KARACHI: Sindh government suspended the registration of two more schools in Karachi over their failure to return additional fees to parents.
The directorate said that their registration will remain suspended until the amount is returned to the parents.
On November 15, the Sindh Education Department told private schools in Karachi to return the extra money they have charged students within seven days or else their campuses will be sealed. The Sindh High Court and Supreme Court earlier ordered that schools are not allowed to increase their fee by more than 5% a year.
Registrations of five schools— Beaconhouse School System, The City School, Smart School, Foundation Public School and Head Start— have been cancelled so far.
However, the schools say this suspension is in violation of the courts’ orders. “[The notification] holds no legal value and is in violation of the Supreme Court and the Sindh High Court’s orders,” read a joint statement. They said that they have been ordered to deposit they money with the Supreme Court registrar within three months, by December 31.
They have to pay all the extra money they charged above the allowed 5% fee increase.
Earlier, Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah issued the notice to the schools and said that the fee should be returned or adjusted in future payments.
Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on Law Murtaza Wahab said nobody is above the law. “The law should be enforced and relief should be provided to the parents,” he said.
The court’s order to return the fee came after parents filed petitions against the 12 to 60% hike in school fees in violation of the Sindh Private Educational Institutions Ordinance, 2001, which allows schools to increase fees by no more than 5%.