LHC moved against schools seeking fee

Petitioner says some are sending messages to parents demanding fee till June

LAHORE: A petitioner has moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) against private schools demanding fees for the current months despite countrywide closure of educational institutions till May 31 in the wake of novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Judicial Activism Panel, a nongovernmental organization (NGO), has filed a civil miscellaneous application through advocate Azhar Siddique in a main contempt petition already pending with LHC.

The petitioner has contended the private schools are sending messages to parents of their students, asking them to deposit fees to their bank accounts. The petitioner has attached one such message sent by a leading private school to demand fee for three months – April-June – by April 5.

The petitioner said: “The heartlessness of the private schools can be gathered from the aforementioned message. They have indeed recognized the current scenario of lockdown due to the COVID-19 but are still demanding that the fee for the students be deposited in the prescribed bank account.

“During this lockdown, the private schools expect the parents to go to their respective banks, risking their lives and deposit the fee just so that the school can fill its own pockets, even though it is quite clear that all schools have been ordered shut ... and are not incurring any expenditures due to said closure.”

It said the demands for fee deposit are in blatant violation of the provisions of the Constitution and are also in violation and blatant disregard of the orders of the LHC.

“That Article 25-A of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973 gives right to free education and Article 25 provided equal rights to the citizens of Pakistan but the private schools are the main hurdle in enforcement of Article 25-A …and are in clear violation of the aforementioned Article.”

The petitioner requested the court to order the private schools to refrain from demanding fee deposits during coronavirus outbreak and until this menace has passed as such a demand is in direct violation and in contempt of the orders of the LHC and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

“Moreover, it is further prayed to restrain the private schools from illegally harassing and threatening the students and their parents to enforce the fundamental rights as envisaged under Article 9, 25 read with 4&5 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973,” it said.