SHC bars private schools from receiving advance fee

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday barred the private schools from receiving advance summer vacation fee.

A two-member bench of SHC, headed by Justice Aqeel Abbasi, heard the contempt of court petition against the private schools  for getting advance fee of two months of summer vacations and stopped the school management from receiving the advance fees. The parents informed the bench that City and Bacon House Schools were still demanding summer vacation fees of two months.

The bench issued directives to schools that barred administrations to avoid receiving advance fees and asked complainants to submit documents if any institution collected summer vacation fees. ‘’None of any private school can receive the advance fees of summer vacations,’’ the bench ordered. The counsel of Foundation Public School told the court that parents did not paid the fees since August 2018. ‘’The school had issued new challan after the verdict of apex court’s full bench in September 2018,’’ he said.

He said:  "Twenty per cent of the fee was cut off from current fees on the orders of Supreme Court in September 2018." He said apart from petitioners, other parents were ready to pay current fees, but petitioner were doing propaganda against the schools. The school management submitted challans issued by different campuses.

Justice remarked: ‘’ We will conduct the contempt of court inquiry against school management if they demand two months advance fee from parents,’’

The court ordered the school management to return the one month fees to parents who paid two months fee. Justice also asked the parents to pay fee as per court orders.

"We are able to enforce our orders, do not show us orders," justice assures the parents. The court also barred the private schools to not carry out any inquiry against the children. “ On Supreme Court order, schools had refunded one-month fees last year but for what reasons charges are being collected this year against the court’s order.”

The high court, in its order, warned issuance of contempt of court notices against the schools’ administration if found involved in receiving advance fees of summer vacations.

On April 8, 2019, the Sindh High Court had ordered the private schools to halt recovery of advance fees of more than one month from students.