SC directs committee to regularise private schools’ fee structure

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed a committee, formed to resolve the issue of exorbitant fee charged by private schools, to regularise the fee structure of the schools in question.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar heard a suo motu case against fee hike by private schools.

The chief justice expressed his dissatisfaction with the committee’s progress on the matter, and remarked that he would head the committee himself.

“Private schools are [continuing to] increase fee, and parents are left crying,” he observed. “We want that [all the] stakeholders sit together and resolve the matter. [Any] remaining matter can be dealt with in the court.”

The law secretary informed the bench that private schools wanted to increase the fee by 8 to 10 percent, and did not want any restrictions placed on them.

Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan observed that it would need to be determined via a forensic audit of the private schools how much these schools earn, as the fee is determined accordingly.

The law secretary told the court that the stakeholders had agreed on the eight percent hike to an extent.

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The court then directed the committee, which is headed by a federal ombudsman and includes former attorney general Makhdoom Ali Khan, to determine how often and by how much the fee is increased.

The chief justice further remarked that the federal ombudsman and the auditor general would need to be summoned before the court.