KARACHI, March 5 (TNS): The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday barred private schools from slapping late fee surcharges and additional fee in existing school fee.
The court issued the ruling on a petition against a government notification on five to 10 per cent hike in private school fee in the province.
Parents of students of various schools had petitioned the SHC in December 2017, seeking to nullify the government order contended that private schools could not increase more than five percent in fee in an academic year as per regulations. However, some private schools had increased the fee more than 10pc.
They had requested the court to direct the authorities concerned to restrain the private schools from increasing the fee and to ensure they follow rules and regulations.
During today’s hearing, the petitioners’ counsel said that private schools do not issue fee vouchers on time and tag late fee surcharges to the voucher once it is provided to parents. “It is like they want to deliberately add the late fee surcharge to the voucher,” one parent argued.
An SHC bench headed by Justice Muneeb Akhtar ordered private schools to refrain from adding the late fee surcharge to fee vouchers.
The bench also nullified the fee increase notification terming it illegal.
