name of various extra-curricular events, ARY News reported.

School manager of Sindh appeared in front of the Sindh High Court (SHC) and was grilled by the judge presiding over the case for depriving parents of their hard-earned money over irrelevant activities.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar presiding over the case remarked that the private schools have made education and the pursuit of knowledge nothing more than a business opportunity.

Justice Mazhar inquired that do the schools themselves have any responsibility towards the students or will the parents just keep doling out money in the name of these events?

“Words putting a teacher and the people involved in the matters of education on a pedestal and making them come off like spiritual guardians of knowledge have been limited to books, the people are now just busy in looting and lining their pockets,” said Justice Sindh High Court (SHC).

Director Private Schools, Dr Mansoob Siddiqui was also summoned in the case by the court who also was admonished for not implementing and regulating schools properly.

Justice Mazhar Ali asked the director if he even knew what was happening in schools across the province, to which Mansoob Siddiqui answered that schools have been told to not take even a rupee extra except the tuition fee, any charges taken other than the tuition fee are wrongful.

The court issued orders for private schools to not charge an iota more than the tuition fee, the court also directed the director for private schools to sit with stakeholders on the matter and resolve the matter in light of the current court orders and previously announced verdicts on the matter.

The court also ordered director public school to submit a follow-up report on the matter which should uphold court orders.