SHC rules against fee increase by private schools in Sindh

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued a ruling on private schools in the province from imposing late fee surcharges and additional fees in addition to the regular tuition fee.

Private schools recently increased their fees from five to ten per cent.

This petition was filed in December 2017 by parents of students belonging to various private schools in the province to reverse an earlier government order to increase school fees.

The SHC ruling said that there should not be an increase in the school fees of more than five per cent in a year. However, some schools had increased the fee to up to ten per cent, in a clear violation of the law.

During the hearing today, the parents’ counsel said that the schools charge a late fee from students when they themselves are at fault for not issuing vouchers on time, which does it make it seem like they want to charge the late fee on purpose.

A Justice Muneeb Akhtar led SHC bench ordered private schools to stop adding the late fee surcharge to fee vouchers and from charging parents any extra fees.

The bench remarked that the hike suggested by the government is illegal and that a policy should be devised to create a legal framework for increasing school fees.