The Supreme Court of Pakistan has barred private schools from collecting fees during summer vacations. Along with that, the court also directed to release a public notice informing the parents of students about the court’s order.
The court was displeased with the exorbitant fees charged by the private institutions. On that, the court warned that these institutions would be nationalized and the state will take over.
According to a report by a private media channel, the court said:
“Call the Attorney General, tell the government to take over all private schools.”
Lahore High Court (LHC) and Peshawar High Court (PHC) have barred private schools from collecting fees for summer vacations. Islamabad High Court recently also recently stopped private schools in the capital from collecting fees during the summer vacations.
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The Court’s Remarks
The Chief Justice of Pakistan remarked on the excessive fees being charged by the expensive private schools saying,
As per the Article 184/3 of the constitution, the Supreme Court has the authority to tell the government to take over all private schools and nationalize them.
The Chief Justice further, addressing the private schools, added;
Poor people’s children can’t afford to study in the private schools considering the fees that they are charging.
The court added that the governments have failed to fulfill their responsibility of providing education to children under 16. As per the Article 25A of the constitution, it is the State’s responsibility to provide free education to all children under 16 years of age.
The hearing of the case has been adjourned until 12th July 2018.
Good move. kindly get done something for extraordinary high fees and other looting by private schools…
Al-Faisal Happy Home Middle school , circular Road , jhang
Mazrat agar maray comments kisi ko pasand no aaen. Lakin reality yay hay kah CJ sb ko Fee ko rational bananay kay liyay iqdaam karnay chahiyaen. Kiya in School ko govt. key tahweel maen dana sahih ho ga? Kiya govt. ic qabil ho kah in schools ko chala sakay? balkay mara khiyaal hay kah yay idaray b sarkari schools key tarah tabah kar diya jaen gay. Lihaza reality on ground or real facts pay baat honi chahiya na kah khiyali janat key aur CJ sb ko govt. ko order karnay chahiyay kah Govt. schools key halat behtar karaen, agar aisa ho jay to kisi ko kiya parda hay kah wo apnay bachon ko private school maen admit karwaen.
While the fees charged are high and i am not justifying it, i am one of the parents, dont run a school of my own, its governed by demand and supply mechanism, you have a better product you can charge more, you dont want this product at this price, you can choose a cheaper one. The government schools are already there, this would be a nightmare for parents for the schools to have been nationalised, a disaster.
If this rationale is correct then all private hospitals should be nationalised, why poor people sell their land but go to private hospitals for treatment, because they think its a fair deal for them and still better than going to free government hospitals.
Same case with whole private sectors, all private businesses should be nationalised based on this rationale.
The real issue should be addressed i.e disproportionate increase in fees every year without regard to the inflation rate or the increase in salaries of paying parents, neither government nor private sector offers increments at the rate schools increase their fees.
While nationalisaiton is neither a solutoin nor fair, the private schools must realise this is happenning because of the pain they have created for others for so many year, they should have come up with some check of their own, we agree they are commercial organisations but they are also in the service industry servicing “basic” needs of the society and have to be cognizant of this fact while taking commercial decisions.
Yeh Notice sirf Punjab, KPK aur Islamabad k liay hai ya Sindh k liay bhi hai.
So how do one report the schools which are violating these rules and charging the summer vacations fee? Is there a site where one can lodge a complaint?