School fees

A number of private schools in the city have once again started charging summer vacation fees in advance along with so-called ‘annual charges’, threatening the parents to pay up in a given period of time or face their child not being allowed to take the annual examinations or having their exam results withheld. Despite the fact that the Sindh High Court and Supreme Court have precisely directed that schools shall not charge any hidden fees except, it appears that there is no authority or institution to stop such unlawful activities. In addition to the monthly tuition fee, private schools are also allowed to charge the admission fee, which cannot be more than three times one month’s tuition. Nevertheless, many parents say that the managements of private schools were compelling them to deposit annual charges before their children’s examinations.

I would request the concerned authorities to take immediate and stringent actions against schools that are charging parents unlawful fees and to ensure that those parents who have already paid these charges are reimbursed by the respective schools forthwith.

Nisar Ahmed

Karachi