SC clubs all cases pertaining to fee hike by private schools

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to club cases pertaining to private schools pending in high courts and the apex court, Geo News reported.

The top court also ordered that notices be issued to private schools for increasing fee. Declaring the case maintainable, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar made eight private schools a party to the case. "The schools have to defend themselves," the top judge remarked. The apex court will hear the clubbed cases against private schools for increasing fee on October 4.

According to the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, all decisions pertaining to education will fall under the domain of provincial governments, which are also responsible for the curriculum and all other matters pertaining to schools.

Earlier this month, a full bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) had declared that increasing private schools’ tuition fee more than five per cent of the last fee schedule was illegal. The court also directed the schools to either refund the excess amount or adjust it in future fees within three months.