State has failed to provide free education, observes CJ Khosa

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khosa observed on Tuesday that the state has failed to provide free education and compels its citizen to send children to private institutes.

Hearing a case on an increase in school fees, the chief justice said that there are appeals on the decisions given by Lahore and Sindh High Court.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan remarked that the schools increase fees on different pretexts. "They take fees in the name of debate society or clubs," he said.

The court summoned a report from the government on its action for provision of free education and directed the federal and provincial governments to present statistics in the regard.

"The governments should be prepared for the next hearings, we will ask them what steps they have taken. The state itself wants people to send children to private schools but want the court to restrict the fees mechanism," the chief justice said.

The chief justice said that due to nonavailability of the government schools, the children are sent to the religious seminaries.

The court adjourned the case to Monday. The case will be heard on daily basis from the next hearing.